Thornycroft was an English vehicle manufacturer which built
coaches,
buses, and
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...
s from 1896 until 1977.
History

In 1896, naval engineer
John Isaac Thornycroft formed the Thornycroft Steam Carriage and Van Company which built its first
steam van. This was exhibited at the Crystal Palace Show, and could carry a load of 1 ton. It was fitted with a Thornycroft marine
launch-type boiler (Thornycroft announced a new boiler designed for its steam carriages in October 1897). The engine was a twin-cylinder
compound engine arranged so that high-pressure steam could be admitted to the low-pressure cylinder to give extra power for hill-climbing. A modified version of the steam wagon with a 6-cubic-yard tipper body was developed for
Chiswick
Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...
council in 1896 and went into service as a very early self-propelled
dust-cart. While the original 1896 wagon had front-wheel drive with rear-wheel steering, the tipper dust-cart had rear-wheel drive and front-wheel steering. The Thornycroft tipper was built by the
Bristol Wagon & Carriage Works, though engined by Thornycroft.
Thornycroft's first
petrol
Gasoline (North American English) or petrol ( Commonwealth English) is a petrochemical product characterized as a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. When formul ...
vehicle was built in 1902,
and the company completed the move into internal combustion engine power in 1907.
Thornycroft's
Basingstoke
Basingstoke ( ) is a town in Hampshire, situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs. It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status in the United King ...
factory supplied nearly 5,000 motor vehicles for the
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
effort. It also provided large numbers of engines of various powers to the
Admiralty,
War Office
The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...
and other government departments at the beginning of the war and for the next two years. Thereafter the Basingstoke factory manufactured marine engines for the
Coastal Motor Boats being built at the
John I. Thornycroft & Company works in
Woolston, Southampton. The 180HP 6-cylinder Thornycroft marine engine was also used in 20 petrol shunters made for war use by
Manning Wardle & Co. Thornycroft also made the Thornycroft
depth-charge thrower for
anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...
.
In 1924, the
War Office
The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...
, anticipating the immediate need for motorised transport in the event of another war, set up a
subsidy scheme whereby purchasers of approved vehicles would receive a £120 subsidy per vehicle with the proviso that the War Office could buy the vehicles at a pre-arranged price when needed. The Thornycroft A1 chassis was chosen for this scheme.
From 1931, Thornycroft used descriptive names for its vehicle range. 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 ...
the company designed the
Terrapin and other war-related vehicles.
In 1948, the company name was changed to Transport Equipment (Thornycroft) Ltd to prevent confusion with the
shipbuilding Thornycroft company. The company was well known for providing
fire engine chassis, with multi-axle drive for uses such as airports. A limited number of
4x4 chassis were also provided to
Worcester-based fire engine manufacturer, Carmichael for sale to civilian brigades in the 1950s.
Thornycroft was taken over on 1 March 1961 by
AEC parent
Associated Commercial Vehicles (ACV), with production limited to
Antars, Big Bens and Nubians, although the Thornycroft-designed six-speed
constant mesh gearbox was used in AEC and later medium weight
Albion
Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...
and
Leyland trucks. ACV was taken over by Leyland in 1962. Leyland already had a specialist vehicle unit in
Scammell. Vehicle production at Basingstoke ceased in 1969 with production transferred to Scammell at
Watford
Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne.
Initially a smal ...
. The factory continued to manufacture gearboxes. It was sold in 1972 to
Eaton Corporation
Eaton Corporation plc is an American-Irish-domiciled multinational power management company, with a primary administrative center in Beachwood, Ohio. Eaton has more than 85,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countr ...
.
Thornycroft to leave Basingstoke
''Commercial Motor'' 12 January 1973 page 28
Models
Bus and coach
*Type J
*Beautyride
*Boudicea
*Cygnet (Single Deck)
*Daring (Double Deck)
*Lightning
*Nippy
*Patrician
Lorry
* Type J 40 hp, 1913
* Type K 30 hp, 1913
* Hathi, 1924 – four-wheel drive artillery tractor
An artillery tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, is a specialized heavy-duty form of tractor unit used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights and calibres. It may be wheeled, tracked, or half-tracked.
Traction
There are two m ...
for the army
* A1 Subsidy, 1924
* A1 RSW / A3 RSW, – an off-road capable rigid six-wheeler to an army specification, 1926
* A2
* QC / Dreadnought, 1930 – 12 ton rigid six-wheel chassis.
*Hardy
*Dandy
*Sturdy - 5/6 tonner
*Trusty - 8 ton forward control 4 wheeler
*Bullfinch
*Strenuous
*Mastiff
*Tartar 3-ton 6x4, both civilian & military versions and production (3,000 - 4,000) between 1938 and 1945.
*Taurus
*Iron Duke
*Amazon
*Stag
*Bulldog
*Jupiter - 6.5 ton
*Nubian – 3-ton vehicle available as 4 x 4, 6 x 4, 6 x 6
*Big Ben
* Antar – 85-ton – 6 x 4 pipeline and tank transporter
*Swift
*Trident
See also
* Thornycroft military vehicles
* Thornycroft Athletic F.C.
References
External links
Image of a Thornycroft Steam Wagon from around 1904
'Thornycroft of Basingstoke'
- (Hampshire Cultural Trust) - extensive coverage of history and vehicles
Thornycroft vehicle preservation group
Thorneycroft Classic Motor History
Youtube video of an existing Thorneycroft rifle in the Royal Armories in Leeds, England
{{Automotive industry in the United Kingdom
Defunct bus manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Defunct truck manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Former defence companies of the United Kingdom
Military vehicle manufacturers
Associated Equipment Company
Steam wagon manufacturers
Steam road vehicle manufacturers
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1896
Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1977
1896 establishments in England
1977 disestablishments in England
British companies established in 1896
British companies disestablished in 1977