The story of Dowson, Taylor & Company Limited

Fire Engineering Manchester, London, Glasgow, Paris

19 to 21 Queen Victoria Street, London of Blackfriars, Manchester

Dynasty DOWSON - TAYLOR

Ralph Dowson and John Taylor formed the original partnership - and later the company - that provided the future public company, Mather & Platt Ltd., with one of its most innovative and successful services: the fire engineering department. The determination of these two men led to the restructuring of the Mather & Platt partnership and, as a result, the core business of the new company was modified to take advantage of the growing demand for anti-aircraft equipment. fire and fire fighting. protection. global base.

For word by James Taylor -

I must thank you for spending so much time in assembling the website dedicated to Mather & Platt - a name that was heavily imprinted on me as I grew up, but I never really got to know what the company was all about and who all the people were, that my father talked about.

I have spent a number of very pleasurable evenings going through material you have written, particularly on my great grandfather and grandfather: men I never knew, though the stories of whom continue in the family well past their deaths. I find it particularly interesting to hear about my great grandfather, someone whose achievements I had never really appreciated before. His photos surround us when the family gets together and we live around many mementos to his fantastic life. When the family talk of him, however, it is sometimes difficult to discern fact from embellishment from spin. Also it is difficult for someone in the centre of the story to draw a picture of the past that is clear and holistic. Your account has given me a new and broad perspective which has allowed me to better understand my family and its heritage. For this I thank you.

I have started to explore some of the other people that my grandfather worked with, and you provide some interesting insights as to the relationships that he had. I am sure I will spend many more hours reading more about the people and the company of M & P.

James Taylor - Great Grandson of John Th. Taylor, June 2003.

For readers of the saga of Mather & Platt Ltd ..., by John F. Taylor -

Mr John F. Taylor, former director and board member of Mather & Platt Ltd, reminds us of his personal memories by giving us his testimony for the story. He was the third generation of his family to serve the company, being the grand son of John Th. Taylor of Dowson, Taylor & Company Limited who joined Mather & Platt to create in 1898 the public company Mather & Platt Ltd.

"I think it was in 2002 that Marcel Boschi was there to meet me, I downloaded his book on Mather and Platt and the history of the sprinkler, which is as near to the truth as people will agree! There will always be nuances that some would like to see inserted. I’m not wanting to push our family position as it was really a team success story. adding

However, three generations of Taylors, as you point out, have made Mather and Platt world-renowned. My grandfather was the original founder and with the work of John Wormald after the death of Ralph Dowson, they created a series of offices and agencies overseas. My father developed them into large companies adding general engineering especially in France, South Africa, India,and Australia after the success of fire protection companies.

My major contribution was at the time of the new FOC rules when the fire hazards overwhelmed the old sprinkler systems installed to the rules originated by my grand father and John Wormald who had originally written them on a bench on a Sunday afternoon in Bolton. Of course,it was refined to become the FOC rules used until the 29th edition which was launched on October 12th 1964. ( Alastair, my first son's birthday). I remember seeing him for the first time at 6-00 am, then into the London train to attend and represent Mather and Platt at the official presentation and launch by the FOC, then / to see him again in the evening. I was 32 years of age at that time.

John Frederick Taylor 1932-2019

My responsibilities, at that time, was for the special fire risks of the business, that is anything that was not covered by the FOC rules. I was responsible and in charge of the fire tests at Ballantines whiskey warehouse in Dumbarton when we showed the Factory Mutual Insurance group in the United States that their requirements for whiskey warehouses was excessive. This resulted in a complete review of the requirements of Factory Mutual and Underwriters in the United States as well as the establishment of a higher standard than the FOC regulations in the United Kingdom. The scheduled date for these tests was a date when, I and my young wife Joan,had to be on holiday in Sardinia. Rather than cancel the holiday, the company paid for me to return for a week to conduct the tests and then return for an extra week, leaving Joan on her own for the week and at the mercy of many beautiful Italians. She had some interesting experiences !!

My team and I solved the fire hazards issues in foamed rubber and polyurethane foam and conducted extensive testing with the Michelin Tyre Company to address the fire risks associated with stacking tyres to a height of 18 feet. During one of these tests we almost burned down a plane hanger that we had hired for the test. It was insured by the Tariff companies for their contribution to the tests. In the end, Michelin equipped a new warehouse with our new system design in a new warehouse at their main plant in France in Clermont-Ferrand. To fully test the system, they filled the warehouse full of tyres, in the area of the test, and set it alight. The fire died out after four hours without anyone having to enter the warehouse and no damage was done to the fabric of the building, with the exception of black soot deposits. These tests were witnessed by the worldwide insurance authorities for fire protection and resulted in a major rethink on the standards for fire protection in rubber tyre warehouses.

In addition to that, I played an important role in chairing the committee that drafted the rules of the “Protectospray System” Mather and Platt. This system was particularly important for the protection of oil and chemical refineries, oil rigs in the North Sea, and the risks associated with chemical plants and rocket launching pads. and chemical

I also worked closely with ICL and IBM in the development of infographics for sprinkler systems, until I had to give up this role by becoming the Managing Director of the Fire protection division of the company worldwide and full member of the Board of Directors. This meant I became responsible for the whole profits of the fire protection division and which amounted to most of the companies profits

During my time on the board, I got agreement to design an extension of our contributing pension scheme to include all our work people on the shop floor and not just members of staff.

At the time Wormald Australia bought M&P, it was a big question in my mind. But in retrospect the industries that we were involved in had become specialised and needed different disciplines which meant the breaking up of the multi-disciplined company that I knew. The time was approaching fast and as I was likely to become the next Chairman, I did not savour the idea of breaking up what my grandfather had put in place, because I had so many trusted friends in the company who trusted me and gave me their loyalty and support

I retired from M&P in July 1978 after serving 26 years in the company and shortly before Sir William Mather, who left in August of the same year. After Wormald bought M&P, it could no longer be my company or Bill Mather’s and I did not want to live in Australia where I would have had to have lived if I had stayed on as a director of Wormalds".

John F. Taylor 2005

Former director and board member of Mather & Platt Ltd

In 1878, Henry Parmelee invented his first sprinkler.

