William Beardmore and Company
Encyclopedia
William Beardmore and Company was a Scottish
engineering
and shipbuilding
conglomerate
based in Glasgow
and the surrounding Clydeside area. It was active between about 1890 and 1930 and at its peak employed about 40,000 people. It was founded and owned by William Beardmore
, later Lord Invernairn, after whom the Beardmore Glacier
was named.
of Robert Napier in Govan
, a logical diversification from the company's core steel forgings business. In 1900, Beardmore also began construction of what would become The Naval Construction Yard, at Dalmuir
in west Clydebank
; the largest and most advanced shipyard in the United Kingdom at the time. HMS Agamemnon
was the yard's first order to complete, in 1906. Beardmore eventually sold the company's Govan shipyard to Harland and Wolff
in 1912. Other notable warships produced by Beardmores at Dalmuir include the Dreadnought
s, , and (1917). In 1917, Beardmore completed the aircraft carrier
, HMS Argus
, the first carrier to have a full length flat top flight deck
. Beardmore expanded the activities at Dalmuir to include the manufacture of all sorts or arms and armaments, the site employing 13,000 people at its peak.
The post war recession hit the firm hard, and the shipyard was forced to close in 1930. Part of the site and some of the existing buildings later became incorporated into ROF Dalmuir
, part was used by the General Post Office for their cable-laying ships
.
s, including:
tender locomotives were built for the Great Eastern Railway
as part of their class S69
. Ninety London and North Western Railway
Prince of Wales class
locomotive were built between 1921 and 1922, along with an extra exhibition locomotive for the LNWR's successor, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
in 1924. They also built 90 ‘Jinty
’ tank engine for the LMS between 1928 and 1929. Beardmore's locomotive production was small compared with the established competition.
In concert with US and Canadian Westinghouse, diesel engines were developed and installed for railway self-propelled car use. Canadian National Railways had two articulated cars powered with Beardmore 320 hp engines, eight cars with 185 hp engines, and seven cars with 300 hp engines. Several American railroads had self-propelled cars fitted with Westinghouse engines derived from Beardmore designs.
In 1913, Pre-empting The Great War, the company ventured into aircraft production, building Sopwith Pup
aircraft at Dalmuir under licence. Later, a shipborne version of the Pup - the Beardmore W.B.III
- was designed in-house. A hundred of these aircraft were produced and delivered to the Royal Naval Air Service
(RNAS). The company built and ran the Inchinnan Airship Constructional Station at Inchinnan
in Renfrewshire
. It produced the airships R27, R32, R34 and R36.
In 1924, the company acquired a licence for stressed skin
construction using the Rohrbach principles. An order for two flying boat
s using this construction idea was placed with Beardmore. It had the first aircraft built for it by the Rohrbach Metal Aeroplane Company in Copenhagen
, building the second itself and they were delivered to the RAF as the Beardmore Inverness. In addition, a large, experimental, all-metal trimotor
transport aircraft was designed and built at Dalmuir and delivered to the Royal Air Force
as the Beardmore Inflexible
. Beardmore produced a line of aircraft engine
s, including the Cyclone, Meteor, Simoon, Tornado
(used in the R101
airship), Typhoon and Whirlwind.
, a manufacturer of steam-powered railway locomotives, railcar
s and road vehicles. In 1919 a range of cars was announced, to be made by a subsidiary company, Beardmore Motors Ltd, based in factories in Glasgow and the surrounding area; Anniesland
, Coatbridge
and Paisley
.
The Anniesland factory was closed by 1925 and car production was moved to the taxi factory at Paisley, where a new model, the 14.40, with a sidevalve engine of 2297cc with an aluminium cylinder head was introduced. The engine was increased to 2391cc in 1925 and the car redesignated the 16.40. Two standard bodies were offered, the Stewart saloon and the Lomond limousine. A large car, the four cylinder 4072cc Thirty was made at Coatbridge in 1920 but it was unsuccessful and was discontinued.
Production of the Beardmore Taxi began at Paisley in 1919 with what became known retrospectively as the Mk1. This was designed to meet the Metropolitan Police
Conditions of Fitness for London Taxis. It was a very tough and reliable vehicle and it earned itself the name of 'The Rolls-Royce of taxicabs'. A car version, the Country and Colonial model was also made, as was a light van. It was replaced in 1923 by the Mk2, which had an all-new chassis, which it shared with a new range of light trucks and buses. Following a change in the Conditions of Fitness, Beardmore introduced a new model, the Mk3 'Hyper'. This had a smaller, 2-litre sidevalve engine and was lighter and more economical to run.
