52-611: Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. With headquarters in Elswick , Newcastle upon Tyne , Armstrong Whitworth built armaments , ships , locomotives , automobiles and aircraft . The company was founded by William Armstrong in 1847, becoming Armstrong Mitchell and then Armstrong Whitworth through mergers. In 1927, it merged with Vickers Limited to form Vickers-Armstrongs , with its automobile and aircraft interests purchased by J D Siddeley . In 1847,
104-644: A conflict of interest as Armstrong was then Engineer of Rifled Ordnance for the War Office and the company's main customer was the British Government. Armstrong held no financial interest in the company until 1864 when he left Government service, and Elswick Ordnance was reunited with the main Armstrong businesses to form Sir W.G. Armstrong & Company. EOC was then the armaments branch of W.G. Armstrong & Company and later of Armstrong Whitworth. Elswick Ordnance
156-524: A consistent decline in newsprint and pulp prices after 1923, which was caused by overexpansion of the Canadian industry and wasn't predicted by either party of the project, both lacking experience in paper trade. Since on a falling paper market longtime players with established customer bases had a clear advantage, shareholders sold their well-working but overleveraged and loss-making business to International Paper & Power Company in 1927. The deal left AW with
208-464: A loss of £2.8M, and the whole group collapsed. Shipbuilding was the major division of the company. From 1879 to 1880 the predecessor shipbuilding company of Charles Mitchell laid down a cruiser for the Chilean Navy at Low Walker Yard. This vessel was later supplied to Japan as the 'Tsukushi' of 1883; the ship was launched as of Armstrong Mitchell build. Between 1885 and 1918 Armstrong built warships for
260-569: A lower than average number of senior citizens (10%) than Newcastle as a whole. Elswick has a lower than average number of houses in owner-occupation (26.3% compared with 49.9% for Newcastle city). Located at a height of 53.1m, Elswick overlooks the River Tyne and is a suburban area in the West End of Newcastle upon Tyne. John Siddeley, 1st Baron Kenilworth John Davenport Siddeley, 1st Baron Kenilworth CBE (5 August 1866 – 3 November 1953),
312-554: A mile (about 2 km) along the bank of the River Tyne . Armstrong Mitchell merged again with the engineering firm of Joseph Whitworth in 1897. The company expanded into the manufacture of cars and trucks in 1902, and created an "aerial department" in 1913, which became the Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft subsidiary in 1920. In 1927, it merged with Vickers Limited to form Vickers-Armstrongs . The Armstrong Whitworth
364-630: A number of distinct neighbourhoods including the Adelaide Terrace area, Bentinck Estate, Condercum and Denhill Park, Cruddas Park (part renamed Riverside Dene), Elswick Triangle, Gill Street and the Courts, Grainger Park, Jubilee Estate, North Benwell, and both from the St John's and St Paul's areas. The local authority ward also incorporates Newcastle College , and the Utilita Arena Newcastle . As of
416-565: A reputation for reliability and solid workmanship. The company maintained a London sales outlet at New Bond Street. When Armstrong Whitworth and Vickers merged, Armstrong Whitworth's automotive interests were purchased by J D Siddeley as Armstrong Siddeley , based in Coventry . An Armstrong Whitworth car is displayed in the Discovery Museum , Newcastle upon Tyne . Armstrong Whitworth established an Aerial Department in 1912. This later became
468-524: A result of the inter-war and subsequent depressions, culminating in the demolition of the Elswick works. The station was closed and then demolished in 1967. Elswick was hit hard by the decline of Tyneside's shipbuilding industry during the second half of the 20th century, and by the 1990s was widely regarded as one of the worst parts of Tyneside, if not the whole of Britain. According to a report by The Independent newspaper, unemployment stood at nearly 30% and
520-463: A subsidiary company known as Vickers-Armstrongs . The aircraft and Armstrong Siddeley motors business were bought by J. D. Siddeley and became a separate entity. Production at the Scotswood Works ended in 1979 and the buildings were demolished in 1982. The forerunner companies, W. G. Armstrong & Co. and later, from 1883 Sir WG Armstrong Mitchell & Company , were heavily involved in
572-448: A supply of the most sophisticated new alloys for pistons, Siddeley funded Wallace Charles Devereux to set up High Duty Alloys Ltd. in 1927, as a replacement for Peter Hooker , who had gone into liquidation. Next Siddeley took advantage of parent companies Armstrong's and Vickers' financial difficulties of the mid-1920s and by 1927 he had gained control of all three Siddeley businesses. He remained their chairman until 1935 when, at