This sprinkler consisted of a perforated pipe containing a valve. That was held closed against water pressure by a heavy spring. The spring was held in place by two metal eyes made a low-fusing. The Parmelee's automatic sprinkler contained an alarm valve, installed in the main riser with a lever connected to the hinged end of the check valve clapper.The lever which extended through a stuffing box, was connected by wire to a steam whistle or mechanical bell. When water flowed through the check valve, the clapper would move the lever, which operated the steam whistle or mechanical bell..

In 1881, Bolton received a visit from an American fire-fighting enthusiast, George Parmelee -

Thus, in 1881 when Bolton received a visit from an American fire-fighting enthusiast named George Parmelee, John Taylor had been quick to see the possibilities and John Taylor had been quick to see the possibilities of the automatic sprinkler. Parmelee was out to market an automatic fire extinguisher. Automatic! Here was a word to fire John Taylor’s mind. Some fire engineers ridiculed the idea, but Bolton was ready to learn. The Corporation allowed Parmelee to build a shed in the Wholesale Market ground for the purpose of giving practical demonstrations. According to eyewitness accounts, as published at the time, the demonstrations made a great impression on all present, but some months later Mr. Parmelee - whose brother, Henry Parmelee, had invented the original system in America - decided upon a more thorough test, under conditions approximating to a Cotton spinning mill. He adopted the bold policy of hiring the Spa Mill in Bolton, an old cotton-spinning factory of non-fireproof construction, five storeys in height, with wooden boarded floors, which were saturated with the oil of fifty years work.The building was fired on 22 March 1882. The fire was extinguished in a short time and the demonstration was a marked success. It made a profound impression on the large and influential company present; the automatic sprinkler. Parmelee was out to market an automatic fire extinguisher. the automatic sprinkler.

Parmelee was out to market an automatic fire extinguisher. Automatic ! Here was a word to fire John Taylor’s mind. Some fire engineers ridiculed the idea, but Bolton was ready to learn. The Corporation allowed Parmelee to build a shed in the Wholesale Market ground for the purpose of giving practical demonstrations, but another result - and one of more importance to this story - is that John Taylor, who was one of the eager spectators at the initial demonstration, had already been charged with enthusiasm and had decided that he would one day perfect a sprinkler of his own.

The Parmelee's sprinklers -

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Although John Taylor had been quick to realise the potential value of the Automatic fire sprinkler System in the cotton mills of Lancashire, and although he obtained approval for his own automatic device, the reluctance of mill owners to spend money on equipment to extinguish fires was a big obstacle to progress. Only some financial encouragement from Insurance Companies could bring about the necessary change in their attitude. What John Taylor had in mind, a bonus or rebate on fire insurance premiums, did not appear to be in the interests of local insurance officials. Their income depended on turnover and turnover meant increasing rather then bringing about a decrease in the premium paid for fire insurance. Greater fire losses in a given industry meant higher premiums to be paid by the insured within that industry. If higher losses in an industry meant an increase in premiums and greater commission for the ‘agent’ what did it matter?

The first Parmelee's (Control valve system) for perforated pipes. The second Parmelee's sprinkler

The new outlook necessary to counter this attitude and to ensure the general acceptance of the principle of rebate on insurance premiums as an inducement to install automatic sprinklers found one keen advocate in the person of John Wormald. As a young insurance official interested in cutting fire losses, he had witnessed Parmelee’s sprinkler demonstration in Bolton and had since taken a prominent part in exploring the possibilities of sprinkler protection.

From the Partnership of Ralph Dowson & John Th.Taylor's establishment to the public Company Mather & Platt Limited

In 1883, Dowson and Taylor founded their own business in Bolton under the title "Dowson and Taylor" - Fire Engineers -

On leaving school, at the beg John Taylor joined the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company at Bolton and in the evenings, studied shorthand and other commercial subjects in order to fit himself for office work. He soon discovered that life in the office of the Railway Company had little to offer to one of an adventurous outlook, so he took up photography and as a photographer took portraits of local dignitaries and gatherings of Masons at the same time, so he obtained a position in the works of the Bolton Chemical Fire Extinguisher Company. Here he had his first real encounter with that stirring element “fire” and here he found adventure in plenty for he soon discovered that he was working in a sinking ship. Sales were not enough to keep the place going, the firm was losing money and it could not pay its way.

The lessons he learned from its failure helped to develop an acute commercial sense which was such an asset to him and to the Company in later life. Many young men would have lost heart when they saw the firm they worked for sinking and would have sought a safe job elsewhere. Not so John Taylor and a young colleague named Ralph Dowson who enjoyed his confidence and with whom he was prepared to embark on a business career.

These two enterprising and energetic young men, confident in their own ability and possessing a great capacity for hard work, decided to strike out on their own at an age when most of today’s engineers are still serving their apprenticeship. In 1883, Dowson and Taylor started their own firm, in Bolton, under the title “Dowson and Taylor, Fire Engineers”. Thus began a partnership which was to play a great role in the future of Mather & Platt Limited.

The title “Fire Engineers” which Dowson and Taylor adopted was indicative of a new attitude towards that enemy of civilisation “Fire”. It told of the resolve of engineering science to place its resources at the service of a crusade which has since saved the world untold damage and many millions of pounds. John Taylor brought to this early venture the great qualities of the self-made Lancashire man, hard headed business sense, a determination to get the best out of himself and those about him and great energy.

The first aim of the new firm was the perfecting and marketing of a Chemical Fire Extinguisher called the “Simplex”. It held five or six gallons of liquid, weighed about eighty pounds and was carried on the back as a soldier carried his pack. In 1884 it was awarded a medal at an International Exhibition in London and was soon installed in royal palaces, railway stations and public buildings.

Following this early success, the next stop was to produce a more portable machine and it was not long before the well-known “2 gallon Simplex” extinguisher made its appearance. The “Simplex” Chemical Extinguisher is still recognised as an efficient hand appliance with which to fight small fires. Some of the secrets of John Taylor's success have been attributed to “his swiftness to learn from others; his ability to pounce upon a new idea and his eager eye for anything which might further his life’s work”. Thus it came about that before long, Lancashire cotton mills were installing the “Simplex” Automatic Sprinkler, designed and manufactured by the firm of Dowson & Taylor, included a

central tube, with a deflector attached to its base, acting an valve into the position closed The outer fixed tube was soldered to the central tube and when the solder melted, the latter fell with the deflector into the open position (see the picture) central tube.