Following the removal of William Beardmore from the board of his company in 1929, Beardmore Motors was bought out by its directors, and taxi production was moved from Scotland to Hendon, North London. Here in 1932 a new model, the Mk4 Paramount was introduced, which was essentially an updated Mk3 with a 2-litre Commer engine and gearbox. In 1935, the Mk5 Paramount Ace, with a new, longer wheelbase chassis was introduced, with the same engine. It was followed in 1938 by the Mk6 Ace, which had detail refinements. The 1930s Beardmore became known as the 'greengrocer's barrow', because 'all the best things were in front'!
After the Second World War, Beardmore Motors sold and serviced the new Nuffield Oxford cab, until the newly formed British Motor Corporation axed it in favour of their own Austin FX3. Beardmore Motors then returned to making their own cabs. The model they introduced, in 1954 was the Mk7 Paramount, which had a traditional style coachbuilt body, of aluminium panels over an ash frame, built by Windover. The engine was from a Mk1 Ford Consul, (later, a Mk2 Consul and finally a Ford Zephyr 4) but a Perkins 4.99 diesel was offered from 1956. In the same year, body production was taken over by Weymann at Addlestone. Production of the entire cab was soon moved there. In 1966, when Metropolitan-Cammell bought Weymann, taxi production was moved to MCW's factory at Washwood Heath, Birmingham, where it ended in late 1966. Final production of the Mk7 amounted to just over 650 cabs.
s that had been developed by Frank Baker, selling them as "Beardmore Precision". Engine sizes ranged from 250 cc to 600 cc. They also supplied the engines to several cyclecar
manufacturers. After Beardmore stopped manufacture, Baker set up his own company again and restarted production.
, which took a 60% stake in Beardmores, before pulling out in the late 1920s. Beardmore himself was removed from executive control of his company by the Bank of England
. Most of Beardmore's various businesses were wound down over the next few years until Bearmore's retirement and death in 1936, although some persisted.
The crisis in the British shipbuilding industry after the First World War resulted in the formation of a company with the purpose of taking control of and eliminating loss-making shipyards to reduce capacity and competition; National Shipbuilders Security Ltd, under Sir James Lithgow of shipbuilding giant Lithgows, Limited
. The former bought Beardmore's Dalmuir yard in 1930 and the yard was closed and its facilities dismantled, although various maritime engineering works persisted until 1936. The Dalmuir site was re-established as ROF Dalmuir
in 1939 however and was later sold to Babcock and Wilcox
in 1957, who continued to operate there until 1969. During the 1970s the site was converted into the Clydebank Industrial Estate and in recent years has also formed the location of the Golden Jubilee Hospital
and the Beardmore Hotel.
After the former centrepiece of the Beardmore empire - the Parkhead
Forge - was nationalised by the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain
between 1951 and 1954, it was acquired by Firth Brown Steels
in 1957, before the Forge was finally closed in 1976, with the land later becoming the The Forge Shopping Centre
, which opened in 1988.
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
based in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and the surrounding Clydeside area. It was active between about 1890 and 1930 and at its peak employed about 40,000 people. It was founded and owned by William Beardmore
William Beardmore, 1st Baron Invernairn
William Beardmore, 1st Baron Invernairn , known as Sir William Beardmore, Bt, between 1914 and 1921, was an Anglo-Scottish industrialist, founding the eponymous William Beardmore and Company.-Background and education:...
, later Lord Invernairn, after whom the Beardmore Glacier
Beardmore Glacier
The Beardmore Glacier in Antarctica is one of the largest glaciers in the world, with a length exceeding 160 km . The glacier is one of the main passages from the Ross Ice Shelf through the Queen Alexandra and Commonwealth ranges of the Transantarctic Mountains to the Antarctic Plateau, and was one...
was named.
