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Accles & Pollock
was founded at Holford Mill UK in 1899, with Walter W. Hackett as one of its
founders. George Accles lent his name to the original business sans Pollock,
and a 1949 corporate history says Accles was not involved.
Thomas Pollock provided financial backing in 1901 at which point the company
was renamed Accles & Pollock.
At first, A&P produced tubing for bedsteads, boilers, and
bicycles, according to corporate history. Handlebars were bent by filling a
straight tube with resin in order to keep the tube in shape during bending,
which didn’t work on hot days. Business grew, and A&P was purchased by Tube
Investments (TI)
who also owned Reynolds.
in 1919. A&P employees increased to nearly 5,000 by 1949, with tubing made
for many applications.
In the
1930s through 1950s there was a healthy competition between top quality
makers to use one or the other brand.
Those who
endorsed A&P tubing included Claud Butler, Hobbs of Barbican and W.F.
"Sandy" Holdsworth.
A&P bicycle tubing names included “A Quality,” “B Quality,” “High Carbon,” “Kromo,”
and “Kromo S.A.Q.”
The Chromium Molybdenum blended steel product for
bicycle frames was finally retired in favor of the better known Manganese
Molybdenum sets made by Reynolds.
The company lives
on as
Caparo Accles & Pollock
Thanks to Peter Brueggeman |
