Horwood Bagshaw Ltd. is an Australian agricultural machinery manufacturer and dealership chain whose origins date from the late 1800's.
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Joel Horwood (ca. 1800 – 18 May 1864) was a mechanical engineer who arrived in Adelaide, South Australia on the Baboo in 1848 and the following year founded the Colonial Iron Works in Hindley Street, Adelaide. At least three of his four sons were educated at J. L. Young's Adelaide Educational Institution; all followed in the same line of business, initially with him, then in different parts of Australia. His firm thus became Horwood & Sons, then with his death and changes in ownership, it became successively Horwood, Ellis & Stevens, Horwood & Ellis in 1866[1] then Ellis & Chittleborough in 1868. That firm failed and the business was taken over by James A Whitfield in 1869.[2] A fascinating account of Adelaide's iron foundries and heavy engineering workshops of the period may be found here[1].
In 1856 his first son, also named Joel Horwood, opened a branch of Horwood & Sons in Vine Street, Bendigo (then called Sandhurst).[3] He died on 4 May 1900 aged 68 or 70 at his home "Glendure" on Myrtle Street Bendigo, survived by his second wife Rachelle. The foundry was taken over by the foreman Frank M. Brown in 1902 [4] Joel (jnr)'s son Edward James Horwood was notable in Broken Hill, New South Wales as manager of BHP's mine works.[5]
Joel Horwood's second son, Thomas Horwood (ca. 1829 – 12 August 1898), ran a Horwood and Son foundry at Wallaroo, ownership of which was taken over in 1869 by T. R. Heath.[6] He continued to manage the business, then moved to Bendigo.
His fourth son, John William Horwood (ca. 1834 – 23 September 1915) returned to England in 1865 to study engineering and subsequently purchased the Albion Foundry in Castlemaine, Victoria.[7]
His third son, Joseph Henry Horwood (1841 – 17 April 1913) worked at the Bendigo Iron Works constructing mining equipment. He returned to Adelaide in 1867 to supply the Montacute goldmine with a ten head stamp battery, which he bought back the following year and installed it at the Echunga goldmine. He then spent some time with his mining engineer brother John William Horwood in Castlemaine, Victoria before returning to Adelaide in 1872. He built a crushing plant in the Barossa Valley, then moved to Moonta to work on the copper mines. On 18 March 1875 he married Maria Brooks, and in the same year started work for Francis Clark & Sons, managing their machinery dealership on Grenfell Street then Blyth Street which they sold in 1882. He then joined Samuel Strapps to form a machinery manufacturing and sales business in Currie Street, bringing foreman Thomas Ward with him.[8] Horwood's specialty was well-drilling and he built the first steam-powered rock drilling machine, as well as being a pioneer in tube-lined bores. His fence-wire tensioning device and windmills won several prizes at the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society shows. The business moved to Franklin Street in 1906 and became J. H. Horwood and Co. Ltd. in 1912.[9]
His son, Horace R. Horwood (1885?–) was apprenticed to his father's company in 1903, and on completion became a salesman, selling farm machinery from the new Currie Street showrooms. In 1924, after acquiring J.S. Bagshaw & Sons Ltd, he was appointed General Sales Manager and director in the firm newly formed Horwood Bagshaw Ltd[9][10] and retired in 1953.[11]
Around 1960 the company acquired David Shearer Ltd of Mannum, South Australia.
Horwood Bagshaw : 125 years progress, 1838-1963 Horwood Bagshaw Ltd, Adelaide, 1963