J Hudson & Co was founded in the 1870s

1870s

The 1870s continued the trends of the previous decade, as new empires, imperialism and militarism rose in Europe and Asia. America was recovering from the Civil War. Germany declared independence in 1871 and began its Second Reich. Labor unions and strikes occurred worldwide in the later part of...

 in Birmingham by Joseph Hudson

Joseph Hudson (inventor)

Joseph Hudson was an inventor in Birmingham, England during the late 19th century andthe founder of J Hudson & Co in 1870, later to become the world largest whistle manufacturer ....

 (1848–1930) and his brother James Hudson (1850–1888). The company became a manufacturer of whistles and is still active today as Acme Whistles. Acme is the world’s largest and most famous producer of whistle

Whistle

A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...

s. Headquartered in the Jewellery Quarter

Jewellery Quarter

The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....

 district of Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, their patented designs are the recognized standard in loud noise production.
The company was family run for over 100 years and three generations; Joseph Hudson's son, James Clifford Hudson, and his grandson, Leon Clifford Hudson ran the company after Joseph retired.