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#1732844302536624-608: Is still in use and is substantially original. In 1925 the company tendered unsuccessfully to construct the South Brisbane-Richmond Gap (on the New-South Wales-Queensland border) section of the last stage of the standard gauge railway linking Sydney and Brisbane . This was a heavily engineered railway which includes a long tunnel under the Richmond Range forming the state border and a spiral just south of
676-403: The 1918 New Year Honours for his industrial services during the war. In 1918 John Siddeley and his family moved to Crackley Hall, Kenilworth . The same building later became St Joseph's School and is now Crackley Hall School . Siddeley arranged a takeover of Siddeley-Deasy's motorcar, aircraft engine and aircraft business by Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth and Co Ltd and its amalgamation with
728-708: The Crystal Palace in 1903. By 1905, the company had a dozen models for sale and some of them were built for him at Vickers' Crayford, Kent factory. During 1905 Wolseley—which then dominated the UK car market—purchased the goodwill and patent rights of his Siddeley Autocar Company business and appointed Siddeley London sales manager of Herbert Austin 's The Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company Limited owned by Vickers, Sons and Maxim . A few months later Herbert Austin left Wolseley to found his own Austin Motor Company and Siddeley
780-507: The Humber River ) received support from the local government and loan guarantees both from it and the UK; Squires even campaigned on it, making "Hum on the Humber" his slogan for the 1923 Newfoundland general election . The company was heavily involved with the establishment of the town of Deer Lake. The hydroelectric station there was built between 1922 and 1925, while the canal system used by
832-588: The Royal Navy , Beiyang Fleet , Imperial Russian Navy , Brazil Navy Imperial Japanese Navy , and the United States Navy . Amongst these were HMS Glatton which, due to bodged construction, suffered a magazine explosion in Dover Harbour less than one month after commissioning. Armstrong Mitchell and later Armstrong Whitworth built many merchant ships, freighters, tank-ships, and dredgers; notable among them
884-501: The Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Company . When Vickers and Armstrong Whitworth merged in 1927 to form Vickers-Armstrongs, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft was bought out by J. D. Siddeley and became a separate entity. The Elswick Ordnance Company (sometimes referred to as Elswick Ordnance Works, but usually as "EOC") was originally created in 1859 to separate William Armstrong's armaments business from his other business interests, to avoid
936-638: The city centre , bordering the River Tyne . Historically in Northumberland , Elswick became part of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1835. Elswick is home to the Newcastle Utilita Arena ; and Newcastle College , with approximately 45,000 students. In Roman times the Vallum , a defensive barrier behind Hadrian's Wall , reached its easternmost limit in Elswick. The Wall itself carried on as far as Wallsend . The township of Elswick had originally formed part of
988-554: The 1900s. The owners of the Reid Newfoundland Company convinced AW to invest in building a second paper mill at Corner Brook , to be supplied with hydroelectricity from a generating station 50 km away at Deer Lake . A joint venture , the Newfoundland Power and Paper Company, was founded in 1923. After much fighting between Harry Reid and then-PM of the dominion Richard Squires , the so-called Humber project (after
1040-459: The 2.7-litre 15/20 to the 3.7-litre 25.5 . The first six-cylinder model, the 30/50 with 5.1-litre 90 mm (3.5 in) bore by 135 mm (5.3 in) stroke engine came in 1912 with the option of electric lighting. This grew to 5.7 litres in 1913. At the outbreak of war, as well as the 30/50, the range consisted of the 3-litre 17/25 and the 3.8-litre 20/30 . The cars were usually if not always bodied by external coachbuilders and had
1092-509: The 2021 census, Elswick had one of the lowest White populations in Newcastle (43.5%), with a large Asian demographic (35.2%). 1 in 10 residents are Black. Elswick has a slight Muslim plurality (39.3%), with Christians (36.2%) and religiously unaffiliated (21.6%) comprising almost all the remainder. Its population stood at 16,126. The ward profile shows Elswick is the ward with the highest percentage of children under 14 years in Newcastle and has
