William Beardmore and Company
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| Limited company | |
| Industry | Steelmaking, heavy engineering, shipbuilding, locomotive building, ordnance manufacture, automotive, aviation |
| Fate | dissolved |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Defunct | 1983 (Closure of Parkhead Forge) |
| Headquarters |
Parkhead, Glasgow Dalmuir, Clydebank |
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Key people
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William Beardmore |
| Products | Castings, Forgings, Oil Tankers, Naval ships, Steam locomotives, Fixed-wing aircraft, Airships, Automobiles, Motorcycles |
| Beardmore Mk7 Paramount Taxicab | |
|---|---|
Beardmore Mk7 Paramount taxi, 4-door model
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Beardmore Motors |
| Model years | 1954–66 |
| Assembly | Windovers Ltd. Hendon, North London; Weymann, Addlestone, Surrey; MCW, Washwood Heath, Birmingham, later Adderley Park, Birmingham |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | London taxi, fixed head |
| Layout | Limousine |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Ford Consul (1508 cc or 1703 cc) or Zephyr 4 (1703 cc) 4-cylinder OHV petrol or Perkins 4-cylinder OHV diesel (99 cu in or 108 cu in) |
| Transmission | Ford 3-speed or 4-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 8ft 8in |
| Length | 13ft 10 1/2in |
| Width | 5ft 6in |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Beardmore Mk6 taxi |
| Beardmore 12/30 Tourer, 1925 | |
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Beardmore 12/30 Tourer, 1925
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Beardmore Motors |
| Model years | 1924–25 |
| Assembly | Anniesland, Glasgow |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Beardmore sohc 4-cylinder petrol, 1589cc, 12HP |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Beardmore 11hp |
William Beardmore and Company was a Scottish engineering and shipbuilding conglomerate based in Glasgow and the surrounding Clydeside area. It was active from 1886 to the mid-1930s and at its peak employed about 40,000 people. It was founded and owned by William Beardmore, later Lord Invernairn, after whom the Beardmore Glacier was named.
The Parkhead Forge, in the east end of Glasgow, would become the core of the company. It was established by Reoch Brothers & Co in 1837 and was later acquired by Robert Napier in 1841 to make forgings and iron plates for his new shipyard in Govan. Napier was given the contract to build HMS Black Prince, sister ship to the Royal Navy's first true ironclad warship, HMS Warrior. Parkead was contracted to make the armour for her, but failed, so the manager, William Rigby called in William Beardmore Snr, who at the time was superintendent of the General Steam Navigation Company in Deptford, to help. Beardmore became a partner in the business and, moving to Glasgow was joined by his brother Isaac and son, William Jr. On the premature death of William Snr, Isaac retired and William Jnr became sole partner. He founded William Beardmore & Co in 1886. By 1896 the works covered an area of 25 acres (10 ha) and was the largest steelworks in Scotland, specialising in the manufacture of steel forgings for the shipbuilding industry of the River Clyde. By this time they had begun the manufacture of steel armour plate and later diversified into the manufacture of heavy naval guns, such as the BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX–X and BL 15 inch Mk I naval gun.
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