It was about two years after Parmelee had given his first sprinkler demonstration, in Bolton that William Mather made the visit to America (see details elsewhere) and brought back from the United States, the world selling rights, apart from North America, for an automatic Sprinkler called “Grinnell”. No sooner had John Taylor studied the mechanism of the “Grinnell” head and seen it tested under fire conditions, that he knew this to be the best sprinkler head yet invented. With typical forthright resolution, he cut out sentiment, jettisoned his own sprinkler head and henceforth installed “Grinnell” heads, which he bought from Mather & Platt.

The sprinkler Simplex

Mather & Platt themselves had achieved little success in marketing and installing the Grinnell; account books of the period demonstrate as much with evidence of losses as a result of their trying to expand in this area. On the other hand, Dowson and Taylor had prepared the ground well and had grown their reputation as 'Fire Engineers" - and, in buying the product from Mather & Platt, were achieving on the back of their own reputation, considerable success. With the additional support of a new partner, John Wormald, the marketing strategies of Dowson and Taylor outstripped anything that Mather & Platt could achieve on their own.

John Wormald's experience in the insurance business (detailed elsewhere on this site) made him an invaluable exponent of fire protection and his knowledge, contacts and vision enabled Dowson and Taylor to make huge advances. William Mather understood the strength of the Dowson, Taylor, Wormald team and, in recognition of their potential as much as a means to further his American acquisition, he aligned himself more closely with Dowson and Taylor.

Events moved quickly during the next few years and in order to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding business, Dowson and Taylor was made into a limited company, Dowson, Taylor and Co, with Ralph Dowson and John Taylor - joined by John Wormald as Managing Directors and William Mather as Chairman

John Wormald realised that financial success for the Insurance companies depended not on total premiums received, but on the difference between premiums and claims met. It was sound business to make a big cut in the total amount paid out, to cover fire losses, in return for conceding a reduction in premiums received. He saw plainly that if he could make a big cut in the amount paid out in respect of fire losses by the simple expedient of offering attractive rebate on the premium normally paid, the net result would be a considerable gain for the Insurance Company. He communicated his enthusiasm to others in the insurance world until, in a few years, this principle was firmly established..Thus, while still a young man, John Taylor had proved his capacity for big business by joining forces with men like Ralph Dowson and John Wormald who would work hard with him to build up the business in which they were engaged. Typical of the man was the advertisement, which first brought into service of the firm a boy who was later to become Secretary to the Company. It was brief and very much to the point, “Wanted, Office Boy, not afraid of hard work and with his head screwed on the right way”. There was no demand for matriculation standard; and not even a promise of a bright future in an age of golden opportunities, for John Taylor always held that hard work brought its own reward. How hard the three Managing Directors worked in the early days of Dowson, Taylor & Co. Ltd, can best be judged by the achievements of the first ten years.

Once the big Insurance Companies had accepted the principle of allowing rebates on insurance premiums in respect of buildings protected by automatic sprinklers, and the efficiency of Grinnell Installations had been established by their satisfactory performance in extinguishing numerous mill fires, the future was assured. It was merely a matter of time before the cotton mills and warehouses of Lancashire were fitted with sprinklers as a matter of course.Some men might have been content to reap the local harvest, not so John Taylor and his colleagues on the board of Dowson, Taylor & Co. Ltd. They lost no time in planning to cultivate a wider field and the minute books, covering their first twelve months as a limited company, contain references to the activities for negotiating business in the Metropolitan district; to the appointment of Resident Managers for Scotland and Ireland; to the establishment of branch offices in London and many provincial centres; to negotiations for agencies to cover special industries in the British Isles; to the completion of agency agreements to take the “Grinnell” system to France, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand and India as well as arrangements to stage demonstration fires in London for Press, Insurance Officials and leaders in Industry. Quite ambitious programmes for one year for a company still in its infancy !

In view of William Mather’s business connections with Russia, it is not surprising to find that he was instrumental in bringing the “Grinnell” system to the notice of his many friends in that country. He sent John Wormald to Russia and he secured concessions from the Russian Insurance Companies, with the result that automatic sprinklers were soon installed there on a big scale. During his early years as Chairman of Dowson, Taylor & Co. Ltd., William.Mather himself watched over the interests of the new company on the occasion of his annual visits to Russia, but as “Grinnell” business expanded in that country, it became a full time job. Accordingly, J.Wormald himself took charge of the business and in due course arranged for a branch to be opened in Moscow under the supervision of Martin Cox, who later became a Director of Mather & Platt Ltd.. As a means of cementing the connection and studying the technical problems of the country, John Taylor himself also spent some months each winter in Russian mills for many years.

One of the most important events of this period was the completion of an agreement in 1890 under which “Grinnell” Sprinkler heads which, under the terms of the original arrangement with Frederick Grinnell, had been imported from America, were in future to be made in England by Dowson Taylor & Co.Ltd

For some years the story of Dowson Taylor & Co, was one of uninterrupted success but in 1896, the Company suffered its first great loss. This was the death of Ralph Dowson, (see his obituary linked above) who fell ill and died in Bombay, whither he had gone while on a ‘tour to further his company’s business interests in India'.

From this point until the Company went into voluntary liquidation in order to join Mather & Platt Ltd., the destinies of Dowson, Taylor & Co. Ltd., were in the hands of John Taylor and John Wormald as joint Managing Directors. This was a great combination and each man made an outstanding success of work in his own sphere: John Taylor, the engineer, carried the responsibility for the works production policy and all technical and commercial administration. John Wormald, from his headquarters in London, devoted his tremendous energy to formulating and. carrying out an aggressive sales policy at home and overseas. Much of the success of Dowson, Taylor and Co. Ltd., was due to the ability of each in his own sphere and to the fact that each concentrated on his own work. There was no overlapping and in all phases of their business dealings each manifested supreme confidence in the other. Later they carried this same principle into good effect in administering the business of Mather & Platt Ltd., of which company they were destined to become managing directors.

