Cheshirechappie
Established Member
A recent thread about a pair of Thewlis pincers and some rummaging on Thewlis' history ( thewlis-pincers-and-a-bit-of-thewlis-history-t104398.html ) leads to the wider question of Lancashire Pattern tools in general - Thewlis being a firm based in Warrington, which is, as every fule kno, still in Lancashire. (Well, alright, some fools in local government think it was moved into Cheshire in 1974, but people of sense and taste obviously know better!)
Lancashire has a long association with industry; most people will think of Manchester and cotton, Liverpool and shipping, and maybe the Furness iron industry. There was also extensive coal mining across south Lancashire, chemicals in Widnes and St Helens, and glass in the latter town, too. During the 19th century, heavy engineering developed across the region - mill engines, machine tools, locomotives; Warrington became the nation's centre for wire drawing and working. However, apart from the Furness area, Lancashire never really had an iron and steel industry.
The area did, however, develop some history of tool making. Some of this was associated around the watch and clock parts trade centred on Prescot, a town about six or seven miles from Liverpool (and now pretty well part of Liverpool's suburbs). This trade goes back to the 16th century, and as AndyT mentioned in the Thewlis thread, was very much a cottage industry, with very few if any large establishments. Part of that trade was the making of the necessary files.
Liverpool did play host in the 19th century to a handful of plane makers, including a branch of the well-known Glasgow firm of Alexander Mathieson, and it had a small number of saw and edge tool makers. Given it's rising prominence as a port, and it's rapid expansion at the time requiring a lot of carpentry and joinery, that's not so surprising; but few seem to have survived long in the 20th century. Manchester, too, had a few, of which Joseph Gleave still exist, though they long ago ceased making planes. Warrington had a few small to medium firms making tools, notably pliers - which probably isn't surprising in a town dominated by wire - but only Stubs seem to have survived long into the 20th century. (Caldwells - Stockton Heath Forge - were another, but their metier was shovels, crowbars and such, not woodworking tools. There's also Bulldog Tools of Wigan, who are still in business, but they too are spade, fork and shovel makers.)
The only Lancashire Pattern woodworking tool I can think of that has become in any way common is the Warrington pattern hammer, now made everywhere except Warrington. There was also a Lancashire pattern shoulder plane, but they only surface rarely, and are more a collector's speciality these days, and the pincers mentioned in the Thewlis thread - again not as common as other patterns, and hacksaws, ditto. R.A.Salaman in his 'Dictionary of Woodworking Tools' notes a range of tools mostly associated with the watch and clock trade, and a long list of household items such as lemon racers, corkscrews, ladies netting vices (whatever they are!), sugar nippers and tweezers.
It seems odd that in an area of considerable industry, tool making didn't become more established. It started, and in a few specialised niches flourished, but seemed to mostly whither and die out in the earlier years of the 20th century. Any ideas why?
Lancashire has a long association with industry; most people will think of Manchester and cotton, Liverpool and shipping, and maybe the Furness iron industry. There was also extensive coal mining across south Lancashire, chemicals in Widnes and St Helens, and glass in the latter town, too. During the 19th century, heavy engineering developed across the region - mill engines, machine tools, locomotives; Warrington became the nation's centre for wire drawing and working. However, apart from the Furness area, Lancashire never really had an iron and steel industry.
The area did, however, develop some history of tool making. Some of this was associated around the watch and clock parts trade centred on Prescot, a town about six or seven miles from Liverpool (and now pretty well part of Liverpool's suburbs). This trade goes back to the 16th century, and as AndyT mentioned in the Thewlis thread, was very much a cottage industry, with very few if any large establishments. Part of that trade was the making of the necessary files.
Liverpool did play host in the 19th century to a handful of plane makers, including a branch of the well-known Glasgow firm of Alexander Mathieson, and it had a small number of saw and edge tool makers. Given it's rising prominence as a port, and it's rapid expansion at the time requiring a lot of carpentry and joinery, that's not so surprising; but few seem to have survived long in the 20th century. Manchester, too, had a few, of which Joseph Gleave still exist, though they long ago ceased making planes. Warrington had a few small to medium firms making tools, notably pliers - which probably isn't surprising in a town dominated by wire - but only Stubs seem to have survived long into the 20th century. (Caldwells - Stockton Heath Forge - were another, but their metier was shovels, crowbars and such, not woodworking tools. There's also Bulldog Tools of Wigan, who are still in business, but they too are spade, fork and shovel makers.)
The only Lancashire Pattern woodworking tool I can think of that has become in any way common is the Warrington pattern hammer, now made everywhere except Warrington. There was also a Lancashire pattern shoulder plane, but they only surface rarely, and are more a collector's speciality these days, and the pincers mentioned in the Thewlis thread - again not as common as other patterns, and hacksaws, ditto. R.A.Salaman in his 'Dictionary of Woodworking Tools' notes a range of tools mostly associated with the watch and clock trade, and a long list of household items such as lemon racers, corkscrews, ladies netting vices (whatever they are!), sugar nippers and tweezers.
It seems odd that in an area of considerable industry, tool making didn't become more established. It started, and in a few specialised niches flourished, but seemed to mostly whither and die out in the earlier years of the 20th century. Any ideas why?
