Clarke Chapman
Encyclopedia
Clarke Chapman is a British engineering firm based in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...

, which was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...

.

History

The company was founded in 1864 in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...

 by William Clarke
William Clarke (industrialist)
William Clarke was an important British industrialist. He is best known as the co-founder of Clarke Chapman in Gateshead, once one of the largest employers on Tyneside....

 (1831-1890). In 1865 Clarke took in a partner, Able Chapman, and the two of them developed the business into one of the largest manufacturers of cranes and other mechanical handling equipment in the world.

In 1969 Clarke Chapman acquired Sir William Arrol & Co.
Sir William Arrol & Co.
Sir William Arrol & Co. was a leading Scottish civil engineering business founded by William Arrol and based in Glasgow. It built some of the most famous bridges in the United Kingdom including the Forth Bridge and Tower Bridge in London.-Early history:...

, a leading bridge-builder.

In 1970 Clarke Chapman acquired John Thompson
John Thompson (company)
John Thompson Limited was a major manufacturing business based in Wolverhampton offering products for the nuclear engineering industry.-History:The Company was founded by William Thompson as a general engineering concern in or around 1820 in Wolverhampton...

, a leading boiler making business based in Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...

.

In 1974 Clarke Chapman acquired the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 interests of International Combustion
International Combustion
International Combustion Limited was a major manufacturing business based in Derby offering products for the nuclear engineering industry. International Combustion Australia Limited was a separate non-affiliated company.-History:...

, a diverse group of heavy engineering businesses.

The company merged with Reyrolle
A. Reyrolle & Company
A. Reyrolle & Company was a British engineering firm, which for many years was one of the largest employers on Tyneside.-History:The company was founded by Alphonse Constant Reyrolle, a Frenchman, in 1886 at Fitzroy Square in London to produce scientific instruments. He moved the business to...

 Parsons in 1977 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 continues today as part of Langley Holdings Limited which acquired it from Rolls Royce in 2000.

Ships using Clarke Chapman mechanical handling equipment include the RFA Wave Knight
RFA Wave Knight (A389)
RFA Wave Knight is a Wave-class fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary of the United Kingdom tasked with providing fuel, food, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world....

 and the RFA Wave Ruler
RFA Wave Ruler (A390)
RFA Wave Ruler is a Wave-class fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary of the United Kingdom tasked with providing fuel, food, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world....

 completed in 2000 and 2001 respectively.

Operations

The company trades under the names of Cowans Sheldon (railway cranes), RB Cranes (construction cranes), Stothert & Pitt
Stothert & Pitt
Stothert & Pitt were a British engineering company founded in 1785 in Bath, England. They were the builders of a variety of engineering products ranging from Dock cranes to construction plant and household cast iron items. They went out of business in 1989...

(port cranes) and Wellman Booth (steel plant cranes).

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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