Rubery Owen is a British engineering company which was founded in 1884 in

Darlaston Darlaston is an industrial town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. It is located near Bilston, Walsall, Wednesbury, Willenhall and Tipton. It was historically part of Staffordshire. Topography Darlaston i ...

, West Midlands.

History

In 1884 the company was started by John Tunner Rubery (1849–1920) and his two brothers (Samuel 1844–1910 and Thomas William 1856–1925), as an ironworks manufacturing gates and fences. In 1893 trained engineer Alfred Ernest Owen joined John Rubery, replacing his two brothers, and in 1903 the company name of ''Rubery Owen'' was established. When John Rubery retired in 1910, the partnership was bought out by Owen and by 1912 the company had expanded into aviation engineering, motor frames and roofing, in addition to fencing manufacture. Bristol 170

The company expanded during the 1920s and 1930s to include the production of metal airframes, metal storage equipment, steel pulleys and armour plate. They also acquired a

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

hydraulic company Conveyancer Fork Trucks Ltd which became Rubery Owen Conveyancer, and which claims to have launched the UK's first

forklift truck A forklift (also called industrial truck, lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th c ...

in 1946. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

they concentrated on supporting the war effort, producing jerrycans, parts for military aircraft, MKll helmets, and Civilian Protective helmets. Bolt heads of early post-war Rubery Owen production were marked simply with "RO", and then "Rubery Owen" was spelled out; these bolts made their way to any number of British factories building motor-vehicles, from automobiles to motorcycles. At the same time the company widened its range to include other engineering components for industry, including ploughs for Ferguson Tractors, metal pressings, fasteners, motor vehicle components and structural steel components for the building industry. In 1950 the company became a member of the new holding company, the "Owen Organisation", under the same ownership. In 1956 they were designing and manufacturing aircraft landing gear. There was a large test rig where the wheel assembly was held, the wheel spun up to the equivalent landing speed and then dropped onto the "ground" to simulate the landing process. Measuring equipment recorded the stresses. In the 1960s and 1970s Rubery Owen supplied many components and parts to the British motor industry but the most recognised is the Rostyle wheel (the word 'Rostyle' being a contraction of RO-Style). These were distinctive steel disc wheels pressed to a shape to give the effect of spokes. Rostyle wheels were common on British cars of the period both as manufacturer fitted options and aftermarket accessories. In 1977

Coventry Climax Coventry Climax was a British manufacturer of forklift trucks, fire pumps, racing engines, and other speciality engines. History Pre WWI The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, a joint venture by Jens Stroyer and Pelham Lee. In 1 ...

acquired the Warrington forklift truck business of ''Rubery Owen Conveyancer''. In 1981 the main Darlaston works closed down. Rubery Owen is now managed by David Owen, and co run by Jim Owen. David Owen recently sold the building for £1 to Walsall Housing Regeneration Agency (WHRA), a local charity who offers numerous projects based in Darlaston and surrounding areas. David and a small team are still based within Rubery Owen.

The Owen Group of Companies 1965

;England *Rubery, Owen & Co—Darlaston—

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

—

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...

—

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

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Prees Prees () is a village and civil parish in north Shropshire, near the border between England and Wales. Its name is Celtic and means "brushwood". Prees civil parish The civil parish includes many other villages and hamlets as well as the namesa ...

— Pensnett—

Willenhall Willenhall is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, Walsall district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, with a population taken at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census of 49,587. It is ...

—Moxley—Bourne *Bentley Hall Brick Co—

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

* Bowser International—London *W Brealey & Co—

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

* The Brooke Tool Mfg Co—

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

::Brooke Tool Automation—Birmingham ::T S Harrison & Sons— Heckmondwike ::Boxford Machine Tools— Halifax ::Fred Whiteley—Halifax ::Steel Fabrications (Halifax)—Halifax *E Camelinat & Co—Birmingham *The Castra Electric Washing Machine Co—Rodley—Leeds *Chains—

Wednesbury Wednesbury ( ) is a market town in the Sandwell district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England; it was historically in Staffordshire. It is located near the source of the River Tame, West Midlands, River Tame and ...

