Thomas Green & Son
Encyclopedia
Thomas Green & Son, Ltd. were engineers who manufactured a wide range of products at the Smithfield Foundry, Leeds
, United Kingdom
.
near Newark
and founded the company in 1835. The company was originally located at 34 Lower Head Row (now Eastgate), Leeds, and specialised in all types of wirework
, including wire weaving and galvanising
. The Smithfield Foundry site in North Street was purchased in 1848 and the first buildings were erected in 1850. In 1863 a London
office was opened, principally to serve the overseas trade. This was followed in 1881 by the opening of the “Surrey Works” in Blackfriars, London. Improvements in trade led to the opening of the “New Surrey Works” in 1902.
, was first constructed in 1855. The earliest lawn mower was patented by E. B. Budding of Stroud, Gloucestershire
in 1830. Green improved the Budding design by adding a rake
to lift the grass and reducing its weight. In 1858 Greens machine won first prize at the first lawn mower trial conducted at the London Horticultural Gardens, Chiswick
. A short-lived product, introduced in 1902, was the steam-powered
lawnmower, targeted at groundsmen. Greens produced mowers in a wide range of sizes from 8in to 42in and these were given grand names, such as Silens Messor (Britain’s first chain driven mower) and Multum in Parvo (with little, much), and along with Ransomes
of Ipswich
and Shanks of Arbroath
, dominated the market until the First World War
.
s. The use of steam tramways in Britain was effectively prohibited by the draconian rules contained in the so-called Red Flag Act or more correctly the Locomotive Act
s of 1861 and 1865. The introduction of new regulations, The Highways & Locomotives (Amendments) Act 1879 set out a more workable arrangement as follows:-
Thomas Green commenced building tramway locomotives in 1885. These locomotives were initially of the Wilkinson’s patent, built under licence. This design used a vertical boiler and a vertically mounted engine which drove one set of wheels through gears. The second pair of wheels was driven through coupling rods. The exhaust passed through a chamber in the firebox to provide reheat, which in principle would make the steam invisible. The speed governor
was an “Allen” paddle type which acted on the reversing gear
.
Thirty-nine Wilkinson type trams were delivered before Green’s developed their own design using a horizontal boiler, inclined cylinders and Joy valve gear
. The machine quickly evolved such that Green’s tram engines became one of the market leaders. The advertisement above refers to "air condensing" tramway locomotives so it is likely that Green introduced a roof-mounted condenser. See steam locomotive condensing apparatus
for further information.
Others were despatched to Penang
and Kimberley
. According to Whitcombe, 157 were built, the last in 1898 for Kimberley, South Africa
.
In a letter written in 1936 by Mr C.V.Clark of Thomas Green, he explains how the tram locomotives were constructed and transported. “Do you remember me shewing you the engine shop down that back street? Well, the engine boiler, motion and wheels were put together on the ground floor. The body of mild steel-plate was completed on the top floor of the building, say 50 feet or more up, Then two large trap-doors were opened, and the job was lowered onto the business end of the affair and it only remained to be bolted to the frames and get steamed up. If Leeds were taking delivery, a lot of flat plates were laid down the street during the night, and by brute force and cuss words the engine was run up under it’s own steam, then slewed round and dropped in the tram-lines.”
well tank, was built in 1888 for Australia
. Subsequently nearly forty locomotives were built of side or saddle tank arrangement. Two were exported in 1908 through Robert Hudson
. In the period 1902 to 1904, three were bought for the construction of the Colsterdale Reservoir for Harrogate Corporation
. These were HARROGATE and CLARO both 0-4-2
saddle tanks and MASHAM an 0-6-2
saddle tank. A similar 0-6-2 saddle tank locomotive BARBER was delivered to Harrogate Gas Company. Three locomotives complete with circular railways were constructed in 1895 for fairgrounds. Eight locomotives were sent to Ireland
, three 2-6-2
side tanks to the West Clare Railway
, three to the Dublin & Blessington and two 0-4-4
side tanks to the Cork & Muskerry Railway. In 1897 two 0-4-0 saddle tanks are recorded as being delivered to the Lima Railway, Peru
. In 1920 the last locomotive of a series of nine was exported to Societe Generale de Paris, France
.
and agricultural tractors. Perhaps their most well known product in this range was the steamroller
, which commenced in 1872 with a vertical boilered model for the Royal Gardens, Windsor
. Shortly afterward, in 1880, a convertible model (i.e. traction engine or road roller) was introduced. A conventional horizontal boilered model followed this in 1881. The range was developed to encompass the whole range of weights (3 ton to 12 ton) and styles (tandem roller, triple roller) which enabled them to become one of the market leaders, with around 300 machines supplied.
