Henry Ely Shacklock
Encyclopedia
Henry Ely Shacklock was an iron moulder and manufacturer in colonial New Zealand
. In 1873 H.E. Shacklock designed and built the first of thousands of cast iron
coal range
s that, after various modifications, became the backbone of his business. The company he founded, H.E. Shacklock Ltd., went on to produce the first electric range in New Zealand in 1925.
, Nottinghamshire
, England
and served his apprenticeship in several foundries at Nottingham and Derby
. Unsatisfied with the opportunities available to him in England, Henry Shacklock emigrated to New Zealand
and arrived in Port Chalmers aboard the Bombay on the 9 September 1862. Shacklock first gained a job cutting scrub on the Otago Peninsula before his fiancée Elizabeth Bradley came to join him in New Zealand. He spent a period of his life living in Oamaru
before returning to Dunedin
and settling on an adjoining section on Grosvenor Street and Park
Terrace. He eventually set up his own foundry on Princes Street in January 1872.
coal unlike the British and American kitset imports which were designed to run on bituminous coal
. This design was a continually improved and modified product that warmed kitchens, heated water, baked scones and cooked porridge throughout thousands of New Zealand homes. Shacklock named his design the ‘Orion
’ due to his interest in astronomy
. Before he patented the range in 1882 he introduced many features to appeal to the potential customer. The curves and angles were designed for aesthetics as well as strength. The fire doors would stay open by themselves horizontally, the chimney and flue damper could be removed for cleaning and the door was also made with varying thicknesses to distribute the heat evenly. By the late 1880s, the Orion range grew to include many different models including double ovens and featuring a ‘destructor’ firebox that was advertised as a safe and hygienic way of disposing of kitchen waste.
acquired H. E. Shacklock Ltd. and it continued to dominate the New Zealand domestic appliance market through the era of Government protectionism. The Shacklock name was gradually withdrawn from Fisher and Paykel products.
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...
. In 1873 H.E. Shacklock designed and built the first of thousands of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
coal range
Kitchen stove
A kitchen stove, cooking stove, cookstove, or cooker is a kitchen appliance designed for the purpose of cooking food. Kitchen stoves rely on the application of direct heat for the cooking process and may also contain an oven, used for baking.In the industrialized world, as stoves replaced open...
s that, after various modifications, became the backbone of his business. The company he founded, H.E. Shacklock Ltd., went on to produce the first electric range in New Zealand in 1925.
Background
Shacklock was born in Kirkby-in-AshfieldKirkby-in-Ashfield
Kirkby-in-Ashfield is a market town in Nottinghamshire, England, with a population of 25,265 . It is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area. The Head Offices of Ashfield District Council are located there....
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and served his apprenticeship in several foundries at Nottingham and Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
. Unsatisfied with the opportunities available to him in England, Henry Shacklock emigrated to 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...
and arrived in Port Chalmers aboard the Bombay on the 9 September 1862. Shacklock first gained a job cutting scrub on the Otago Peninsula before his fiancée Elizabeth Bradley came to join him in New Zealand. He spent a period of his life living in Oamaru
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
before returning to Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
and settling on an adjoining section on Grosvenor Street and Park
Terrace. He eventually set up his own foundry on Princes Street in January 1872.
The Shacklock Orion Coal Range
In 1873 due to requests from his clients and dissatisfaction with his own imported range in his home Shacklock designed and built a prototype cast iron coal range. Shacklock built a ‘self setting’ stove with specially designed grates and flues that worked using ligniteLignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
coal unlike the British and American kitset imports which were designed to run on bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
. This design was a continually improved and modified product that warmed kitchens, heated water, baked scones and cooked porridge throughout thousands of New Zealand homes. Shacklock named his design the ‘Orion
Orion (constellation)
Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellations in the night sky...
’ due to his interest in astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. Before he patented the range in 1882 he introduced many features to appeal to the potential customer. The curves and angles were designed for aesthetics as well as strength. The fire doors would stay open by themselves horizontally, the chimney and flue damper could be removed for cleaning and the door was also made with varying thicknesses to distribute the heat evenly. By the late 1880s, the Orion range grew to include many different models including double ovens and featuring a ‘destructor’ firebox that was advertised as a safe and hygienic way of disposing of kitchen waste.
H.E. Shacklock Ltd
Henry Shacklock was a pioneer in the manufacturing of coal ranges and set up his business in 1871. The Orion coal range was the main line produced and in 1894 their product was being sold throughout New Zealand. The limited liability company of H.E. Shacklock Ltd was formed in 1900 with a capital value of 25,000 pounds. For as long as coal remained the main source of energy H.E. Shacklock was the market leader in producing solid fuel ranges and heaters. In the late 1890s Henry Shacklock became increasingly ill and suffered from bouts of depression. He gradually withdrew from playing an active role in the company he created. On 17 December 1902 Henry Ely Shacklock hanged himself in his Dunedin home. The company went on to produce New Zealand’s first electric stove in 1925 but struggled to modernise its operations. In 1955, Auckland company Fisher and Paykel LtdFisher & Paykel
Fisher & Paykel is a major appliance manufacturing company based in East Tamaki, New Zealand.Originally an importer of domestic refrigerators, Fisher & Paykel now holds over 420 patents and bases its identity on innovative design, particularly in the areas of usability and environmental...
acquired H. E. Shacklock Ltd. and it continued to dominate the New Zealand domestic appliance market through the era of Government protectionism. The Shacklock name was gradually withdrawn from Fisher and Paykel products.
External links
- The Caversham Project : University of Otago at caversham.otago.ac.nz The Caversham Project, University of Otago Department of History
- http://remote.kiwi.gen.nz/BigOrion/ Photos & engravings archive of Shacklock Orion Black Coal Ranges
- http://www.ournzheritage.com/histories_files/pearce.html Our New Zealand Heritage: The Histories of the Stevens—Croot Family Heritage; Mary Pearce in the Dictionary of New Zealand BiographyDictionary of New Zealand BiographyThe Dictionary of New Zealand Biography contains biographies for over 3,000 New Zealanders. It is available in both English and Maori. All volumes of the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography are available online....