Warwickshire County Record Office has received £50,000 to conserve and catalogue the Willans and Robinson archive. The funding comes from two main sources, the National Cataloguing Grants Scheme and the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust in recognition of the exceptional historical importance of this business archive. Mark Ryder, Head of Localities and Community Safety said, ‘Warwickshire County Council is pleased to support a project which will benefit greatly from Warwickshire residents’ enthusiasm, expertise and interest in their local industrial history. This project also highlights Warwickshire’s long history and success in attracting and supporting creative industries such as engineering.’
The Victoria Works factory was built by Willans and Robinson in 1897. It was later used by English Electric, GEC (General Electric Company) and now Alstom for the manufacture of turbines and diesel engines.
The firm began as a partnership between Peter Willans and Mark Robinson in 1880. Located at Thames Ditton, Surrey, the partners manufactured high speed steam engines on Willans’ design, initially for river launches and later as pioneers in electricity generation, locomotion, steam and water turbines. Peter Willans, inventor of the Central Valve Steam Engine and the ‘Willans line’, died following an accident when his horse bolted in 1892.
The expansion into electric power generation led to a need for larger premises and the new Victoria Works were opened at Rugby. Despite pioneering developments in steam electric locomotives, motorcar parts production, boiler manufacture and steam turbines, the firm had less success with financial control and by 1919 the firm were bought out by Dick, Kerr and Company Ltd. becoming part of English Electric. After a merger with British Thomson-Houston and subsequent purchase by GEC, the firm then came under the ownership and management of Alstom.
The collection includes an extensive photographic archive which volunteers have already made great progress in indexing and promoting through talks. No significant history of engineering is complete without reference to this firm and yet few knew that the records had survived. Historian, Stathis Arapostathis, Lecturer in the History of Science and Technology at the University of Athens said, ‘study of this collection will profit the history of electricity and electrification of Britain as well as the mechanical engineering industry. The Willans and Robinson archive will provide very important material for the industrial history of Britain.’
Local volunteers are supporting the project with research into the fascinating apprenticeship records which start in 1893. In 1897 nearly one thousand people were employed by Willans and Robinson. These connections run deep through the local area. As so little of the collection is currently accessible it is likely that further treasures will be found in this collection which will in turn develop local pride and provide further opportunities for celebration of this firm and its achievements. The project archivist will create a blog to keep people up to date with any discoveries and on the progress of our £3000 fundraising appeal to complete the repackaging and essential conservation work.
Warwickshire County Council is leading the project with support from Warwickshire Industrial Archaeology Society, Friends of the Warwickshire County Record Office, Rugby Local History Research Group, Rugby Family History Group and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
If you would like to find out more or to support the project with a donation of time or money please email and see our website www.warwickshire.gov.uk/cro
Or contact RugbyFHG direct.
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