With an eye on sports grounds, Greens introduced the first of a range of petrol engine
d rollers in 1905. The diesel engine
d DRM model in the 1930s, and lighter versions, the DRL and DRX, superseded these. In the 1960s, the “Workman” was designed together with a heavier model, the “Pacemaker.”
and petrol
engines, boiler
s, food-preparing
machinery, stable
furnishings, garden furniture
, ornamental gates and railings
. There are still public house
s in Leeds with Thomas Green cast iron
tables. The firm also made about 50 portable electric lighting
sets between 1895 and 1901 chiefly for showmen
.
the works continued to produce road rollers alongside the inevitable military products such as Mine Sinkers
, Lathe
s, Bomb
s, Mortar Shells
, Artillery wheel
s. Interestingly, the manager during this period was George W Blackburn who’s son Robert Blackburn founded the Blackburn Aeroplane Company. Indeed some of Roberts’s early efforts were constructed at Smithfield foundry.
After the First World War the lawn mower trade was developed by fitting a “Young” two-stroke
engine to their hand machines. The engine was changed in 1922 to the “Dalman” and so successful was this combination that in 1923, Greens took on the manufacture of these engines. The introduction of engine manufacture inevitably led to further engine designs being developed to match the range of mowers being produced. Subsequently, gang mowers for cricket pitch
es and playing field
s became one of the main products, indeed such famous grounds as Headingley and Trent Bridge
used Greens equipment.
Manufacturing during the Second World War
consisted primarily of parts for Blackburn Aircraft
and in 1951 this company took control of the business. With amalgamations in the aircraft industry, Hawker Siddeley took over the business in 1960, but this was not a successful marriage and in 1975 Greens were sold to Atkinsons of Clitheroe
and the Leeds works closed.
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, United Kingdom
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...
.
Introduction
Thomas Green came to Leeds from Carlton-on-TrentCarlton-on-Trent
Carlton-on-Trent is a small village in England, located between the River Trent and the A1 road near Newark-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire.The village forms part of the Newark and Sherwood district, it is also served by a Parish Council....
near Newark
Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands on the River Trent, the A1 , and the East Coast Main Line railway. The origins of the town are possibly Roman as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way...
and founded the company in 1835. The company was originally located at 34 Lower Head Row (now Eastgate), Leeds, and specialised in all types of wirework
Chain link fencing
A chain-link fence is a type of woven fence usually made from galvanized or LLDPE-coated steel wire...
, including wire weaving and galvanising
Galvanization
Galvanization is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, in order to prevent rusting. The term is derived from the name of Italian scientist Luigi Galvani....
. The Smithfield Foundry site in North Street was purchased in 1848 and the first buildings were erected in 1850. In 1863 a 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...
office was opened, principally to serve the overseas trade. This was followed in 1881 by the opening of the “Surrey Works” in Blackfriars, London. Improvements in trade led to the opening of the “New Surrey Works” in 1902.
Lawnmowers
One of the products that Greens are most known for, the lawnmowerLawn mower
A lawn mower is a machine that uses a revolving blade or blades to cut a lawn at an even length.Lawn mowers employing a blade that rotates about a vertical axis are known as rotary mowers, while those employing a blade assembly that rotates about a horizontal axis are known as cylinder or reel...