History
Forged Steel Castings and Armour Plate
The Parkhead Forge, in the east end of Glasgow, would become the core of the company. It was established by Reoch Brothers & Co in 1837 and was later acquired by Robert Napier in 1841 to make forgings and iron plates for his new shipyard in Govan. Napier was given the contract to build HMS Black Prince, the sister ship to the Royal Navy's first true ironclad ship, HMS Warrior. Parkead was contracted to make the armour for her, but failed, so the manager, William Rigby called in William Beardmore Snr, who at the time was superintendent of the General Steam Navigation Company in Deptford, to help. Beardmore became a partner in the business and, moving to Glasgow was joined by his brother Isaac and son, William Jr. On the premature death of William Snr, Isaac retired and William Jnr became sole partner. He founded William Beardmore & Co in 1886. By 1896 the works covered an area of 25 acres (100,000 m2) and was the largest steelworks in Scotland, specialising in the manufacture of steel forgings for the shipbuilding industry of the River Clyde, By this time they had begun the manufacture of steel armour plate and later diversified into the manufacture of guns, such as the BL 15 inch Mk I naval gun.Shipbuilding
In 1900, Beardmore took over the shipyardShipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
of Robert Napier in Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
, a logical diversification from the company's core steel forgings business. In 1900, Beardmore also began construction of what would become The Naval Construction Yard, at Dalmuir
Dalmuir
Dalmuir is an area on the western side of Clydebank, in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland.-Location:It is neighboured by the village of Old Kilpatrick, the Mountblow and Parkhall areas of Clydebank, as well as the town centre...
in west Clydebank
Clydebank
Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...
; the largest and most advanced shipyard in the United Kingdom at the time. HMS Agamemnon
HMS Agamemnon (1906)
HMS Agamemnon was one of two pre-dreadnought battleships launched in 1906 and completed in 1908. She was the Royal Navy's second-to-last pre-dreadnought battleship to be built, followed by her sister ship, . She was assigned to the Channel Fleet when World War I began in 1914...
was the yard's first order to complete, in 1906. Beardmore eventually sold the company's Govan shipyard to Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
in 1912. Other notable warships produced by Beardmores at Dalmuir include the Dreadnought
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
s, , and (1917). In 1917, Beardmore completed the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, HMS Argus
HMS Argus (I49)
HMS Argus was a British aircraft carrier that served in the Royal Navy from 1918–1944. She was converted from an ocean liner under construction when the First World War began, and became the world's first example of what is now the standard pattern of aircraft carrier, with a full-length flight...
, the first carrier to have a full length flat top flight deck
Flight deck
The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters and other VTOL aircraft is also referred to as the...
. Beardmore expanded the activities at Dalmuir to include the manufacture of all sorts or arms and armaments, the site employing 13,000 people at its peak.
The post war recession hit the firm hard, and the shipyard was forced to close in 1930. Part of the site and some of the existing buildings later became incorporated into ROF Dalmuir
ROF Dalmuir
ROF Dalmuir was an Engineering Royal Ordnance Factory owned by the British government during World War II. The factory manufactured medium-calibre guns, particularly anti-aircraft guns...
, part was used by the General Post Office for their cable-laying ships
Cable layer
A cable layer or cable ship is a deep-sea vessel designed and used to lay underwater cables for telecommunications, electricity, and such. Cable ships are distinguished by large cable sheaveshttp://atlantic-cable.com/Cableships/Monarch%284%29/ | History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea...
.
Merchant ships
Beardmore also built oil tankerOil tanker
An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...
s, including:
- British Commerce, British Tanker Company
British Tanker CompanyBritish Tanker Company Limited was the maritime transport arm of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, the forerunner of BP. The British Tanker Company was formed in 1915 with an initial fleet of seven oil tankers...
, (1922) - British Enterprise, British Tanker Company, (1921)
- British Merchant, British Tanker Company, (1922)
- British Trader, British Tanker Company, (1921)
Railway locomotives
An attempt was made during the 1920s to diversify in to the manufacture of railway locomotives at Dalmuir. Twenty 4-6-04-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
tender locomotives were built for the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
as part of their class S69
GER Class S69
Great Eastern Railway Class S69, also known as 1500 Class, and later classified B12 by the LNER is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed for passenger work. Originally they were designed by S. D. Holden, but were much rebuilt, resulting in several subclasses.Seventy-one S69 locomotives were...
