Head Wrightson - History

History

• 1724 to 1839: Land called Thornaby Carrs was used intermittently for horse racing.
• (afterwards): There was a shipyard on Thornaby Carrs.
• about 1840: Mr. Skinner settled in South Stockton.
• 1840: The Teesdale Iron Works (also named Teesdale Ironworks) was founded.
• 1851: Teesside's first blast furnace was built, after iron ore was discovered in the Cleveland Hills.
• 1859: Mr. Skinner bought the Teesdale Iron Works. Thomas Head and Joseph Wright took over the Teesdale Iron Works.
• later: Joseph Ashby and Thomas Wrightson joined the firm and Joseph Wright retired.
• 1860: Mr. Skinner bought the Cotton Mill.
• (later): The firm became Messrs. Head and Wright, and later Messrs. Head and Ashby.
• 1865: The firm became Messrs. Head Wrightson & Co Ltd. It made cast iron and wrought iron for boilers, railway chairs, naval ships, and many bridges across the world, the largest being in India. The firm employed 450 people.
• 1866: The firm became Head Wrightsons.
• 1889: The firm completed Fulham Railway Bridge
• 1890: The works was three times as big as in 1860, and covered Thornaby Carrs.
• 1892: The firm employed 1200 people.
• 1893: The firm completed Newburn Bridge
• 1895: The firm completed Barnes Railway Bridge
• 1939-45: Manufactured the Bellman hangar, a 1936 design for a standard transportable aeroplane shed for the Air Ministry
• 1965: Building of the ice rink structure for the Billingham Forum.
• 1968: The firm employed nearly 6000 people and mostly made boilers and other heavy engineering. Its factory covered 68 acres.
• 1977: Davy Corporation acquired Head Wrightson.
• 1979: Davy Corporation was renamed "Davy McKee"
• June 1987: Head Wrightsons closed.