1888 - Dowson-Taylor Variable Pressure ALARM Valve, patented under No. 384,514 on June 12, 1888.

The variable pressure valve was invented by Ralph Dowson and John T. Taylor. This valve is operated by the water flow and is designed to prevent false alarms caused by pressure variations in the main supply lines: http://repository.iit.edu/bitstream/handle / 10560/118 / grinnellvariable00eyer.pdf? Sequence

"The Simplex was a sealed or non-valve device of the Parmelee type, though much more sensitive in its operation, and had the great advantage of being placed on the market in conjunction with the well-known Variable Pressure Alarm Valve invented by Mr. John Taylor.

This valve is operated by the flow of the water, and is constructed so as to prevent false alarms being given by any variations of pressure in the main supply pipes.

When the water pressure has achieved an equilibrium above and below the valve, the clack, which is of differential area, drops by its own weight upon a seating on which is grooved an annular chamber with an outlet pipe to a small water motor, to the spindle of which are attached revolving hammers that strike a loud-sounding gong.

In practice the opening of a Sprinkler Head reduced the pressure above the valve, which is lifted by the upward flow from the main supplies, and so long as this continues, water passes to the motor and the gong sounds a continuous alarm. In the clack of the valve there is a small compensating valve which takes up any violent fluctuation of pressure without lifting the Valve itself, thus obviating false alarms.

Next to Mr. Frederick GRINNELL invention (sprinklers) this ingenious valve of Mr. Taylor's remains the most important advance in the development and practice of Automatic Fire Extinction. Previously there was nothing better than a rude and clumsy clockwork arrangement consisting of a cord wound round a drum with a weight attached which, when released, caused a hammer to strike a gong just as in an 8-day clock. When the weight reached the ground the alarm ceased. Mr. Taylor's new Valve was speedily adopted by Mr Grinnell himself and applied all over America. It is still an integral part of every Sprinkler Installation.

The patent rights covering John Taylor's Alarm Valve were later granted to the Grinnell Corporation in America, and his alarm valve continued in use into the modern era."

Family: US (1)

DateApp/Pub Number Status

US384514A Expired - Lifetime 1888 12.06 1888 Grant US384514A

Description : R. DOWSON & J. TAYLOR. ALARM VALVE FOR AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHERS.

N box 51,317653, having stem 55, and. button 92 St. Georges Rd., Bolton.

1890 - An original arrangement with "Grinnell" sprinkler heads are made in England by Dowson Taylor & Co.Ltd.

One of the most important events of this period was the completion of an agreement in 1890 under which “Grinnell” Sprinkler heads which, under the terms of the original arrangement with Frederick Grinnell, had been imported from America, were in future to be made in England by Dowson Taylor & Co.Ltd.

Mr. Frederick Grinnell

1893 - Fred Dowson - Fred Dowson was the younger brother of Ralph Dowson who was John Taylor's original partner in the company Dowson, Taylor & C° Ltd. wich was absorbed into the newly formed public company, Mather & Platt Ltd., a little while after Sir William Mather had acquired the world rights (outside North America) to the Grinnell sprinkler. Fred Dowson joined Dowson, Taylor & Co. in 1893, some six years after the death of his brother, Ralph.

John Taylor/Fred Dowson - For some time after the Electrical Department was moved to Park Works, John Taylor, with the assistance of his able lieutenant, Fred Dowson, accepted responsibility for moulding the business in his own way. He had made himself familiar with the essential facts concerning the department while still at Salford and decided to make certain changes before starting operations at Park Works. Among other things, he had made up his mind to model the commercial work on lines which had proved successful in his old company, relying for the execution of his plans on young men of sound technical ability who had received their engineering training in the Salford Works. One of these young men was Herbert Taylor who worked under the direction of Fred Dowson until he was appointed Commercial Manager of the Electrical Department in 1911. He was given full charge of the department in 1914 and was made a special Director in 1918 acting in this capacity until he was given a seat on the board in 1927.While John Taylor found time to take a great interest in the general engineering side of the business he remained a leader in the realm of sprinkler protection and retained a paternal interest in the progress of his own Fire Engineering Department. The fact that he was able to devote so much of his time and energy to the work of other branches of the Company’s business was due to the fact that when he bough

Fred Dowson Director of Mather & Platt Ltd. Fred Dowson, on the wedding of his daughter Fred Dowson Super-salesman

Section of cartoon of Fred Dowson by Harold Bottomley

1896 - The Company suffered its first great loss, this was the death of Ralph Dowson.

For some years the story of Dowson Taylor & Co, was one of uninterrupted success but in 1896, the Company suffered its first great loss. This was the death of Ralph Dowson, (see his obituary linked above) who fell ill and died in Bombay, whither he had gone while on a ‘tour to further his company’s business interests in India'. Ralph Dowson's younger brother, Fred, was later to become associated with Mather & Platt Ltd. and earned an illustrious reputation within that firm.

From this point until the Company went into voluntary liquidation in order to join Mather & Platt Ltd., the destinies of Dowson, Taylor & Co. Ltd., were in the hands of John Taylor and John Wormald as joint Managing Directors. This was a great combination and each man made an outstanding success of work in his own sphere: John Taylor, the engineer, carried the responsibility for the works production policy and all technical and commercial administration. John Wormald, from his headquarters in London, devoted his tremendous energy to formulating and. carrying out an aggressive sales policy at home and overseas. Much of the success of Dowson, Taylor and Co. Ltd., was due to the ability of each in his own sphere and to the fact that each concentrated on his own work. There was no overlapping and in all phases of their business dealings each manifested supreme confidence in the other. Later they carried this same principle into good effect in administering the business of Mather & Platt Ltd., of which company they were destined to become managing directors.