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#17328443025361144-437: The 3.7-litre 25 , which seems to have shared the same chassis as the 30 and 40 . In 1911, a new small car appeared in the shape of the 2.4-litre 12/14 , called the 15.9 in 1911, featuring a monobloc engine with pressure lubrication to the crankshaft bearings. This model had an 110-inch (2,800 mm) wheelbase compared with the 120 inches (3,000 mm) of the 40 range. This was joined by four larger cars ranging from
1196-573: The Armstrong Whitworth motor department in 1919. They renamed their new entity Armstrong Siddeley Motors . It was to continue until 1960. Siddeley's new holding company established Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft in July 1920. Armstrong Siddeley Motors were enthusiastic adopters of light alloys for engines. This was a common enough approach for aircraft engines, but Armstrong-Siddeley were also early at applying them to motor cars. To provide
1248-505: The Barony of Bolam and was owned by Tynemouth Priory from 1120 to 1539, with a fishery present on the site. One of the earliest references to the coal mining industry of the north east occurs in 1330, when it was recorded that the Prior of Tynemouth let a colliery , called Heygrove, at "Elstewyke" for a rent of £5 per year. Elswick Colliery had 3 pits working from 1860 onwards. Elswick was owned by
1300-470: The Crown from 1539 to 1628, until it was sold by Charles I . The Priors held a mansion in the middle of Elswick which was later occupied by Elswick Hall. Having been rebuilt a number of times, the last rebuild took place in 1810. The grounds of Elswick Hall became Elswick Park in 1881. Elswick changed significantly in the late 19th century with the extension of the railway from Carlisle to Newcastle in 1839 and
1352-512: The age of 70, he arranged his last takeover with Hawker Aircraft who formed Hawker Siddeley though the Siddeley businesses kept their identities. From this arrangement he received "£1 million and numerous benefits". Siddeley was knighted in 1932 when he served as High Sheriff of Warwickshire . Sir John Siddeley was elected president of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders for 1937–1938 –
1404-407: The area had a widespread problem with drug abuse and arson attacks. Elswick was formerly a township in the parish of Newcastle-St. John , in 1866 Elswick became a separate civil parish , on 1 April 1914 the parish was abolished to form Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1911 the parish had a population of 58,352. It is now in the unparished area of Newcastle upon Tyne. Present day Elswick consists of
1456-474: The border. AW's tender price was £1,333,940 compared with Queensland Railway's tender price of £1,130,142. In the mid-1920s the company clearly was trying to break into the booming Australian market, but was stymied by a preference for local companies. The Dominion of Newfoundland , an island country then mostly dependent on its fishery, had plenty of pulpwood but only one paper mill at Grand Falls-Windsor and one pulp mill at Bishop's Falls , both built in
1508-505: The company merged with the shipbuilding firm of Charles Mitchell to form Armstrong, Mitchell & Company. Armstrong Mitchell merged again with the engineering firm of Joseph Whitworth in 1897, forming Armstrong, Whitworth & Co. Elswick railway station was opened in 1889 to serve the area. It was located at the western end of the Elswick Works, whose workforce made up a significant proportion of travellers. The area suffered as
1560-566: The construction of hydraulic engineering installations. Notable examples include: Between 1880 and 1925 they built a number of warships: They built oil tankers , including: Armstrong Whitworth built a few railway locomotives between 1847 and 1868, but it was not until 1919 that the company made a concerted effort to enter the railway market. Contracts were obtained for the construction and supply of steam and diesel locomotives to railway systems in Britain and overseas, including those detailed in
1612-423: The crankshaft had intermediate bearings between each pair of cylinders. Drive was to the rear wheels via a dual helical epicyclic gears and helical bevel axle. The cars were listed at £735 for the four and £900 for the six. They were still theoretically available until 1907. According to Automotor in 1904, "Even the first Wilson-Pilcher car that made its appearance created quite a sensation in automobile circles at
