Strachan & Henshaw
| Former type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Engineering |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor(s) | Babcock International Group |
| Founded | 1879 |
| Defunct | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Bristol, UK |
Strachan & Henshaw was a major defence and nuclear engineering company based in Ashton Gate in Bristol.
History
The Company was founded by Robert Price Strachan & George Henshaw in 1879 as a partnership specialising in the manufacture of paper-bag making machinery operating from Lewin's Mead in Bristol. In 1920 the business was bought by E. S. & A. Robinson.[1]
In the 1950s, as part of a consortium involving Clarke Chapman, Head Wrightson, C. A. Parsons & Co., A. Reyrolle & Co. and Whessoe and known as the Nuclear Power Plant Company ('NPPC'), it was awarded a contract for reactor mechanical plant at Oldbury nuclear power station.[2] It was subsequently awarded similar contracts at Heysham 2, Hinkley Point B, Hunterston B and Torness nuclear power stations.[2]
In 1966 the Company's owners, E.S. & A. Robinson Ltd, merged with John Dickinson Ltd to form Dickinson Robinson Group.[3]
In 1972 the Company became the prime contractor for launch systems for the Trafalgar class submarine fleet.[4] Then in 1989 Roland Franklin of Pembridge Associates acquired Dickinson Robinson Group[3] and went on to sell Strachan & Henshaw to Weir Group in July 1990.[5]
In April 1998 it bought acquired Bridgetest Holdings Ltd, a Manchester based engineering company whose subsidiaries included Cunnington & Cooper Ltd, Nuclear and General Engineering Ltd and Wingrove & Rogers, all well-established businesses in the UK nuclear industry.[6] Then in May 2000 the Company sold its materials handling equipment division to Sweden's Svedala.[7]
The business was acquired Babcock International Group for £65m in April 2008; it was subsequently fully integrated into Babcock and the Strachan & Henshaw name is no longer used.[5]
References
- ↑ Bristol & Co. by Helen Reid, Redcliffe Press, 1987, ISBN 0-948265-61-2
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The UK Magnox and AGR Power Station Projects
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Heritage: John Dickinson
- ↑ Completed acquisition by Babcock International Group of the Strachan & Henshaw division of Weir Group plc Office of Fair Trading, 3 September 2008
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Weir Group sells Strachan & Henshaw for £65m Herald Scotland, 22 April 2008
- ↑ FELI by the wayside? World Cargo News, July 1999
- ↑ Svedala buys S&H Handling Coaltrans, May 2000