. Ninety London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
Prince of Wales class
LNWR Prince of Wales Class
The London and North Western Railway Prince of Wales Class was a class of express passenger passenger locomotive. It was in effect, a superheated version of the Experiment Class 4-6-0.They were introduced in 1911 by Charles Bowen-Cooke...
locomotive were built between 1921 and 1922, along with an extra exhibition locomotive for the LNWR's successor, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
in 1924. They also built 90 ‘Jinty
LMS Fowler Class 3F
The London Midland and Scottish Railway Fowler 3F 0-6-0T is a class of steam locomotive, often known as Jinty. They represent the ultimate development of the Midland Railway's six-coupled tank engines.- Introduction :...
’ tank engine for the LMS between 1928 and 1929. Beardmore's locomotive production was small compared with the established competition.
| Serial numbers | Year | Quantity | Customer | Class | Wheel arrangement | Fleet numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Indian State Railways | HGS | |||||
| 135–154 | 1920–21 | 20 | Great Eastern Railway Great Eastern Railway The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia... |
S69 GER Class S69 Great Eastern Railway Class S69, also known as 1500 Class, and later classified B12 by the LNER is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed for passenger work. Originally they were designed by S. D. Holden, but were much rebuilt, resulting in several subclasses.Seventy-one S69 locomotives were... |
4-6-0 4-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular... |
1541–1560 not in order |
To LNER London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain... 8541–8560 in 1923; renumbered 1541–1560 |
| 174–263 | 1921–1922 | 90 | London and North Western Railway London and North Western Railway The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway... |
Prince of Wales LNWR Prince of Wales Class The London and North Western Railway Prince of Wales Class was a class of express passenger passenger locomotive. It was in effect, a superheated version of the Experiment Class 4-6-0.They were introduced in 1911 by Charles Bowen-Cooke... |
4-6-0 4-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular... |
to LMS London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four... 5755–5844 (not in order) in 1923 |
|
| 304 | 1924 | 1 | Exhibition locomotive | Prince of Wales LNWR Prince of Wales Class The London and North Western Railway Prince of Wales Class was a class of express passenger passenger locomotive. It was in effect, a superheated version of the Experiment Class 4-6-0.They were introduced in 1911 by Charles Bowen-Cooke... |
4-6-0 4-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular... |
to LMS London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four... 5845 |
|
| 305–324 | 1927 | 20 | London and North Eastern Railway London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain... |
N7/3 GER Class L77 The GER Class L77, LNER Class N7, is a class of 0-6-2T steam locomotives. They were designed by Alfred John Hill of the Great Eastern Railway and introduced in 1915. The design was perpetuated by Nigel Gresley of the LNER after the 1923 grouping. 134 were built; only one of them is... |
0-6-2T | 2642–2661 | Renumbered 9683–9702 in 1946 scheme |
| 325–414 | 1928–29 | 90 | London, Midland and Scottish Railway London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four... |
LMS Fowler Class 3F LMS Fowler Class 3F The London Midland and Scottish Railway Fowler 3F 0-6-0T is a class of steam locomotive, often known as Jinty. They represent the ultimate development of the Midland Railway's six-coupled tank engines.- Introduction :... |
0-6-0T | 16600–16624, 16685–16749 |
Renumbered 7517–7541, 7602–7666 |
In concert with US and Canadian Westinghouse, diesel engines were developed and installed for railway self-propelled car use. Canadian National Railways had two articulated cars powered with Beardmore 320 hp engines, eight cars with 185 hp engines, and seven cars with 300 hp engines. Several American railroads had self-propelled cars fitted with Westinghouse engines derived from Beardmore designs.
Aviation
Sopwith Pup
The Sopwith Pup was a British single seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good maneuverability, the aircraft proved very...
aircraft at Dalmuir under licence. Later, a shipborne version of the Pup - the Beardmore W.B.III
Beardmore W.B.III
|-See also:...
- was designed in-house. A hundred of these aircraft were produced and delivered to the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
(RNAS). The company built and ran the Inchinnan Airship Constructional Station at Inchinnan
Inchinnan
Inchinnan is a small village in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The village is located on the main A8 road between Renfrew and Greenock, just southeast of the town of Erskine.-History:...
in Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
. It produced the airships R27, R32, R34 and R36.
