Whessoe
Encyclopedia
Whessoe was once one of the largest employers at Darlington
and on Teesside
in the North East England
. It was a leading supplier of chemical, oil and nuclear plant and an international instrumentation business and remains a leading low temperature storage specialist.
, Co. Durham, England
in 1791. The business grew, a small foundry was added to the shop and then a larger works was built on the outskirts of the town as the Kitching family supplied the developing railways and repaired and built locomotives and rolling stock. The business passed from the Kitchings to a relation through marriage, Charles Ianson in 1862/3. The term ‘Whessoe Foundry’ was first applied to Charles Ianson & Company in the 1860s, the name Whessoe being a locality name applied to the foundry. Whessoe was a lost early English village the site of which is situated just north of the town.
In the 1890s Whessoe started designing and building gas plant, oil storage tanks and infrastructure for refineries. The company became listed on the London Stock Exchange
in 1920 and Shell Transport & Trading purchased 51% of ordinary shares. The company was a leader in the design, fabrication and construction of pressure vessels and large-scale storage tanks, being the first to apply welding technology versus riveted construction.
In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the company split into various specialist divisions and then ultimately into Whessoe LGA Gas Technology Ltd which specialised in cryogenic and LT (low temperature) storage and capital construction projects and Whessoe Varec. Whessoe Varec focused on marine tanker and tank farm inventory management systems, providing complete solutions for inventory management, loss control, tank gauging and environmental safety, both onshore and offshore. Throughout this period the Heavy Engineering Divisions were major contractors in offshore construction, hydro-electric scheme penstocks and in nuclear power, being involved with the design and construction of reactor vessels for most British stations from Calder Hall
to the AGR (Advanced gas-cooler reactors) at Hunterston B
and Hinkley B
. In a revolutionary step to reduce site construction these later AGR reactor vessels were fabricated at Darlington
, constructed under cover at Dock Point on Teesside
and floated to the construction sites on large barges. Many highly specialised products such as emergency coolers for nuclear submarines, submarine escape facilities, wind tunnels and nuclear fuel transportation flasks were also made on a 'jobbing' basis in the Darlington
factory. Whessoe developed and supplied engineering software, especially pipe stress analysis programes, through its subsidiary Whessoe Computing Systems Ltd.
In the 1990s, the corporate headquarters of Whessoe Varec was moved to just outside Darlington
, a few miles from the site of the original foundry. Whessoe LGA Gas Technology retained its headquarters in Darlington
, no longer with a factory but with construction operations world wide. This company was owned by the German company Preussag Noell, it was then bought by Skanska
and still operates (2008) now under Arabic ownership in the field of cryogenic and LT storage as Whessoe Oil and Gas.
In 1997 Endress+Hauser
acquired Whessoe Varec.
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
and on Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
in the North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. It was a leading supplier of chemical, oil and nuclear plant and an international instrumentation business and remains a leading low temperature storage specialist.
History
The Whessoe Company traces its origins back to an ironmongers shop founded by a Quaker, William Kitching, in the market town of DarlingtonDarlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, Co. Durham, 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...
in 1791. The business grew, a small foundry was added to the shop and then a larger works was built on the outskirts of the town as the Kitching family supplied the developing railways and repaired and built locomotives and rolling stock. The business passed from the Kitchings to a relation through marriage, Charles Ianson in 1862/3. The term ‘Whessoe Foundry’ was first applied to Charles Ianson & Company in the 1860s, the name Whessoe being a locality name applied to the foundry. Whessoe was a lost early English village the site of which is situated just north of the town.
In the 1890s Whessoe started designing and building gas plant, oil storage tanks and infrastructure for refineries. The company became 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...
in 1920 and Shell Transport & Trading purchased 51% of ordinary shares. The company was a leader in the design, fabrication and construction of pressure vessels and large-scale storage tanks, being the first to apply welding technology versus riveted construction.
In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the company split into various specialist divisions and then ultimately into Whessoe LGA Gas Technology Ltd which specialised in cryogenic and LT (low temperature) storage and capital construction projects and Whessoe Varec. Whessoe Varec focused on marine tanker and tank farm inventory management systems, providing complete solutions for inventory management, loss control, tank gauging and environmental safety, both onshore and offshore. Throughout this period the Heavy Engineering Divisions were major contractors in offshore construction, hydro-electric scheme penstocks and in nuclear power, being involved with the design and construction of reactor vessels for most British stations from Calder Hall
Calder Hall
Calder Hall can refer to -* Calder Hall Magnox nuclear power station at Sellafield* Calder Hall...
to the AGR (Advanced gas-cooler reactors) at Hunterston B
Hunterston B nuclear power station
Hunterston B Power Station is a nuclear power station in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located about 9 km south of Largs and about 4 km north-west of West Kilbride. It is operated by EDF Energy...
and Hinkley B
Hinkley Point
Hinkley Point is a headland on the Bristol Channel coast of Somerset, England, five miles north of Bridgwater and five miles west of Burnham-on-Sea, close to the mouth of the River Parrett....
. In a revolutionary step to reduce site construction these later AGR reactor vessels were fabricated at Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, constructed under cover at Dock Point on Teesside
Teesside
Teesside is the name given to the conurbation in the north east of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements near the River Tees. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of...
and floated to the construction sites on large barges. Many highly specialised products such as emergency coolers for nuclear submarines, submarine escape facilities, wind tunnels and nuclear fuel transportation flasks were also made on a 'jobbing' basis in the Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
factory. Whessoe developed and supplied engineering software, especially pipe stress analysis programes, through its subsidiary Whessoe Computing Systems Ltd.
In the 1990s, the corporate headquarters of Whessoe Varec was moved to just outside Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, a few miles from the site of the original foundry. Whessoe LGA Gas Technology retained its headquarters in Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, no longer with a factory but with construction operations world wide. This company was owned by the German company Preussag Noell, it was then bought by Skanska
Skanska
Skanska AB, is a multinational construction and development company based in Sweden, where it also is the largest construction company. The company's head office is in Solna, north of Stockholm.-History:...
and still operates (2008) now under Arabic ownership in the field of cryogenic and LT storage as Whessoe Oil and Gas.
In 1997 Endress+Hauser
Endress+Hauser
Endress+Hauser is a Swiss-based instrumentation and process automation company. Endress+Hauser operates in the instrumentation market with offices around the world, producing instruments measuring level, flow, pressure, and temperature...
acquired Whessoe Varec.