*Charles Clark & Son—Wolverhampton ::Bull Stake Motors (Darlaston)—Darlaston ::Charles Clark (Stafford)—

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

::Charles Clark & Son (Commercial Vehicles)—Wolverhampton *Esiclene Porcelain-Enamel (1938)—Wolverhampton * Electro-Hydraulics—Warrington ::Conveyancer Fork Trucks—Warrington ::Conveyancer-Scott Electric Vehicles—Warrington ::Conveyancer-Raymond—Warrington *Gasel Appliances—Darlaston *Gasel— Oakengates *Joseph Gillott & Sons—Sheffield ::(Proprietors Cardinal Steels) ::Gillotts Forge and Rolling Mills—Sheffield *W Gwennap (Agricultural)—Stafford *C & L Hill—Willenhall ::C & L Hill (Diecastings)—Willenhall ::Hill-Alzen (Sales)—Willenhall *Central Patternmaking Co—Willenhall *Hudson Brown–Oldbury *Invicta Electrodes—Willenhall *Leabank Office Equipment—London *Motor Panels (Coventry)—Coventry *Nuts & Bolts (Darlaston)—Darlaston ::J Stanley & Co—Wednesbury *Owen Kleine Structures—Darlaston *Shuker & Son (Shrewsbury—Shrewsbury *J W Baker & Co—Darlaston *A Warden & Co—London *Rubery, Owen Kepston—Pensnett *Rubery, Owen (Warrington)—Warrington * Rubery, Owen Drott—London *Salopian Engineers—Prees Salop *Salopian Kenneth Hudson—Prees Salop *Shorrock Superchargers—Wednesbury *A G Sutherland—Birmingham ::H T Developments—Birmingham ::J B Williams (Maxstoke)—Birmingham ;Scotland *Rubery, Owen & Co—

Cumbernauld Cumbernauld (; ) is a large town in the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Dunbartonshire and council area of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the tenth List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, most-populous locality in Scotl ...

*William Donaldson (Engineers)— Paisley ;Wales *Rubery, Owen & Co—

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

*Rogers & Jackson—Wrexham ::R & J Wrexham (Wholesale)—Wrexham ::J E Brassey & Son—Wrexham *E Camelinat & Co—

Dowlais Dowlais () is a village and Community (Wales), community of the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. At the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census the electoral ward had a population of 6,926, The populati ...

*Nuts & Bolts (Darlaston)—

Tredegar Tredegar (; ) is a town and community situated on the banks of the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in the southeast of Wales. Within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial R ...

;Australia *Rubery, Owen & Kemsley Pty—Finsbury SA—Moorabbin Vic. *Conveyancer Fork Trucks (Australia) Pty—Rosebery NSW ;South Africa *Ruberowen (South Africa)—Vanderbijlpark Transvaal *Ruberowen Metal Pressings—Roodeport Transvaal—

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

Cape Province *Rubery, Owen & Scott (S.A.)—

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

;India *Mahindra Owen—

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

*Roplas India Ltd—

Poona Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

;Canada *Rubery Owen, Canada—

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

References

*{{cite web , title = "A Brief History of Darlaston: Years of Growth" , author = Parker, Bev , url = http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/articles/Darlaston/Growth.htm , accessdate = 2006-07-02 , url-status = dead , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060427011142/http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/articles/Darlaston/Growth.htm , archivedate = 2006-04-27

Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick The Modern Records Centre (MRC) is the specialist archive service of the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, located adjacent to the Central Campus Library. It was established in October 1973 and holds the world's largest archive collect ...

Catalogue of the Rubery Owen (Darlaston) Ltd archives
held at the Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick Engineering companies of the United Kingdom Science and technology in the United Kingdom Companies based in the West Midlands (county) Metropolitan Borough of Walsall Former defence companies of the United Kingdom United Kingdom in World War II

History

The Owen Group of Companies 1965

References

External links