In 1924, the company acquired a licence for stressed skin
Stressed skin
In mechanical engineering, stressed skin is a type of rigid construction, intermediate between monocoque and a rigid frame with a non-loaded covering:...
construction using the Rohrbach principles. An order for two flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s using this construction idea was placed with Beardmore. It had the first aircraft built for it by the Rohrbach Metal Aeroplane Company in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, building the second itself and they were delivered to the RAF as the Beardmore Inverness. In addition, a large, experimental, all-metal trimotor
Trimotor
A trimotor is an aircraft powered by three piston engines.Trimotor designs were relatively common in the early days of aviation, as engines were less powerful and less reliable.-Notable types:* Armstrong Whitworth Argosy...
transport aircraft was designed and built at Dalmuir and delivered to the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as the Beardmore Inflexible
Beardmore Inflexible
|-See also:-External links:* of the Inflexible taxing and taking off at the Norwich Air Display, May 1929; Pathé News online archive....
. Beardmore produced a line of aircraft engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
s, including the Cyclone, Meteor, Simoon, Tornado
Beardmore Tornado
-Further reading:* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9* Gunston, Bill. Development of Piston Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 2006. ISBN 0-7509-4478-1* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston...
(used in the R101
R101
R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airship completed in 1929 as part of a British government programme to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire. It was designed and built by an Air Ministry-appointed team and was effectively in competition...
airship), Typhoon and Whirlwind.
Aircraft
- Beardmore W.B.1
- Beardmore W.B.1a
- Beardmore W.B.2
- Beardmore W.B.IIIBeardmore W.B.III|-See also:...
- Beardmore W.B.IV
- Beardmore W.B.VBeardmore W.B.V|-See also:...
- Beardmore W.B.XXIV Wee Bee IBeardmore Wee BeeThe Beardmore Wee Bee was a single-engined monoplane that was built specifically for the Lympne two seat light aircraft trials held in the United Kingdom in 1924. It won the major prize, though only one was built.-Design and development:...
- Beardmore W.B.XXVIBeardmore W.B.XXVI-References:*"". Flight, 31 December 1925. pp. 850-851.*"". Flight, 25 February 1926. p. 111.*Jarrett, Philip. "Limited Editions Part 4: Beardmore W.B.XXVI". Aeroplane Monthly, December 1996, Vol. 24 No. 12, Issue 284. London:IPC. pp. 26-31. ISSN 0143-7240.*Mason, Francis K. The...
- Beardmore Adriatic
- Beardmore InflexibleBeardmore Inflexible|-See also:-External links:* of the Inflexible taxing and taking off at the Norwich Air Display, May 1929; Pathé News online archive....
- Beardmore Inverness
Road vehicles
In 1917, Beardmore bought Sentinel Waggon WorksSentinel Waggon Works
Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd was a British company based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire that made steam-powered lorries, railway locomotives, and later, diesel engined lorries and locomotives.-Alley & MacLellan, Sentinel Works, Jessie Street Glasgow:...
, a manufacturer of steam-powered railway locomotives, railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
s and road vehicles. In 1919 a range of cars was announced, to be made by a subsidiary company, Beardmore Motors Ltd, based in factories in Glasgow and the surrounding area; Anniesland
Anniesland
Anniesland is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde, and centres around the junction of the Great Western Road and Crow Road; also known as Anniesland Cross....
, Coatbridge
Coatbridge
Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, about east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the Stone Age era...
and Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
.
Cars and Taxis
After the Great War, Beardmore manufactured cars and London-type taxis under their own name. The first car was the 1486cc, four-cylinder 11.4, which had a 4-cylinder overhead camshaft (OHC) engine. It was manufactured at Anniesland, Glasgow and introduced at Olympia in 1919. The shaft drive to the camshaft proved to be unreliable and it was replaced by a chain. The engine was increased in capacity to 1854cc and the car, renamed as the 12/30 was introduced in June 1923. This new engine was used, in 1923 in the new Super Sports. It was priced at £750 and each car came with a certificate that guaranteed that it had been driven around Brooklands track at 70mph (110km/h). A highly modified version of the Super Sports, with a 2-litre engine broke the course record at the Shelsley Walsh hill climb in 1924.The Anniesland factory was closed by 1925 and car production was moved to the taxi factory at Paisley, where a new model, the 14.40, with a sidevalve engine of 2297cc with an aluminium cylinder head was introduced. The engine was increased to 2391cc in 1925 and the car redesignated the 16.40. Two standard bodies were offered, the Stewart saloon and the Lomond limousine. A large car, the four cylinder 4072cc Thirty was made at Coatbridge in 1920 but it was unsuccessful and was discontinued.