The Fire Engineering business to Park Works the administration was in the hands of men on whom he could rely. One such man was Fred Dowson, a younger brother of Ralph Dowson , John Taylor’s original partner, who died while on a business trip to India. Fred Dowson was a born organizer. He joined Dowson, Taylor & Co. in 1893 and after service as an outside representative and a branch Manager, he was transferred to Manchester to take charge of the Commercial administration of the Home Section of the Fire Engineering Department. Under the guidance of John Taylor he assumed similar responsibility for the several commercial departments of M & P Ltd. in their early years at Park Works, as and when the various sections were brought to the new home. He had a flair for assessing values in commercial enterprise and for separating the essential points from a mass of detail. For the first twenty-five years at Park Works he exercised a great influence on the business life of the company and many men who became senior officials in the concern received their early training at his hands.In recognition of his outstanding ability Fr. Dowson was elected to the Board of Directors in 1924 and retained his seat until his death in 1930.On the death of Fred Dowson, Noël Taylor took charge of the Fire Engineering department

Another stalwart of the Dowson Taylor & Co. regime who was destined to play an important part in the history of the first fifty years of the Company was Edward Roberts who for many years carried out the duties of Technical Director in the Fire Engineering Department.

- Edward Roberts

From the archives .

Another stalwart of the Dowson, Taylor & Co. regime who was destined to play an important part in the history of the first fifty years of the company was Edward Roberts who, for many years, carried out the duties of Technical Director in the Fire Engineering Department.

Edward Roberts was the son of John Roberts an Engineer of’ Church Bank, Bolton. His father originally had a millwright’s business but later devoted his attention to the manufacture of wringing machines. Edward was educated at Bolton Grammar School and was proud of his association with this old established foundation. But he placed the education of experience above academic qualifications and thus was representative of the old hard-headed Lancashire school who concentrated upon plenty of work and unremitting devotion to duty.

In 1881 be became an Indentured Apprentice of Charles Loxton Jackson of Jackson and Brother, of Bolton and - later - as a draughtsman with John and Edward Wood of Victoria Foundry, Bolton, where he gained experience which was to prove of immense value in his subsequent career.

After he had completed his apprenticeship, he joined John Taylor in the newly established Fire Engineering business of Dowson & Taylor. He was with Dowson & Taylor when they produced the Simplex Automatic sprinkler and when arrangements were made for them to take over the development of the “Grinnell” Sprinkler in Britain. To Edward Roberts was assigned the task of organising the Drawing Office work in connection with early Sprinkler Installations.

He soon realised that systematic measuring up was essential to the effective erection of a Sprinkler Installation, no less than to its ultimate performance in case of fire, and he proceeded to establish the work of surveying on a sound basis. As the Sprinkler work developed he played an important part in everything appertaining to the erection of the plant. Thus it came about that Edward Roberts probably knew more about the technical side of sprinkler work than any other man associated with the automatic sprinkler business. He had a remarkable memory for the intricacies of some thousands of “Grinnell” installations and could recall a tremendous amount of technical detail about particular features of many important sprinklered buildings, both in Great Britain and in Europe.

When Mather & Platt Ltd. secured their first sprinkler business in new territory. Edward Roberts made it his personal responsibility to see the installation through, often making the first survey himself supervising every detail and later visiting the country concerned to make a final inspection; remaining on the site to see that every detail of the installation conformed to the Grinnell standard. This duty took him to many parts of the world and in the course of his life he established an international reputation as one of the foremost technical authorities on Automatic Sprinklers.

By virtue of his early engineering training and active technical association with the “Simplex” and early “Grinnell” Installations, Edward Roberts might be described as a pioneer if not actually the first man who could rightly be termed a Fire Protection Engineer. He was a Director of Mather & Platt Ltd. from 1916 until his death in December 1944.

Arthur Roberts

His son, Arthur Roberts, joined the Board of Directors of the company in 1929 and carried on the family tradition. Like his father, Arthur Roberts was a pupil of Bolton Grammar School and, after receiving his early engineering training at home and becoming an Engineering Honours graduate of Manchester University, he spent a considerable time studying in Europe and serving a year’s apprenticeship with Escher Wyss & Co. in Switzerland before the first World War in which he served in the Royal Engineers.

On his return to civilian life, Arthur Roberts went back to Park Works as assistant to Edwin Buckley - an engineer of the Dowson Taylor regime who enjoyed a great reputation as Works Manager at Park Works. When Edwin Buckley died in 1923, Arthur Roberts was appointed to succeed him as Works Manager. He remained responsible for the Works Management and became a member of the Board in 1929. By the 1950s he had also become a President of the Manchester and District Engineering Employers Federation.

Mid 20th century Mather & Platt article The Taylors of "D"

Thus, it is John Taylor who must be regarded as the father of the Fire Engineering Department at Mather & Platt and it is to the Taylor family - the father, his son and his grandson - that the 20th Century expansion, with attendant successes for the Fire Department, must be attributed. The Taylors, as may be seen by Mather & Platt Ltd.'s own article, "The Taylors of "D", were always at the helm of this important and most enduring facet of the company's business.

"Among the odd corners of the history of Mather & Platt Ltd., is the use of the letter "D", a symbol applicable only to the Directorate of Fire Engineering Division "D" stands for

Dowson, Taylor & Co. Ltd., and has been handed down since the fire engineering firm of that name merged with Mather & Platt Ltd. in 1899 to form the nucleus of the Fire Engineering Division. John Taylor, a Managing Director of Dowson, Taylor & Co., became a Joint Managing Director of Mather & Platt Ltd., and he has been followed in the business by his son and grandson who are today the Taylors of "D".

One side of the story begins in 1883, when William Mather, head of Mather & Platt, returned from a visit to America with the marketing rights on Frederick Grinnell's newly devised automatic sprinkler system for extinguishing fires. Instead of incorporating the Grinnell into his own firm's activities, he came to an understanding with two young, energetic and ambitious "fire engineers" of Bolton, Ralph Dowson and John Taylor, who were keen to handle the new sprinkler. "Grinnell" was to remain in their hands for seventeen years before John Taylor brought it back to Mather & Platt.

John Taylor, a Lancashire man, born in 1860, spent his early years in the Rossendale Valley, but moved with his family to Bolton when he was about ten years old. Leaving Holy Trinity School at 13, he joined the railway and continued his education at night school in the Mechanics' Institute. Though he rose quickly to be an Assistant Inspector, he was soon in search of better prospects and left to join the Chemical Fire Engine Co., which was making a patent fire engine on wheels. Here he gained practical workshop experience and by his forceful ability, became manager of both the manufacturing and the selling side of the business. But it was a sinking ship: the patent fire engine was unpopular.

