Frederick Smith & Company the Halifax wire-making company, was founded for the production of cards for the textile industry in 1859 by Frederick Smith.
The company produced fencing wire and later, high-quality telegraph and telephone wire.
Their factory was at the Caledonia Wire Mills, Charlestown Road.
In 1861, he employed 34 men, 11 boys and 15 girls.
From 1862, the company won many international prizes in Europe and America
By 1866, it was producing 1500 tons of wire a year and was dumping the by-products – lime and sulphuric acid – into the Hebble Brook.
The firm won many international prizes for their products.
The company was registered in 1897 and converted into a private company in 1908.
In 19??, the company moved to Salford where the Manchester Ship Canal simplified the logistics of delivering their goods. In 1909, the Salford business was transferred to London Electric Wire Company & Smiths Limited.
In 1949, officers of the company included George Percival Smith [Chairman], and directors
In 19??, brothers George and Frederick split Frederick Smith & Company into two branches:
In 1973, the company went into liquidation.
Ironically, in 1975, Royston's parent company – The Hawkins and Tipson Group – bought the business which was in bank receivership, and set up Smith Wires.
In 1982, the firm was taken over by Arthur Lee & Sons, becoming Lee Smith Wires.
It was then taken over by the Carlco Engineering Group of Sheffield, and production was reduced.
The business closed in April 1999 and the building was demolished in 2001/2002.
This ended Halifax's last link with wire drawing which had lasted over 200 years
This & associated entries use material contributed by John Fisher-Smith, Trevor Greenwood, Alan Longbottom, David Nortcliffe & ROOTSCHAT
Page Ref: MMS2015
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