On the following pages you will find images of the buildings as they are now and of the celebrations that took place at the Sweet Green Tavern on the 17th August 2002.
I hope to be able to build up a comprehensive pictorial history of Hicks so if any one has any pictures or memories of the building or the people who worked there please contact me at the following address :
[email protected] and I will do my best to incorporate them into the site.
Benjamin Hick founded the company in 1832 making a wide range of products incuding steam engines and locomotives. William Hargreaves joined the firm in 1845 and thus the name Hick Hargreaves & Co Ltd came into being. In 1868 Benjamin Hicks son John was elected M.P. for Bolton and Hargreaves became the sole proprietor. From 1888 Hicks began to supply steam engines and electricity generation equipment to various power stations. William Hargreaves died in 1889 but by the time the firm had become a limited company in 1892 an excellent reputation had been established worldwide.
From 1916 more specialised generation equipment was introduced including vacuum systems with applications in various process industries.
During the war years of 1939 - 1945 Hicks produced a wide range of war related equipment and once the war was over the firm once aagian became a major supplier to the CEGB. Further expansion took place to include markets such as food processing, oil refining, petrochemicals and offshore oil production.
The building to the left is dated 1857 - 1885
