Wilkinson plc are a firm of
chandelier
A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...
manufacturers and repairers based in Kent.
History
The firm started as F. Wilkinson & Company in
Stourbridge
Stourbridge () is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Situated on the River Stour, Worcestershire, River Stour, the town lies around west of Birmingham,
at the southwester ...
, where from 1922 to 1927 Frank Wilkinson (1897-1927) was the first to commercialise the acid method of
glass polishing to replace polishing of
cut-glass by hand. In addition, his brother Reginald Wilkinson (died 1986), developed the
carborundum
Silicon carbide (SiC), also known as carborundum (), is a hard chemical compound containing silicon and carbon. A wide bandgap semiconductor, it occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite, but has been mass-produced as a powder ...
wheel method of cutting to replace the steel and sand method after he bought discarded worn carborundum wheels from a local bevelling firm. The new method reduced breakages and made more sophisticated shapes such as scalloped tops commercially viable.
The firm enjoys a royal warrant from
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
.
UK chandelier maker David Wilkinson casts light on his craft.
Jonathan Foyle, ''The Financial Times'', 5 February 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
References
External links
*https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/F._Wilkinson_and_Co
Chandelier Master
Glass makers
Companies based in Kent
Sittingbourne
Stourbridge
Chandeliers
British royal warrant holders
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