, was first constructed in 1855. The earliest lawn mower was patented by E. B. Budding of Stroud, Gloucestershire
Stroud, Gloucestershire
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District.Situated below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills at the meeting point of the Five Valleys, the town is noted for its steep streets and cafe culture...
in 1830. Green improved the Budding design by adding a rake
Rake (tool)
A rake is a broom for outside; an horticultural implement consisting of a toothed bar fixed transversely to a handle, and used to collect leaves, hay, grass, etc., and, in gardening, for loosening the soil, light weeding and levelling, removing dead grass from...
to lift the grass and reducing its weight. In 1858 Greens machine won first prize at the first lawn mower trial conducted at the London Horticultural Gardens, Chiswick
Chiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
. A short-lived product, introduced in 1902, was the steam-powered
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
lawnmower, targeted at groundsmen. Greens produced mowers in a wide range of sizes from 8in to 42in and these were given grand names, such as Silens Messor (Britain’s first chain driven mower) and Multum in Parvo (with little, much), and along with Ransomes
Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies
Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries was a major British agricultural machinery maker producing a wide range of products including traction engines, ploughs, lawn mowers, combine harvesters and other tilling equipment. They also manufactured aeroplanes during the First World War...
of Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and Shanks of Arbroath
Arbroath
Arbroath or Aberbrothock is a former royal burgh and the largest town in the council area of Angus in Scotland, and has a population of 22,785...
, dominated the market until the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Tram engines
One of the products that Greens became well known for was steam tram engineTram engine
A tram engine is a locomotive specially built, or modified, to work on a street, or roadside, tramway.-Steam tram engines:In the steam locomotive era, tram engines had to comply with certain legal requirements, although these varied from country to country:* The engine must be governed to a maximum...
s. The use of steam tramways in Britain was effectively prohibited by the draconian rules contained in the so-called Red Flag Act or more correctly the Locomotive Act
Locomotive Act
The Locomotive Acts were a series of Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom to control the use of mechanically propelled vehicles on British public highways during the latter part of the 19th century...
s of 1861 and 1865. The introduction of new regulations, The Highways & Locomotives (Amendments) Act 1879 set out a more workable arrangement as follows:-
- Engine to be governed to prevent speeds in excess of 10 miles per hour
- No steam or smoke to be emitted
- Be free from noise produced by blast or clatter
- The machinery to be concealed from view at all points above 4 inch from rail level
Thomas Green commenced building tramway locomotives in 1885. These locomotives were initially of the Wilkinson’s patent, built under licence. This design used a vertical boiler and a vertically mounted engine which drove one set of wheels through gears. The second pair of wheels was driven through coupling rods. The exhaust passed through a chamber in the firebox to provide reheat, which in principle would make the steam invisible. The speed governor
Governor (device)
A governor, or speed limiter, is a device used to measure and regulate the speed of a machine, such as an engine. A classic example is the centrifugal governor, also known as the Watt or fly-ball governor, which uses a rotating assembly of weights mounted on arms to determine how fast the engine...
was an “Allen” paddle type which acted on the reversing gear
Valve gear
The valve gear of a steam engine is the mechanism that operates the inlet and exhaust valves to admit steam into the cylinder and allow exhaust steam to escape, respectively, at the correct points in the cycle...
.
Thirty-nine Wilkinson type trams were delivered before Green’s developed their own design using a horizontal boiler, inclined cylinders and Joy valve gear
Joy Valve Gear
Joy valve gear is a type of locomotive valve gear, patented in 1870, where the movement is derived from a vertical link connected to the connecting rod. The vertical movement is translated into the horizontal movement required by the valve spindle by a die block moving in a slide which can be...
. The machine quickly evolved such that Green’s tram engines became one of the market leaders. The advertisement above refers to "air condensing" tramway locomotives so it is likely that Green introduced a roof-mounted condenser. See steam locomotive condensing apparatus
Steam locomotive condensing apparatus
A steam locomotive condensing apparatus differs in purpose from the usual closed cycle steam engine condenser, in that its function is primarily either to recover water, or to avoid excessive emissions to the atmosphere, rather than maintaining a vacuum to improve both efficiency and power...
for further information.
Customers
Some of Green's customers for steam tram engines were:- Accrington Corporation Steam Tramways Company
- Birmingham & Midland Tramways Ltd.
- Blackburn & Over Darwen Tramways Company
- Blackburn Corporation Tramways Ltd.
- Bradford Tramways & Omnibus Company Ltd.
- Bradford & Shelf Tramways Company Ltd.
- Coventry & District Tramways Company
- Drypool & Marfleet Steam Tramways Company (Hull)
- Dublin & Lucan Steam Tramway Company
- Dundee & District Tramway Company Ltd.