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1664-542: The engineer William George Armstrong founded the Elswick works at Newcastle, to produce hydraulic machinery, cranes and bridges, soon to be followed by artillery, notably the Armstrong breech-loading gun, with which the British Army was re-equipped after the Crimean War . In 1882, it merged with the shipbuilding firm of Charles Mitchell to form Armstrong Mitchell & Company and at the time its works extended for over
1716-412: The establishment of Armstrong's manufacturing works in 1847. Population increased rapidly during this period, from about 300 in 1801 to 59,165 in 1901. Tyneside flats were built in the area around Scotswood Road to accommodate the workforce. The Elswick works was founded in 1847 by engineer William George Armstrong . It manufactured hydraulic machinery, cranes and bridges and, later, artillery. In 1882
1768-573: The following table. Cannons and other armament were produced by the Elswick Ordnance Company , the armament division of Armstrong Whitworth. An especially notable example is the Armstrong 100-ton gun . Elswick, Tyne and Wear Elswick ( / ˈ ɛ l z ɪ k / EL -zik ) is a district and electoral ward of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne , in the county of Tyne and Wear , England, 1.9 miles west of
1820-668: The highest honour the British Motor Industry could bestow. That same year he was raised to the peerage as Baron Kenilworth , of Kenilworth in the County of Warwick. He was also elected president of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors for 1932–1933 —now Society of British Aerospace Companies — and elected president of the Engineering and Allied Employers' National Federation for 1935–1936. On his retirement he bought and gave to
1872-534: The hydroelectric station helped to expand the forestry operations in the area. Some of the equipment used in the construction of the Panama Canal was shipped to Newfoundland. The pulp and paper mill in Corner Brook began operations in 1925. Overall, AW spent about £5M (equivalent to £360 million in 2023) on the development, which went significantly over the original budget and led to an overdraft, only to witness
1924-833: The locomotive market due to its modern plant. Its two largest contracts were 200 2-8-0s for the Belgian State Railways in 1920 and 327 Black 5 4-6-0s for the LMS in 1935/36. AW also modified locomotives. In 1926 Palestine Railways sent six of its H class Baldwin 4-6-0 locomotives to AW for conversion into 4-6-2 tank locomotives to work the PR's steeply graded branch between Jaffa and Jerusalem. PR also sent another six H Class Baldwins for their defective steel fireboxes to be replaced with copper ones. AW's well-equipped works included its own design department and enabled it to build large locomotives, including an order for 30 engines of three types for
1976-712: The modernisation of the South Australian Railways in 1926. These included ten 500 class 4-8-2 locomotives, which were the largest non-articulated locomotives built in Great Britain, and were based on Alco drawings modified by AW and SAR engineers. They were a sensation in Australia. AW went on to build 20 large three-cylinder "Pacific" type locomotives for the Central Argentine Railway (F.C.C.A) in 1930, with Caprotti valve gear and modern boilers. They were
2028-478: The most powerful locomotives on the F.C.C.A. AW obtained the UK license for Sulzer diesels from 1919, and by the 1930s was building diesel locomotives and railcars. An early example is the Tanfield Railway 's 0-4-0 diesel-electric shed pilot, No.2 , which was built by AW as works number D22 in 1933. In the same year, the company launched the UK's first mainline diesel locomotive, the 800 bhp "Universal". It
2080-451: The nation the historic Kenilworth Castle . To commemorate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937, Lord Kenilworth also made a gift of £100,000 to Fairbridge Farm Schools , a charity to offer opportunities and education abroad to young people from broken homes. After his retirement he moved to Jersey where he died a few days after his wife in November 1953, aged 87,
2132-543: The new pneumatic tyre. He married Sarah Mabel Goodier, daughter of James Goodier of Macclesfield , in 1893 and they lived in Belfast for a short time but by August 1894, they were living in Meriden , Coventry where eldest son, Cyril, was born. They were to have three sons and two daughters. Siddeley founded his Siddeley Autocar Company in 1902 to manufacture cars to Peugeot designs. He had Peugeot-based demonstration cars at
