Wilkinson Sword
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| Product type | Personal care |
|---|---|
| Owner | Edgewell Personal Care |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1772 |
| Related brands | Schick |
| Markets | 12 countries |
| Previous owners |
Pfizer Energizer Holdings |
| Tagline | "Free your skin" |
| Website | www |
Wilkinson Sword is a brand owned by Edgewell Personal Care for razors and other personal care products sold in Europe. It was founded as a company in London in 1772 by Henry Nock as a manufacturer of swords, made in Shotley Bridge in County Durham.
Besides swords, the company has also produced guns, bayonets and products such as typewriters, garden shears, scissors and motorcycles. Gardening equipment is still made under the Wilkinson Sword name by E.P. Barrus under a licensing arrangement. Wilkinson Sword has manufactured its products in three UK locations over the years: in London, (Chelsea and Acton), Cramlington in Northumberland and Bridgend in Wales, where it made gardening tools. In 2000, the company closed its razor plant in the UK and consolidated production in Germany.
Wilkinson Sword produced some of the earliest motorcycles in 1903. These were two-cylinder machines with Belgian engines made by Antoine, which were marketed by a garage in Chelsea, London – one of the first motorcycle dealerships in the UK. The venture was not a success however. In 1911 Wilkinson developed and manufactured the Wilkinson TMC, a luxury touring motorcycle between 1911 and 1916, when production was stopped by World War I. The first 'Wilkinsons' were designed for military reconnaissance by P G Tacchi, who was granted a patent for the design in 1908. Demonstrated to the British military in the summer of 1908, the Wilkinson motorcycle failed to impress the authorities, despite optional accessories including a sidecar complete with Maxim machine gun – and a steering wheel instead of handlebars. Undaunted, the company continued development and exhibited a new version a year later at the Stanley Clyde Motorcycle Show at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, London in 1909. Only about 250 Wilkinsons were produced before World War I restrictions brought the line to its end in spring 1916, and Wilkinson had to produce thousands of bayonets for the war effort. After the war they decided to continue to develop the in-line four engine – but in a new car called the Deemster, and they never resumed motorcycle production.
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Wikipedia