Production of the Beardmore Taxi began at Paisley in 1919 with what became known retrospectively as the Mk1. This was designed to meet the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
Conditions of Fitness for London Taxis. It was a very tough and reliable vehicle and it earned itself the name of 'The Rolls-Royce of taxicabs'. A car version, the Country and Colonial model was also made, as was a light van. It was replaced in 1923 by the Mk2, which had an all-new chassis, which it shared with a new range of light trucks and buses. Following a change in the Conditions of Fitness, Beardmore introduced a new model, the Mk3 'Hyper'. This had a smaller, 2-litre sidevalve engine and was lighter and more economical to run.
Following the removal of William Beardmore from the board of his company in 1929, Beardmore Motors was bought out by its directors, and taxi production was moved from Scotland to Hendon, North London. Here in 1932 a new model, the Mk4 Paramount was introduced, which was essentially an updated Mk3 with a 2-litre Commer engine and gearbox. In 1935, the Mk5 Paramount Ace, with a new, longer wheelbase chassis was introduced, with the same engine. It was followed in 1938 by the Mk6 Ace, which had detail refinements. The 1930s Beardmore became known as the 'greengrocer's barrow', because 'all the best things were in front'!
After the Second World War, Beardmore Motors sold and serviced the new Nuffield Oxford cab, until the newly formed British Motor Corporation axed it in favour of their own Austin FX3. Beardmore Motors then returned to making their own cabs. The model they introduced, in 1954 was the Mk7 Paramount, which had a traditional style coachbuilt body, of aluminium panels over an ash frame, built by Windover. The engine was from a Mk1 Ford Consul, (later, a Mk2 Consul and finally a Ford Zephyr 4) but a Perkins 4.99 diesel was offered from 1956. In the same year, body production was taken over by Weymann at Addlestone. Production of the entire cab was soon moved there. In 1966, when Metropolitan-Cammell bought Weymann, taxi production was moved to MCW's factory at Washwood Heath, Birmingham, where it ended in late 1966. Final production of the Mk7 amounted to just over 650 cabs.
Motorcycles
Between 1921 and 1924 Beardmore took over building the Precision range of motorcycleMotorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s that had been developed by Frank Baker, selling them as "Beardmore Precision". Engine sizes ranged from 250 cc to 600 cc. They also supplied the engines to several cyclecar
Cyclecar
Cyclecars were small, generally inexpensive cars manufactured mainly between 1910 and the late 1920s.-General description:Cyclecars were propelled by single cylinder, V-twin or more rarely four cylinder engines, often air cooled. Sometimes these had been originally used in motorcycles and other...
manufacturers. After Beardmore stopped manufacture, Baker set up his own company again and restarted production.
Decline and demise
Beardmore's various companies became unprofitable in the post-war slump, resulting in the company facing bankruptcy. Financial aid initially came from Vickers LimitedVickers Limited
Vickers Limited was a famous British engineering conglomerate that merged into Vickers-Armstrongs in 1927.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
, which took a 60% stake in Beardmores, before pulling out in the late 1920s. Beardmore himself was removed from executive control of his company by the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
. Most of Beardmore's various businesses were wound down over the next few years until Bearmore's retirement and death in 1936, although some persisted.
The crisis in the British shipbuilding industry after the First World War resulted in the formation of a company with the purpose of taking control of and eliminating loss-making shipyards to reduce capacity and competition; National Shipbuilders Security Ltd, under Sir James Lithgow of shipbuilding giant Lithgows, Limited
Lithgows
Lithgows Limited, was a British shipbuilding company based in Kingston, Port Glasgow, on the River Clyde in Scotland.-Founding:The Company was established by Joseph Russell and his partners Anderson Rodger and William Lithgow who leased the Bay Yard in Port Glasgow from Cunliffe & Dunlop and...
