Municipal Ironwork : 1834 - 1957 : John Needham & Sons Ltd. : Stockport : 1957 : manhole covers and frames
The chances were that, as a child in 1960s Lancashire, looking down on the pavement or road you would soon see the name of Needham, Stockport, under your feet as they were a major manufacturer of "municipal ironwork". This 1957 catalogue lists the extensive variety of manhole covers, inspection covers, drains, gullies and similar ironwork that allowed for drainage and access. Various grades and designs of manhole covers and gully gratings were available depending on the site and context; so, for example, heavy duty were available for trunk or arterial roads or places where accelerated water flows, such as hills, were encountered.
Needham's also manufactured sewage ventilation pipes and, rather unknown to me, a range of standard pattern MOT road signs conforming to the 'new' Regulations and General Directions of 1957. As the title notes the company was founded in 1834 and for many years was based at the Portwood Foundry along with a branch works at Millgate Foundry. The company closed in 1979.
Municipal Ironwork : 1834 - 1957 : John Needham & Sons Ltd. : Stockport : 1957 : manhole covers and frames
The chances were that, as a child in 1960s Lancashire, looking down on the pavement or road you would soon see the name of Needham, Stockport, under your feet as they were a major manufacturer of "municipal ironwork". This 1957 catalogue lists the extensive variety of manhole covers, inspection covers, drains, gullies and similar ironwork that allowed for drainage and access. Various grades and designs of manhole covers and gully gratings were available depending on the site and context; so, for example, heavy duty were available for trunk or arterial roads or places where accelerated water flows, such as hills, were encountered.
Needham's also manufactured sewage ventilation pipes and, rather unknown to me, a range of standard pattern MOT road signs conforming to the 'new' Regulations and General Directions of 1957. As the title notes the company was founded in 1834 and for many years was based at the Portwood Foundry along with a branch works at Millgate Foundry. The company closed in 1979.