Strachan & Henshaw
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Engineering |
| Founded | 1879 |
| Defunct | 2008 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Babcock International Group |
| Headquarters | Bristol, England |
Strachan & Henshaw was a defence and nuclear engineering company based in Ashton Gate in Bristol, England.
History
The company was founded by Robert Price Strachan and George Henshaw in 1879 as a partnership specialising in the manufacture of paper-bag making machinery, operating from Lewin's Mead in Bristol. In 1920 the business was bought by E. S. & A. Robinson.[3]
In the 1950s, as part of a consortium involving Clarke Chapman, Head Wrightson, C. A. Parsons & Co., A. Reyrolle & Co. and Whessoe and known as the Nuclear Power Plant Company ('NPPC'), it was awarded a contract for reactor mechanical plant at Oldbury nuclear power station.[4] It was subsequently awarded similar contracts at Heysham 2, Hinkley Point B, Hunterston B and Torness nuclear power stations.[4]
In 1966 the company's owners, E.S. & A. Robinson Ltd, merged with John Dickinson Ltd to form Dickinson Robinson Group.[5]
In 1972 the company became the prime contractor for launch systems for the Trafalgar-class submarine fleet.[6] Then in 1989 Roland Franklin of Pembridge Associates acquired Dickinson Robinson Group[5] and went on to sell Strachan & Henshaw to Weir Group in July 1990.[7]
In April 1998, it bought Bridgetest Holdings Ltd, a Manchester-based engineering company whose subsidiaries included Cunnington & Cooper Ltd, Nuclear and General Engineering Ltd and Wingrove & Rogers, all well-established businesses in the UK nuclear industry.[8] Then in May 2000 the company sold its materials handling equipment division to Sweden's Svedala.[9]
The business was acquired by Babcock International Group for £65 million in April 2008; it was subsequently fully integrated into Babcock and the Strachan & Henshaw name is no longer used.[7]
References
- ^ "Bristol fire: Firefighters spend night tackling workshop blaze". BBC News. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ Aviram, Alon (10 July 2020). "Third mysterious fire in two years at Strachan & Henshaw, 'The Office', building". The Bristol Cable. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ "Information wanted about Bristol - Page 3". brisray.com.
- ^ a b "The UK Magnox and AGR Power Station Projects" (PDF).
- ^ a b "School and Office Supplies Manufacturer | Hamelin Group". Hamelin Brands Great Britain.
- ^ Completed acquisition by Babcock International Group of the Strachan & Henshaw division of Weir Group plc Archived 2011-08-30 at the Wayback Machine Office of Fair Trading, 3 September 2008
- ^ a b Weir Group sells Strachan & Henshaw for £65m Herald Scotland, 22 April 2008
- ^ FELI by the wayside? World Cargo News, July 1999
- ^ Svedala buys S&H Handling Archived 2006-11-02 at the Wayback Machine Coaltrans, May 2000