At this stage, when he was 22, John Taylor married a girl he had known since childhood and, as he put it, "entered my greatest and most profitable partnership". But - though he was married on Christmas Day to avoid interruption to his job and was back at work next day - the end of the company was close.

Despite his new responsibilities John Taylor made a bold decision. He persuaded Ralph Dowson, temporarily in charge of the company and only a couple of years older than himself, to wind up the business so that the two of them could make a new start and a more profitable line.

A few weeks later, the partnership of Dowson and Taylor, using the same premises and the title of "Fire Engineers" launched their new product, the "Simplex" fire extinguisher (the first 2 gallon Soda Acid Fire Extinguisher ever made and still one of the best-known portable extinguishers in the world to-day). Though it was an immediate success and business flourished, the two young men were soon making an even more ambitious move. They decided to go into the sprinkler business, a system of fire protection then in its infancy.

Two years before, in Bolton, the partners had been impressed by the first demonstration in this country of the American Parmelee automatic sprinkler system and they now brought out sprinklers of their own. It was a big venture for so small a firm but it succeeded. Ralph Dowson, "an exceptional salesman", toured the country introducing the Simplex sprinkler system into industry while John Taylor covered the manufacturing side and, with his hard-headed business sense, put the firm on a solid basis. He did more. He invented and produced the Taylor Variable Pressure Alarm Valve, which put the Simplex sprinkler system ahead of any other.

About this time, William Mather returned from America with the rights to sell the Grinnell sprinkler, and the partners recognised it as a big advance on the Simplex. In order to pool their resources, the Dowson & Taylor partnership was dissolved and a new enterprise started, a limited company - Dowson, Taylor and Co. Ltd. - with William Mather as Chairman and Ralph Dowson and John Taylor as joint Managing Directors.

John Taylor's alarm was incorporated in the Grinnell system, producing what was soon recognised as the finest fully automatic sprinkler and fire alarm system yet known. Under the energetic direction of the chairman and managing directors, business spread into many parts of the world. It was on one of these world tours that Ralph Dowson died in India in 1896. Two years later, in 1898, the decision was made to amalgamate Dowson, Taylor & Co. Ltd. with William Mather's firm and to launch Mather & Platt Ltd. as a public limited company.

So, the rising young firm joined the established family business, bringing an experienced team to form the Fire Engineering Division, and in this larger organisation, John Taylor of "D" was to find further scope for his tremendous energy. But though he took on even greater responsibilities, and was for many years Joint Managing Director and later Vice-Chairman, "he retained a paternal interest in the progress of his own Fire Engineering Department".

Paternal, in more senses than one. In 1902 - two years after John Taylor had organised the move of his F. E. Division from Salford Iron Works to the new Park Works - a son was born and christened John Noël. Twenty-three years later, having obtained his engineering degree at Cambridge with on vacation courses at Park Works, Noël Taylor took up full duties with Mather & Platt.

Within a few months he set out on a world tour, in which - during 1926/27 - he visited most of our overseas offices north of the equator and stayed for three months in the U.S.A. and Canada. On his return in 1927, when he was put in charge of home Fire Engineering Sales and appointed to the Board of Directors, it was said of him that he was "from a good stable, trained by a good trainer." Within twelve months he was married, and was spending his honeymoon in France, Switzerland and Italy. Back at Park Works he added to his more general fire engineering duties by introducing and sponsoring the development of the Thermolier Unit Heater, introducing automatic sprinklers into passenger ships, and building up the Mulsifyre, now Special Risks Department.

The first John Taylor remained throughout his life a devout man, strongly attached to his family. In 1933, when he and Mrs. Taylor celebrated their Golden Wedding, they had the family around them; the occasion of course - due to John Taylor's early hard-working life - fell on Christmas Day. Another nine years were to pass before, in 1942, John Taylor retired from the Board. By then, Noël Taylor was firmly in charge of Fire Engineering."

From the Mather & Platt Archives.

Ralph Dowson

Managing director of Dowson, Taylor & C° Limited 1851-1896

Ralph Dowson was the Managing director of Dowson, Taylor & C° Limited, - the corporate successor to the original partnership of Dowson and Taylor - which gave Mather & Platt Ltd. its leading edge in Fire Technology.

Ralph Dowson was John Taylor's partner and was the pioneering promoter of their business interests. Where John Taylor preferred to remain at the technological helm and oversee the day-to-day management of their business, it was Ralph Dowson who travelled to represent the firm and to gather new clients and contracts on a global scale.

In 1896, having married only some eighteen months before, it was one such trip - to India - that ended in his illness and subsequent death. The following is his obituary from the "Sprinkler Bulletin" of June 30th 1896.

"The sad news of the death of our friend and colleague, Mr. Ralph Dowson, came with a shock of surprise to many in this country. It was only in October last that he had started on a business journey to India which was to extend over five months; and just at the time when his return home was expected, news came that he had been stricken down with serious illness at Ahmedabad, then that he had managed to get as far as Bombay, whence better reports came home, only to be followed a few weeks after that a relapse had occurred and that pneumonia had supervened and that he had died on the morning of Good Friday, April 3rd from failure of the heart's action.

The sadness of this event was enhanced by the fact that he had completed the business which had taken him to India and had actually booked his passage home at the time when he was stricken down; and also that he was accompanied on this journey by the young wife whom he had married only eighteen months ago. To her in her bereavement under such sad and distressing circumstances, the sympathy of all those who were his friends will go out in large measure.

Those who knew Ralph Dowson best will mourn him most and those who were best able to estimate the sterling worth of his character will realise most fully how great his loss is and how much poorer they are by his death. He was a man of indomitable energy and untiring perseverance who never shirked any labour or evaded any self-sacrifice when duty called him to undertake a task and it was in keeping with his whole career that he should "die in harness".

He was, moreover, a man of sterling humour, true to himself and true to all who trusted him and his simple character and kindly manners endeared him to his colleagues and to his subordinates.