- Huddersfield Corporation Tramways
- Leeds Tramways Company
- Manchester, Bury, Rochdale & Oldham Steam Tramway Company
- North Shields & Tynemouth District Tramways Ltd.
- Rossendale Valley Tramways Company
- St. Helens & District Tramways Company Ltd.
- South Staffordshire Tramways Company
- Wolverton and Stony Stratford TramwayWolverton and Stony Stratford TramwayThe Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway was a narrow gauge street tramway between the London and North Western Railway's Wolverton railway works and Wolverton railway station and Stony Stratford in Buckinghamshire, two miles to the east, and onwards to Deanshanger, Northamptonshire.- History...
Others were despatched to Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
and Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
. According to Whitcombe, 157 were built, the last in 1898 for Kimberley, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
In a letter written in 1936 by Mr C.V.Clark of Thomas Green, he explains how the tram locomotives were constructed and transported. “Do you remember me shewing you the engine shop down that back street? Well, the engine boiler, motion and wheels were put together on the ground floor. The body of mild steel-plate was completed on the top floor of the building, say 50 feet or more up, Then two large trap-doors were opened, and the job was lowered onto the business end of the affair and it only remained to be bolted to the frames and get steamed up. If Leeds were taking delivery, a lot of flat plates were laid down the street during the night, and by brute force and cuss words the engine was run up under it’s own steam, then slewed round and dropped in the tram-lines.”
Railway Locomotives
The first conventional locomotive, an 0-4-00-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
well tank, was built in 1888 for Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Subsequently nearly forty locomotives were built of side or saddle tank arrangement. Two were exported in 1908 through Robert Hudson
Robert Hudson Ltd
Robert Hudson Ltd was a major international supplier of light railway materials, based in Gildersome, near Leeds, England. The name was later changed to Robert Hudson Ltd.- The business :...
. In the period 1902 to 1904, three were bought for the construction of the Colsterdale Reservoir for Harrogate Corporation
Harrogate (borough)
Harrogate is a local government district and borough of North Yorkshire, England. Its council is based in the town of Harrogate but it also includes surrounding towns and villages...
. These were HARROGATE and CLARO both 0-4-2
0-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
saddle tanks and MASHAM an 0-6-2
0-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
saddle tank. A similar 0-6-2 saddle tank locomotive BARBER was delivered to Harrogate Gas Company. Three locomotives complete with circular railways were constructed in 1895 for fairgrounds. Eight locomotives were sent to Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, three 2-6-2
2-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
side tanks to the West Clare Railway
West Clare Railway
The West Clare Railway originally operated in County Clare, Ireland between 1887 and 1961, and has partially re-opened. This gauge narrow gauge railway ran from the county town of Ennis, via numerous stopping-points along the West Clare coast to two termini, at Kilrush and Kilkee...
, three to the Dublin & Blessington and two 0-4-4
0-4-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles...
side tanks to the Cork & Muskerry Railway. In 1897 two 0-4-0 saddle tanks are recorded as being delivered to the Lima Railway, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. In 1920 the last locomotive of a series of nine was exported to Societe Generale de Paris, France
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...
.
Road Rollers
Thomas Green also produced a range of steam road vehicles including fairground centre-engines, road tractorsTraction engine
A traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...
and agricultural tractors. Perhaps their most well known product in this range was the steamroller
Steamroller
A steamroller is a form of road roller – a type of heavy construction machinery used for levelling surfaces, such as roads or airfields – that is powered by a steam engine...
, which commenced in 1872 with a vertical boilered model for the Royal Gardens, Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
. Shortly afterward, in 1880, a convertible model (i.e. traction engine or road roller) was introduced. A conventional horizontal boilered model followed this in 1881. The range was developed to encompass the whole range of weights (3 ton to 12 ton) and styles (tandem roller, triple roller) which enabled them to become one of the market leaders, with around 300 machines supplied.
With an eye on sports grounds, Greens introduced the first of a range of petrol engine
Petrol engine
A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....
d rollers in 1905. The diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
d DRM model in the 1930s, and lighter versions, the DRL and DRX, superseded these. In the 1960s, the “Workman” was designed together with a heavier model, the “Pacemaker.”
