Mills Advertising

ONE of Britain’s oldest railways-based companies is celebrating its 125th anniversary.

Henry Williams Limited, based in Darlington - the historical home of the railways - has been a major supplier of engineering solutions for the country’s railway network since 1883.

It has grown from humble beginnings in Glasgow into a multi-market sector provider of goods and services, but its roots remain firmly based in the rail sector.

“Henry Williams based his reputation on manufacturing the best quality products achievable. It is this uncompromising commitment that has been the mainstay of our philosophy and ultimately the continued success of the company. In- fact our name is now synonymous with quality, and we are widely regarded as the industry leaders,” said chairman Howard Dilley, who this week presented every Henry Williams employee with an inscribed commemorative 125th anniversary watch.

Henry Williams established a small engineering works in Polmadie, Glasgow, to manufacture railway equipment of his own design - including the first spring railway switch lever. Within ten years, the company had grown to such an extent that it moved first to Cathcart, just outside Glasgow and then, in 1911, to Darlington, then regarded as the home of Britain’s huge railway network and associated industry.

In 1920, the company opened its first manufacturing facility in Calcutta and was instrumental in the development of the Indian railway, employing more than 4,000 people by 1946, when this arm of the company was sold to GKN.

Henry Williams’ flexibility was demonstrated during the two World Wars when the company suspended all rail work and turned the facility over to the war effort, producing bombs and gun parts. During the Second World War, the company produced more than two million mortar bombs and seven million munitions forgings, not to mention donating a Spitfire fighter plane to the war effort.

After the war, the company returned again to the production of railway forgings, but having identified other market sectors, diversified into electrical projects, control panels; signalling and mimic panels, as well as metal fabrications.

Said Mr Dilley: “At Henry Williams, we are justifiably proud of the fact that we are still a manufacturing company and we are still on the same four-hectare site in Darlington they we have occupied for the past 97 years.”

ends

For further information contact Steve Cotton at Henry Williams Ltd on 01325 462722

View PDF