Mr Dowson was born at Leeds in 1851. In conjunction with Mr. John Taylor he, in 1883, established in Bolton, Lancashire, the firm of Dowson and Taylor, manufacturers of all sorts of fire appliances. This business, together with the Grinnell Sprinkler department of Mather and Platt, of the Salford Iron Works, Manchester, was in 1888 merged in to a private limited company under the title of Dowson, Taylor & Co. Ltd. Of this company, Mr. Dowson was from the beginning one of the managing directors and to his zeal, energy and enthusiasm no small amount of its success is due. His loss will be long and deeply felt."

The untimely death of the man who had lent his name to the original Dowson-Taylor partnership, while still a young man and apparently at the heyday of his career, was a heavy blow to his colleagues in the firm. Based on the considered opinion of John Taylor who, near the end of his business career, when he himself enjoyed an outstanding reputation among his business associates and had travelled in all parts of the civilised world in search of business and had met Kings, Princes, Government Officials and all men of Big Business in every country, described his original partner as “One of the finest business men I have ever met: a man of wonderful vision, a typical English gentleman and a man with whom it was a delight to work”. To the end of his life, whenever John Taylor spoke of Ralph Dowson he did so with deep emotion.

Ralph Dowson's younger brother, Fred, was later to become associated with Mather & Platt Ltd. and earned an illustrious reputation within that firm.

John T. Taylor O.B.E

Vice-Chairman at Mather & Platt Ltd.

1861-1945

D

Mid-20th Century Mather & Platt Article

The Taylors of "D"

John T. Taylor was destined to become, for nearly 35 years, Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Mather & Platt Limited and the organising genius and driving force at Park Works. His story, however, begins as the story of another firm - the story of Dowson, Taylor & C° Limited which should be considered first; but, as evidence of his devotion to the interests of his business, the record of his wedding still exists. He was married on Christmas Day. Next morning he was back at work at the normal time. “I could not spare time for a honeymoon,” said John, “so long as there was work waiting to be done.”

Some examples of the work carried out by John Taylor - when as a boy in the office of the Railway Company he attended night school in order to fit himself for a position as a shorthand writer - are still in existence. Work in his shorthand notebook was written with meticulous care and approached perfection in execution. The result is more like a page from a printing press than the handiwork of a student at an evening school. He displayed the same meticulous attention to detail throughout his life. He had a passion for learning and from every situation and from every new encounter he sought to draw a lesson. He had a great belief in concentration of effort avoiding, where possible, all diversions.

John Taylor, the engineer, would accept nothing but the best, he was a ruthless critic and his yardstick was engineering perfection. Men came to know that every job which survived his criticism was right and that, furthermore, it would have his complete support and the driving power of his constructive mind.

Contemporary engineers recognised in John Taylor a man who brought a profound knowledge of engineering subjects to bear on the many problems connected with fire extinction and the wider activities of Mather & Platt Ltd after he joined that Company. His discerning eye was of the utmost value in the pioneer days of electrical machinery and centrifugal pumps. He took special pride in the development of the electrical side of the business and the value of his services to the electrical industry may be gauged from the fact that he served, for many years on the Council of the British Electrical and Allied Manufacturers’ Association, and was one of its Vice-Presidents up to his death. This was one of the very few “outside” activities of John Taylor, who had neither time nor inclination to take part in public life. He felt that his work for Mather & Platt Ltd was a full-time job and. demanded his undivided attention. He made an exception during the world war of 1914-18, which provided an opportunity for those in authority to set the seal on John Taylor’s position as an acknowledged master in his sphere.

Thus, not just Fire Engineering came under his sway for John Taylor - with the assistance of his able lieutenant, Fred Dowson - accepted responsibility for moulding the business in his own way. He had made himself familiar with the essential facts concerning the Electrical Department while still at Salford and decided to make certain changes before starting operations at Park Works. Among other things, he had made up his mind to model the Commercial work on lines which had proved successful in his old company, relying for the execution of his plans on young men of sound technical ability who had received their engineering training in The Salford Works.

In the dangerous days that lay ahead, John Taylor was appointed Chairman of the Lancashire Anti-submarine Committee, a body appointed by the British Government of the day to investigate the possibilities of all measures which the ingenuity of engineers and scientists could devise to counter the menace of the German submarine. Although the work of the Committee was hidden behind the veil of war-time secrecy one may be sure that with John Taylor as Chairman, Mr. A. P. N. (later Sir Arthur) Fleming as Vice-Chairman and Lord Rutherford as Chief Technical Adviser, the local engineers and scientists who served in this body from 1917 to 1919 would not lack encouragement.

John Taylor was also a member of the Board of Management of the Manchester and District Armaments Output Committee, an organisation to which the Ministry of Munitions delegated the work of coordinating the efforts of local engineering firms engaged on the production of munitions. When the Ministry of Reconstruction set up a number of Committees to investigate problems connected with industry, John Taylor was appointed a member of the Engineering Trades (later "Industries") Committee and Chairman of the Electrical Branch Committee of that body. In recognition of his work on those bodies Mr. Taylor was made a Companion of the Order of the British Empire.

Inset: The 1920 (January 4th) Half-Yearly Selling Staff Conference and Dinner. Front leaf of Table Card and Menu. Salford Hotel. John Taylor as Chairman with Vice-Chairman, Fred Dowson.

From the Mather & Platt archives ...

"John Taylor, one of the managing directors of the new company, was the strong man of his generation. He has been called the original architect of the Park Works project. He supervised the layout and building of the new shops and later controlled the manufacture and sale of an ever-growing range of products.

As the leading figure in the development of Park Works John Taylor laboured indefatigably for many years in the task of consolidation and expansion. It has been said that he knew the position of every drain and water pipe in the vast premises, which grew up, during his regime to meet the demand for the products of Mather & Platt Ltd.

It was indeed the fusion of Mather & Platt with Dowson, Taylor & Co. Ltd which afforded John Taylor that wide scope for his great organising ability which would not have been open to him in the restricted field of the sprinkler business. In the larger organisation he was able to employ all his talents, first in the development of the electrical business this being the first of the Mather & Platt specialities to be transferred from Salford to Park Works. Then in establishing the centrifugal pump department on a firm footing when that section of the business was transferred to Park Works and later in making provision for the manufacture of a wide range of Textile Finishing machinery in the new home.