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2184-400: The rear wheels. A larger car was listed for 1908 with a choice of either 5-litre 30 or 7.6-litre 40 models sharing a 127 mm (5.0 in) bore but with strokes of 100 mm (3.9 in) and 152 mm (6.0 in) respectively. The 40 was listed at £798 in bare chassis form for supplying to coachbuilders. These large cars were joined in 1909 by the 4.3-litre 18/22 and in 1910 by
2236-586: The shareholders— Siddeley-Deasy . During World War I it grew rapidly producing aircraft engines and airframes with the assistance of distinguished staff from the Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough as well as motor vehicles including ambulances using Rover chassis and Daimler and Aster engines and employed around 5,000 workers. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in
2288-404: The time on account of its remarkably silent and smooth running, and of the almost total absence of vibration". The first Armstrong Whitworth car was the 28/36 of 1906 with a water-cooled, four-cylinder side-valve engine of 4.5 litres which unusually had "oversquare" dimensions of 120 mm (4.7 in) bore and 100 mm (3.9 in) stroke. Drive was via a four-speed gearbox and shaft to
2340-645: Was a major arms developer before and during World War I . The ordnance and ammunition it manufactured for the British Government were stamped EOC, while guns made for export were usually marked "W.G. Armstrong". The 28 cm howitzer L/10 which played a major role in the Siege of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese War was developed by Armstrong. After the Great War, Armstrong Whitworth converted its Scotswood Works to build railway locomotives. From 1919 it rapidly penetrated
2392-512: Was a pioneer of the motor industry in the United Kingdom, manufacturing aero engines and airframes as well as motor vehicles. The eldest son of William Siddeley and his wife born Elizabeth Davenport, J D Siddeley was born in Longsight , Manchester in 1866 and first worked for his father as an apprentice hosier but took night classes in draughting. In 1892, the young bicycle racer and designer
2444-449: Was an advanced car, originally with a 2.4-litre engine, that had been made in London from 1901 until 1904 when production moved to Newcastle. When Armstrong Whitworth took over production two models were made, a 2.7-litre flat four and a 4.1-litre flat six , the cylinders on both being identical with bore and stroke of 3.75in (95mm). The engines had the flywheel at the front of the engine, and
2496-594: Was appointed manager of Wolseley in his place and, without authority, added Siddeley to the badge on the Wolseley cars. He resigned from Wolseley in 1909 to go into partnership with H P P Deasy and manage the Deasy Motor Company , also of Coventry. By 1912, when Deasy resigned because of his ill-health, Siddeley had added his name to the Deasy product's radiator. In November 1912 Deasy's business became—by popular vote of
2548-539: Was hired as a draughtsman by the Humber Cycle Company . The then managing director of Dunlop picked him out at Humber and hired Siddeley as Dunlop's Belfast sales manager. In 1900 as managing director of Dunlop's Midlands subsidiary Clipper Tyre Company he gained prominence in the motor industry by driving a 6 hp Daimler car through England's Thousand Miles Trial with marked success. This followed cycling from Land's End to John o' Groats to publicise
2600-506: Was manufactured from 1904, when the company decided to diversify to compensate for a fall in demand for artillery after the end of the Boer War . It took over construction of the Wilson-Pilcher , designed by Walter Gordon Wilson , and produced cars under the Armstrong Whitworth name until 1919, when the company merged with Siddeley-Deasy and to form Armstrong Siddeley . The Wilson-Pilcher
2652-481: Was successful in trials, but not repaired after an engine crankcase explosion a year later. A total of 1,464 locomotives were built at Scotswood Works before it was converted back to armaments manufacture in 1937. After the end of WWI demand for armaments and naval ships all but evaporated, and Armstrong Whitworth had to look into diversifying its business. The company built a hydroelectric station at Nymboida, New South Wales , near Grafton, Australia in 1923–1924. This
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#17328443025362704-508: Was the ice-breaking train ferries SS Baikal in 1897 and SS Angara in 1900, built to connect the Trans-Siberian Railway across Lake Baikal . The company built the first polar icebreaker in the world: Yermak was a Russian and later Soviet icebreaker, having a strengthened hull shaped to ride over and crush pack ice. In 1927, the defence and engineering businesses merged with those of Vickers Limited to create
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