British Thomson-Houston - History

History

  • 1886: The company Laing, Wharton and Down formed, to sell products from the American Electric Company. They soon won a contract for electrical lighting for the east end of London.
  • 1892: General Electric in USA was created by the merger of Thomson-Houston and Edison General Electric Company.
  • 1893: The American Electric Company became Thomson-Houston.
  • 1894: British Thomson-Houston was formed.
  • 1896 May: Laing, Wharton and Down was renamed as BTH. BTH got production licenses for the American Electric Company's products, and soon started setting up factories in the English Midlands. For much of the late 19th century they competed for electrical generation and distribution contracts with British Westinghouse, mirroring the same company's battles in the US between their parents, General Electric (created by the merger of Thomson-Houston and Edison General Electric Company in 1892) and Westinghouse. BTH became mainly associated with Rugby, Warwickshire, due to its good accessibility by rail and a local coal supply.
  • 1898 December 22: Opened the Cork Electric Tramways and Lighting Company
  • 1899: BTH chose Rugby.
  • 1900: BTH bought Glebe Farm (on the west side of Mill Road north of the railway) for £10,000, from Thos. Hunter & Co., to build their factory on it.
  • 1900: The Power Act of 1900 was passed. It let BTH and British Westinghouse get new contracts to supply electric power to large areas.
  • 1901 April 4: Opened the Isle of Thanet Electric Tramways
  • 1902 March: BTH opened their factory in Mill Road in 1902 making electric motors and generators.
  • 1902: BTH got a license to produce the Curtis steam turbine, which became one of their major products.
  • 1902 June: Opened the Chatham and District Light Railways Company
  • 1904: BTH started making turbines.
  • 1905: BTH made its first turbo-alternator.
  • 1907: BTH started a joint venture with Wolseley Motors to make petrol-electric buses.
  • 1909: BTH supplied major coal-fired steam generators to London to power an electric trolley system that was being set up.
  • 1911: BTH got licenses for all of General Electric's drawn-wire light bulbs, which they produced under the Mazda trademark.

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