Each individual department was henceforward to stand on its own feet; its design, production and sales policy being the direct responsibility of a director in charge with John Taylor himself exercising a controlling influence over all sections. One obvious advantage of this plan was that each director could concentrate on the specific needs of the users of the plant he offered. He thus became a specialist in his own field and while a general engineering background enabled him to understand all phases of the company’s business, he could be relied upon to give expert advice to any prospective client who was disposed to make use of the specialised knowledge acquired in one particular branch of engineering."

John Noël Taylor

Vice-Chairman at Mather & Platt Ltd.

1902-1972

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Mid 20th Century Mather & Platt Article

The Taylors of "D"

" ... a big man, usually austere in countenance, sitting behind a large desk in a large office ...", begins a description of John Noël Taylor with foreboding; but he was fondly remembered.

That same description continues with these words on his retirement: "Mr. J. Noêl Taylor, Vice-Chairman, could be an awe-inspiring figure, even frightening. But overcome your hesitation and you found him warm and friendly, with a fund of experience he was more than willing to share, and to your questions he would give a straight and immediate answer often lightened by his own brand of quiet humour."

In his annual statement to the shareholders of the Company, Sir William Mather, then Chairman, paid this tribute to Noöl Taylor.

"At our Annual General Meeting in April, Mr. J. Noël Taylor, our Vice-Chairman is retiring after over 41 years service as a Director of the Company. During practically the whole of this time he has been responsible for the Fire Engineering side of the business which has grown remarkably under his leadership and resulted in Mather & Platt being not only the leading company in Britain as ar as automatic sprinkler and fire alarm systems are concerned but also in practically every other developed country outside North America. He has been a pillar of strength to me personally and will long be remembered with admiration and respect by all who have worked with him."

In the early 1960s, Mr. J. Noël Taylor's contemporaries began to receive their long service awards. Typically, he made no mention of his own and had to be asked from what date his forty years service counted.

Though Noël Taylor decided on the latest of his "starting" dates - his election to the Board in 1927 - he reminded the powers that be with a smile that his connection with the company The Queen meets the Director; Mr. J.Noël Taylor at Park Workshad The Queen meets the Director; Mr. J.Noël Taylor at Park Worksactually started some twenty-five years before that; less than a fortnight after his birth, in fact - which was on 21st December 1902. On 3rd January 1903, his father, John Taylor, then Managing Director, arranged a social evening at Belle Vue for Park Works employees, and was pleasantly surprised when he received from them, on behalf of his son, a silver christening set - a tankard, spoon and fork. By the same token, Noël Taylor considered that his adoption by the company was confirmed later in that same year when his father invited Fire Engineering Division to hold their picnic at his home in Grasmere in the Lake District in order to meet his young son.

In due course, Noël Taylor went to Cambridge, spending vacation courses at Park Works and staying at the old Hostel where he made many friends. With an engineering degree behind him, he took up full-time duties in the Fire Engineering Division. One of his early experiences was a world tour to study the many aspects of Mather & Platt business overseas. On his return in 1927, he was appointed to the Board of Directors and later took charge of the Fire Engineering Division.

Within his responsibilities for the Division, which he built to a dominant position in the world of fire engineering, he undertook various specialised tasks. He developed, almost from scratch, the Mulsifyre, later, Special Risks Department which protected from fire some of the most vulnerable and potentially dangerous industrial risks of the day. He also developed and introduced to world markets the later well-known Thermolier Unit Heater. Equally important was the step he took towards the development of fire protection by taking on the responsibility for superseding the diaphragm type sprinkler with the solid seating type.

He was largely instrumental in forming Mather & Platt subsidiary companies in South Africa, Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. But he regarded with most pride his roll in the introduction of sprinklers into passenger ships from the Princess Maud to the Cunard liner, Queen Elizabeth II (QE2).

With this illustrious record of achievement behind him, Noël Taylor began to hand over active command of Fire Engineering Division. Like his father before him, he was appointed Vice-Chairman, and continued to serve until he announced his retirement at the Annual General Meeting. He was then able to step back into retirement - a retirement that his Mather & Platt friends and colleagues throughout the world wished would be a long and happy one for him.

John F. Taylor

Director and executive officer at Mather & Platt Ltd.

1932-2019

D

Mid 20th Century Mather & Platt Article

The Taylors of "D"

John F. TAYLOR, third generation of the Taylor to serve Mather & Platt was born at Southport in 1932. He took interest in engineering

and has his own home workshop whilst he was still at Clifton College, Bristol. He left school at eighteen, and came to Park Works for

two years as special apprentice, working through the different departments in the workshops, and continuing his education on day release at Salford Royal Technical College. He went to Cambridge in 1953, where he took his engineering degree, rowed stroke in his college first boat, an won his oar in the "bumping" races. His two long vacations were spent abroad, one in the Mather & Platt works at Quimper,and the second on a visit to America. He worked his passage there in a cargo ship, visited the Grinnell C°., and return as a member of the staff in the engine-room of the Queen Elizabeth. Coming down from university in 1956, Mr. Taylor spent eighteen months as an Fire Engineering trainee, covering every aspect of the Fire Engineering Division, including office work, out erection, and some time on the selling side at London and Glasgow. In July 1958, he became assistant to Mr G. Ditchfied, directing his interest towards the sale and development of all Fire Engineering products. He was appointed a Special Director on 22th January this year, at the age of thirty. Mr. John Frederick Taylor, former director of Mather & Platt Limited, is died at Hale Cheshire, 20/01/2019, born in Birkdale Southport on 27/04/1932, he was the son of Mr John Noël Taylor, former vice-Chairman at Mather & Platt Ltd. John F. Taylor has been the last of three "D" bearers, from he birth Mather & Platt Limited, January 25, 1899 to the transmission of its economic continuation, throughout the world.



The sprinkler Simplex

Ralph Dowson

Managing director of Dowson, Taylor & C° Limited

1851-1896

Ralph Dowson was the Managing director of Dowson, Taylor & C° Limited, - the corporate successor to the original partnership of Dowson and Taylor - which gave Mather & Platt Ltd. its leading edge in Fire Technology.

John F. Taylor (1932-2019)

Mather & Platt Ltd. Archival Views

Royal visit, H. M. Queen Elizabeth II