Amazing Accrington - Spring 2019

From humble beginnings to worldwide recognition... THE MANUFACTURING PROWESS

The demise of handloomweavers in the early 1800’s led to an opportunity for mechanisation...

of Accrington!

Following in the footsteps of his father, John commied his life to the inventory of coon mill machinery; as well as improving existing machinery. He was an engineering genius: taking out 26 patents in his own name in just two years between 1868 and 1888. Rising to riches because of his dedication, he became the first textile machinery millionaire. He died on 25 February 1891 – it was then his son, George, inherited half of he equity of Howard and Bullough’s. Aer a stint at working on the shop floor and soon realising he didn’t have the same flair for engineering as his father and grandfather, George took a step back away from the day-to-day running of the company. George much preferred leisure and pleasure over business. In 1895 he purchased a 670-tonne steam yacht Rhouma. Ample-sized enough to be loaned to Queen Victoria as a hospital ship in the BoerWar – 221 feet in length

Howard and Bullough was a firm of textile machine manufacturers based in Accrington – primarily concentrating on producing looms; eventually expanding to manufacture all types of machinery used in coon mills. Employing almost 6000 people and spanning 52 acres at its peak, Howard and Bullough’sWorks in Accrington was once one of the world’s largest manufacturers, but it wasn’t always that way, nor did it stay. The firmwas originally established in 1853 by John Howard and James Bleakley, but Bleakley pulled out in 1856 and James Bullough stepped in. At the time, the company employed 150 people. The firm became Howard and Bullough's; John Howard died in 1866 and it effectively became Bullough's. James Bullough was a perfectionist, keen to make sure everything he did was done correctly. Aer being put to the looms at the tender age of seven, he made it his mission to invent machines more efficient. This strive and determination continued through to his adulthood and it was under his guidance that Howard and Bullough flourished; by 1930, the floor space totalled 52 acres, with the majority of the original buildings having to be refurbished or rebuilt. Of his three sons, James had decided that his third son John was the most suited to invention and he was educated in accordance. When James died on 31 July 1868, it was John who inherited the business.

to be precise! George was knighted in December 1901 by King Edward VII as a result of his support of the war effort. In 1897 he started the building of Kinloch Castle, with many of the Accrington workers helping over the three years it took to build. The extravagancy of such an act was very distant from the humbleness of his grandfather who, despite his success, wore clogs and lived a quiet life until he passed away. In 1914, many workers fromHoward and Bullough’s were on strike; at the same time, the Mayor of Accrington received permission to raise a baalion later known as ‘The Accrington Pals’ – a number of the striking workers joined up to the baalion for wages. Howard and Bullough’s manufactured shells, gun carriages, aircra components, and other munitions for the duration ofWorldWar II, keeping the factory busy from 1939 – 1945. In the meantime, another Lancashire based manufacturing company had been gaining success. Pla Brothers and Co Ltd were a world-leading textile manufacturer with international connections; truly taking Accrington global. In 1929, Toyoda Automatic Loom concluded a patent rights transfer agreement with the Pla Brothers that provided production and marketing rights of their Type G automatic loom in countries except Japan, China and the United States. This gained

worldwide recognition of a Japanese invention and a Lancashire manufacturing company. The Pla Brothers paid £100,000 for the patent rights and the money from the sale of rights provided the start-up capital for the Toyota automobile endeavour – now established as the world’s largest automaker. Pla Brothers and Co Ltd would become the company taking over Howard and Bullough’s in 1975 aer a steady decline, marking the end of a company spanning 122 years and success of epic proportions.

The company employed almost 6000 people and spanned 52 acres at its peak

Above: Kinloch Castle built by George Bullough and workers from Howard and Bullough’s .

Right: Howard and Bullough’s spanned 52 acres at its peak. The 670-tonne yacht – Rhouma. Sakichi Toyoda. Toyota...the world’s largest automaker.

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