A. Reyrolle & Company
Encyclopedia
A. Reyrolle & Company was a British engineering firm, which for many years was one of the largest employers on Tyneside
.
The company was founded by Alphonse Constant Reyrolle, a Frenchman
, in 1886 at Fitzroy Square in London
to produce scientific instrument
s. He moved the business to Hebburn
on Tyneside
in 1901. At its peak it employed 12,000 people and manufacturered switchgear
for power station
s worldwide including Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire
.
The company even had its own football team which evolved into Hebburn Town F.C.
The company merged with C.A. Parsons and Company to form Reyrolle Parsons in 1968. In 1977 Reyrolle Parsons merged with Clarke Chapman
to form Northern Engineering Industries
plc, which itself was acquired by Rolls Royce plc in 1989.
The business was acquired in 1998 by VA Technologie AG
which itself was acquired by the industrial conglomerate, Siemens
in 2005, reuniting the company with Parsons under the new owners.
Siemens
continue to support the Reyrolle installed base on a global basis, with Operations still based at the original Reyrolle Works in Hebburn
, Tyne & Wear, and still providing the most comprehensive support of the entire Reyrolle installed base. The Major Projects division of the company is now based at a modern office building on the nearby Monkton Business Park.
The New Zealand
based division of Reyrolle, called Reyrolle Pacific was sold by Siemens AG/VA Tech to a private individual in New Zealand. This included the operating switchgear factory from which it still operates today in Petone
with a staff of about 100.
Reyrolle Pacific Switchgear later became RPS Switchgear and still manufactures retrofit breakers for the original LMT switchgear as well as modern vacuum breakers and panels for 11 kV sub stations.
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...
.
History
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, in 1886 at Fitzroy Square in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to produce scientific instrument
Scientific instrument
A scientific instrument can be any type of equipment, machine, apparatus or device as is specifically designed, constructed and often, through trial and error, ingeniously refined to apply utmost efficiency in the utilization of well proven physical principle, relationship or technology to...
s. He moved the business to Hebburn
Hebburn
Hebburn is a small town situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in North East England, sandwiched between the towns of Jarrow and Bill Quay...
on Tyneside
Tyneside
Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...
in 1901. At its peak it employed 12,000 people and manufacturered switchgear
Switchgear
The term switchgear, used in association with the electric power system, or grid, refers to the combination of electrical disconnects, fuses and/or circuit breakers used to isolate electrical equipment. Switchgear is used both to de-energize equipment to allow work to be done and to clear faults...
for power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
s worldwide including Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
.
The company even had its own football team which evolved into Hebburn Town F.C.
Hebburn Town F.C.
Hebburn Town F.C. is an English football club based in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear. The club are currently members of Division Two of the Northern League and play at the Hebburn Sports & Social Ground.-History:...
The company merged with C.A. Parsons and Company to form Reyrolle Parsons in 1968. In 1977 Reyrolle Parsons merged with Clarke Chapman
Clarke Chapman
Clarke Chapman is a British engineering firm based in Gateshead, which was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange.-History:The company was founded in 1864 in Gateshead by William Clarke...
to form Northern Engineering Industries
Northern Engineering Industries
Northern Engineering Industries plc was a British engineering firm, which for over 10 years was one of the largest employers on Tyneside. It was based in Gosforth in Newcastle upon Tyne.-History:...
plc, which itself was acquired by Rolls Royce plc in 1989.
The business was acquired in 1998 by VA Technologie AG
VA Tech Wabag
VA Tech Wabag GmbH is a multinational company with dual headquarters in Chennai, India and Vienna, Austria.Founded in 1924, the company is the largest in the world specializing in water treatment for municipal and industrial users. The company has completed a total of 6000 projects.-Wabag:In 1924,...
which itself was acquired by the industrial conglomerate, Siemens
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
in 2005, reuniting the company with Parsons under the new owners.
Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
continue to support the Reyrolle installed base on a global basis, with Operations still based at the original Reyrolle Works in Hebburn
Hebburn
Hebburn is a small town situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in North East England, sandwiched between the towns of Jarrow and Bill Quay...
, Tyne & Wear, and still providing the most comprehensive support of the entire Reyrolle installed base. The Major Projects division of the company is now based at a modern office building on the nearby Monkton Business Park.
The New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
based division of Reyrolle, called Reyrolle Pacific was sold by Siemens AG/VA Tech to a private individual in New Zealand. This included the operating switchgear factory from which it still operates today in Petone
Petone
Petone is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour...
with a staff of about 100.
Reyrolle Pacific Switchgear later became RPS Switchgear and still manufactures retrofit breakers for the original LMT switchgear as well as modern vacuum breakers and panels for 11 kV sub stations.
Further reading
- Arcs, Sparks & Engineers: A Centenary History of A. Reyrolle & Co. Ltd. (1901–2001), Alan Wright (Ed.), Reyrolle Heritage Trust Press, 2001, ISBN 978-0-9538972-0-9
- The Reyrolle Story, Robert Owen, Write Good Books, 2007, ISBN 978-1-905295-07-4