Friday 12th July 2019 will mark the bicentenary of the birth of Joseph Shuttleworth.
An article to mark this will be printed in the Summer issue of Prop-Swing which will be arriving on doorsteps soon.
Joseph Shuttleworth is perhaps best known as one of the founding partners of Clayton & Shuttleworth. The company started as an iron and brass foundry, which the partners steadily developed in its early years. When the Minningsby Reservoir to Boston water works pipeline was built in 1846, Clayton & Shuttleworth won an important contract for the pipes, which needed to be manufactured much less than the usual thickness. This they did in a highly successful manner and the success aided them in the early development of their business.
In 1845, Messrs. Clayton and Shuttleworth turned out their first portable engine, and although they only took up the construction of such engines as a secondary matter, they soon specialised in manufacturing these and other agricultural machines. Joseph’s fortune from the business was ultimately inherited by Richard Shuttleworth which in turn led to the creation of the Collection. Today the Collection also includes several items of Clayton & Shuttleworth machinery bringing the story full circle.