Other products
Many other types of products were produced, including gasGas engine
A gas engine means an engine running on a gas, such as coal gas, producer gas biogas, landfill gas, or natural gas. In the UK, the term is unambiguous...
and petrol
Petrol engine
A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....
engines, boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
s, food-preparing
Food processing
Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
machinery, stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
furnishings, garden furniture
Garden furniture
Garden furniture, also called patio furniture and outdoor furniture, is a type of furniture specifically designed for outdoor use. It is typically made of weather resistant materials...
, ornamental gates and railings
Ironwork
Ironwork is any weapon, artwork, utensil or architectural feature made of iron especially used for decoration. There are two main types of ironwork wrought iron and cast iron. While the use of iron dates as far back as 4000BC, it was the Hittites who first knew how to extract it and develop weapons...
. There are still public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s in Leeds with Thomas Green 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...
tables. The firm also made about 50 portable electric lighting
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
sets between 1895 and 1901 chiefly for showmen
Showman
Showman can have a variety of meanings, usually by context and depending on the country.- Australia :Travelling showmen are people who run amusement and side show equipment at regional shows, state capital shows, events and festivals throughout Australia...
.
Later history
During the First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the works continued to produce road rollers alongside the inevitable military products such as Mine Sinkers
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
, Lathe
Lathe
A lathe is a machine tool which rotates the workpiece on its axis to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, or deformation with tools that are applied to the workpiece to create an object which has symmetry about an axis of rotation.Lathes are used in woodturning,...
s, Bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
s, Mortar Shells
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
, Artillery wheel
Artillery wheel
The artillery wheel was developed for use on gun carriages when it was found that the lateral forces involved in horse artillery manoeuvres caused normally-constructed cart wheels to collapse. Rather than having its spokes mortised into a wooden nave , it has them fitted together then bolted into...
s. Interestingly, the manager during this period was George W Blackburn who’s son Robert Blackburn founded the Blackburn Aeroplane Company. Indeed some of Roberts’s early efforts were constructed at Smithfield foundry.
After the First World War the lawn mower trade was developed by fitting a “Young” two-stroke
Two-stroke cycle
A two-stroke engine is an internal combustion engine that completes the process cycle in one revolution of the crankshaft...
engine to their hand machines. The engine was changed in 1922 to the “Dalman” and so successful was this combination that in 1923, Greens took on the manufacture of these engines. The introduction of engine manufacture inevitably led to further engine designs being developed to match the range of mowers being produced. Subsequently, gang mowers for cricket pitch
Cricket pitch
In the game of cricket, the cricket pitch consists of the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets - 1 chain or 22 yards long and 10 feet wide. The surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the...
es and playing field
Playing field
A playing field is a field used for playing sports or games. They are generally outdoors, but many large structures exist to enclose playing fields from bad weather. Generally, playing fields are wide expanses of grass, dirt or sand without many obstructions...
s became one of the main products, indeed such famous grounds as Headingley and Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
used Greens equipment.
Manufacturing during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
consisted primarily of parts for Blackburn Aircraft
Blackburn Aircraft
Blackburn Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that concentrated mainly on naval and maritime aircraft during the first part of the 20th century.-History:...
and in 1951 this company took control of the business. With amalgamations in the aircraft industry, Hawker Siddeley took over the business in 1960, but this was not a successful marriage and in 1975 Greens were sold to Atkinsons of Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
and the Leeds works closed.
Preservation
- No. 132, built to 3 foot 6 inch gauge in 1888, which is an 0-4-0 well tank locomotive, preserved by Margaret River Rotary Club, in Western Australia.
- No. 219, built to 2 foot gauge in 1895, which is an 0-4-2 saddle tank locomotive, preserved by Graeme Harding, in Victoria
- No. 441, Barber, 0-6-2ST, built 1908, preserved at South Tynedale RailwaySouth Tynedale RailwayThe South Tynedale Railway is a heritage railway in England and is England's highest narrow gauge railway. The route runs from Alston in Cumbria to Kirkhaugh in Northumberland via the South Tyne Viaduct, the Gilderdale Viaduct and the Whitley Viaduct...
- 3 No. Thomas Green & Son Steam Rollers exist in the UK, Only one is known to be in working order.
- About 60 greens motor rollers are known to still exist, and examples can be seen at vintage vehicle rallies and steam rallies around the country.