Hickson & Welch
Former site seen in 2007
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| Private Limited with share capital (00499821) | |
| Industry | Chemicals |
| Fate | Closed in July 2005 |
| Successor | Hickson International plc |
| Founded | 7 November 1931 |
| Founder | Bernard Hickson, Colbeck Welch |
| Headquarters | Wheldon Road, Castleford, WF10 2JT 53°44′N 1°20′W / 53.73°N 1.34°WCoordinates: 53°44′N 1°20′W / 53.73°N 1.34°W |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Products | DDT, timber preservatives |
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Number of employees
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c.1,300 |
| Website | Hickson & Welch (obsolete) |
Hickson & Welch was a British chemicals company based in Castleford.
Ernest Hickson had founded a company in 1893 to introduce sulphur black (a sulphur dye) to the British cotton industry. In 1915 Hickson & Partners Ltd was founded.
In 1931 Hickson & Welch Ltd was founded, from the site that had been destroyed in 1930.
From 1944 the company made DDT, becoming the UK's largest manufacturer.
Hickson and Welch (Holdings) Ltd was incorporated on 28 September 1951. It made dyestuffs, DDT (pesticide), and timber preservatives. It had the subsidiaries Hickson & Welch Ltd, and Hickson's Timber Impregnation Co. (G.B.) Ltd. The timber subsidiary had been founded on 25 October 1946. The timber preservative contained dinitrophenol, and was marketed as Triolith, Tanalith and Pyrolith. Pyrolith contained a flame-proofing agent.
It became a public company on 30 November 1951. The company became known as Hickson International from 1985.
In August 1991 it sold William Blythe of Lancashire for £23 million to Holliday of Huddersfield.
It bought Angus Fine Chemicals for £22.3 million in July 1992.
In August 2000 Hickson International plc was bought by Arch Chemicals. At the time Hickson employed over 1,300 people, had assets of £73 million, and a revenue of £208 million.
It became known as C6 Solutions and closed in July 2005. The power station still remains. To the east was Wheldale Colliery, and opposite the site is The Jungle rugby league ground; Castleford is synonymous with rugby league.
In November 1926 an explosion occurred while workers were packing an intermediate dye, thought to be non-explosive. Two men died.
On 4 July 1930, just before noon, there was an explosion on the site's nitration plant. It destroyed the factory, killing 13 people and injuring 32 people. It made 300 houses in the town uninhabitable. Ernest Hickson later died (natural causes, 30 July 1930) and his earlier company was liquidated. Inspector J.A.Gee of the Castleford West Riding Police, was subsequently appointed an OBE by HM George V, for his work following the explosion.
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Wikipedia