. The former bought Beardmore's Dalmuir yard in 1930 and the yard was closed and its facilities dismantled, although various maritime engineering works persisted until 1936. The Dalmuir site was re-established as ROF Dalmuir
ROF Dalmuir
ROF Dalmuir was an Engineering Royal Ordnance Factory owned by the British government during World War II. The factory manufactured medium-calibre guns, particularly anti-aircraft guns...
in 1939 however and was later sold to Babcock and Wilcox
Babcock and Wilcox
The Babcock & Wilcox Company is a U.S.-based company that provides design, engineering, manufacturing, construction and facilities management services to nuclear, renewable, fossil power, industrial and government customers worldwide. B&W's boilers supply more than 300,000 megawatts of installed...
in 1957, who continued to operate there until 1969. During the 1970s the site was converted into the Clydebank Industrial Estate and in recent years has also formed the location of the Golden Jubilee Hospital
Golden Jubilee Hospital
-Specialities:The Golden Jubilee Hospital occupies the north bank of the River Clyde at Dalmuir, but receives referrals from across the country. The Clydebank hospital is Scotland's flagship hospital for reducing patient waiting times...
and the Beardmore Hotel.
After the former centrepiece of the Beardmore empire - the Parkhead
Parkhead
Parkhead is a district in the East End of Glasgow. Its name comes from a small weaving hamlet at the meeting place of the Great Eastern Road and Westmuir Street. Duke Street and Springfield Road also meet there, to form a turreted Edwardian five-way junction at Parkhead Cross...
Forge - was nationalised by the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain
Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain
The Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain was a nationalised industry, set up in 1949 by Clement Attlee's Labour government.The Iron & Steel Act 1949 took effect on 15 February 1951, the Corporation becoming the sole shareholder of 80 of the principal iron and steel companies...
between 1951 and 1954, it was acquired by Firth Brown Steels
Firth Brown Steels
Firth Brown Steels was initially formed in 1902, when Sheffield steelmakers John Brown and Company exchanged shares and came to a working agreement with neighbouring company Thomas Firth & Sons...
in 1957, before the Forge was finally closed in 1976, with the land later becoming the The Forge Shopping Centre
The Forge Shopping Centre
The Forge Shopping Centre exists in the east end of Glasgow in Parkhead. The shopping centre bore the name from the former William Beardmore and Company steel works site that had closed in 1976.- Construction :...
, which opened in 1988.
Archives
The archives of William Beardmore and Company are maintained by the Archives of the University of Glasgow (GUAS)Archives of the University of Glasgow
The Archives of the University of Glasgow maintain the historical records of the University of Glasgow back to its foundation in 1451. Its earliest record is a charter dating from 1304 for the lands of the earliest mention of record-keeping in the University is in 1490 when it is recorded in...
.
See also
- Beardmore Precision MotorcyclesBeardmore Precision MotorcyclesBeardmore Precision Motorcycles was a British motorcycle manufacturer. The original Precision company was set up by Frank E.Baker in Birmingham. Frank Baker quickly established a reputation for performance motorcycle engines and supplied Haden, and Sun Motorcycles...
- Arthur MacManusArthur MacManusArthur MacManus was a Scottish trade unionist and communist politician.-Political career:MacManus joined the De Leonist Socialist Labour Party and began work at Singers in Clydebank, then known as part of the Red Clydeside...
and David KirkwoodDavid KirkwoodDavid Kirkwood, 1st Baron Kirkwood, PC was a socialist from the East End of Glasgow, Scotland, viewed as a leading figure of the Red Clydeside era.Kirkwood was educated at Parkhead Public School and was trained as an engineer....
, notable Scottish socialists and trade unionTrade unionA trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ists active in the Beardmore workforce. - Timeline of hydrogen technologiesTimeline of hydrogen technologiesTimeline of hydrogen technologies — A timeline of the history of hydrogen technology.-1600s:* 1625 - First description of hydrogen by Johann Baptista van Helmont...
Further reading
- Hurst, K A, (2003). William Beardmore: Transport is the Thing,, Edinburgh: NMSE Publishing, ISBN 1-901663-53-1
- Johnson, Ian, (1993). Beardmore Built: The Rise and Fall of a Clydeside Shipyard. Clydebank: Clydebank District Libraries & Museums Department. ISBN 0-906939-05-8
- R.D. Thomas, B. Patterson, Dreadnoughts in Camera 1905-1920, 1998, Sutton Publishing
- John R Hume & Michael S Moss Beardmore: the History of a Scottish Industrial Giant Heinemann ISBN 0-435-32589-2
- C A N May, Shelsey Walsh G T Foulis
- Nick Georgano A History of the London Taxi David and Charles 1972 ISBN 0-7153-5687-9
- Bill Munro London Taxis: a Full History Earlswood Press 2011 ISBN 978-0-9562308-2-9.