Catalogue description Clarke Chapman Marine Rolls Royce Industrial Power Group

This record is held by Tyne and Wear Archives

Details of DS.CC1
Reference: DS.CC1
Title: Clarke Chapman Marine Rolls Royce Industrial Power Group
Description:

DS/CC1/1-27, 216 Company Structure/Admin

 

DS/CC1/28-55 Shares and Debentures

 

DS/CC1/56-71 Correspondence

 

DS/CC1/74-109 Financial records

 

DS/CC1/110-112 Legal records

 

DS/CC1/113-126, 218, 222 Property

 

DS/CC1/127-160 Employees, wages, accidents

 

DS/CC1/161-163 Employers' Associations

 

DS/CC1/164-166, 212 Publicity

 

DS/CC1/167 Agency agreements

 

DS/CC1/168-175, 217 Patents

 

DS/CC1/176, 223 Specifications

 

DS/CC1/177 Tenders

 

DS/CC1/178-189, 195, 200, 210, 220 Orders

 

DS/CC1/190, 219 Contracts

 

DS/CC1/191-192 Patterns

 

DS/CC1/193 Outfits registers

 

DS/CC1/194 Maintenance instructions/parts books

 

DS/CC1/196-204, 211 Costs/Output

 

DS/CC1/205-206 Plans/Sketches

 

DS/CC1/207-208 Photographs

 

DS/CC1/209 Films

 

DS/CC1/213-215 Miscellaneous

 

DS/CC1/224-288 Companies in which Clarke Chapman invested or considered investing

 

DS/CC1/289-326 Subsidiary companies

Date: 1884-1986
Related material:

Records of merged and subsidiary companies have either been listed at the end of this catalogue (where there are only a few items), or have been given separate reference numbers. The latter consist of E N Mackley and Company [DS/MAC], Donkin and Company Limited [DS/DON], The Clayton Equipment Company Limited [DS/CC2], Clyde Crane and Booth [DS/CC3], Coronet Limited [DS/CC4], Emerson Walker Limited [DS/CC5], International Combustion (Holdings) Limited [DS/CC6], The Nelson Engineering Company Limited [DS/CC7], Riley Stoker Company Limited [DS/CC8], and The Sunbeam Lamp Company Limited [DS/CC9]. Records of the John Thompson Group have been transferred to Wolverhampton Archives Service, who already hold a substantial collection of their archives.

Held by: Tyne and Wear Archives, not available at The National Archives
Language: English
Creator:

Clarke Chapman Marine Rolls Royce Industrial Power Group, 1864-1893

Clarke Chapman and Company Limited, 1893-1970

Clarke Chapman-John Thompson Limited, 1970-1974

Clarke Chapman Limited, 1974

Northern Engineering Industries, 1977-1989

Rolls Royce Industrial Power Group, 1989-

Physical description: 326 SERIES
Immediate source of acquisition:

Accessions 2505, 2786, 2803, 2843, 2949, 3228 and 3321

Subjects:
  • Transport engineering
  • Industry
Administrative / biographical background:

The Company was set up in 1864 at South Shore, Gateshead by William Clarke, engineer (formerly with the Bedlington Iron Company and Armstrongs of Elswick) and Edward Benning. From 1870 their partners were Joseph Watson and Joseph Gurney. In 1874 they moved to the Victoria Works and Captain William Chapman joined them about that time, followed in 1884 by Charles Parsons, who remained with them until 1889. On 14 June 1893, the Company was incorporated as a limited company, becoming known as Clarke Chapman and Company Limited.

 

In 1968 it merged with International Combustion (Holdings) Limited, John Thompson Limited and Horseley Bridge Limited, thus acquiring a number of companies in associated engineering fields.

 

In 1970 the name was changed to Clarke Chapman - John Thompson Limited. However, in 1974 after acquiring International Combustion (Holdings) Limited's interests in the UK (International Combustion Limited and International Combustion (Riley) Limited), the name was changed again, to Clarke Chapman Limited.

 

In 1977, Northern Engineering Industries [NEI] was formed from Clarke Chapman Limited, Reyrolle and Parsons. NEI completed the merger with International Combustion (Holdings) Limited, including International Combustion Africa Limited, International Combustion Australia Limited, Metropole Industries Limited, Bardic Engineering Limited, International Combustion India Limited and Cheadle Plant Hire Limited.

 

Finally, in 1989, NEI and Rolls Royce plc merged, with Clarke Chapman becoming a part of the Rolls Royce Industrial Power Group. The Company moved from the Victoria Works in 1994, to a new site at the nearby Saltmeadows Road.

 

When the Company commenced in 1864, they manufactured winches and by 1868 had produced the first steam cargo winch to be put on the market. Their first electric winch was produced in 1886 and electric windlass in 1902.

 

From 1875 they also became boiler makers, designing and manufacturing locomotive cross tube vertical and vertical return tube multi-tubular boilers. Towards the end of the 19th century they turned to water tube boilers, beginning in 1895 with an improved 'Petersen' type which was sectional with cast iron headers. However, they later developed and patented (in 1901) the vertical straight tube type, moving on with improved feed water treatment and increasing steam pressure to a bent tube type used widely for power stations.

 

The 1880s saw the Company expanding its activities with the forerunner of the carburettor, Parson's turbine experiments and collaboration with Swan to develop carbon filament electric bulbs. The first marine generating plant was supplied to the Admiralty in 1884; in 1886 searchlight projectors for use on board ship; and in 1887 portable generating plants and search lights for ships passing through the Suez Canal. This lighting/power work very quickly became a specialised branch of marine work and an Electrical Installation Department was formed to deal exclusively with it.

 

Later developments saw the Company moving into nuclear engineering and large cranes. The 1968 merger with International Combustion (Holdings) Limited, John Thompson Limited and Horseley Bridge Limited led to the creation of five divisions, three manufacturing and two service. The Marine Engineering Division produced marine deck auxiliaries (winches, windlasses, capstans, cranes etc); the Crane and Bridge Division produced bridges, overhead travelling cranes, dockside steelworks, shipyard cranes etc; the Power and Process Plant Division supplied steam generating equipment to various industries, to conventional power stations and to the nuclear industry; the Group Headquarters Division had an appraisal/planning function; and the Advanced Technology Division was responsible for research and development.

Link to NRA Record:

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