George Saxon & Co

George Saxon & Co

Company type	Private
Industry	Engineering, Steam engine manufacturing
Founded	1878 in Manchester, England
Founder	George Saxon
Defunct	1943
Headquarters	Manchester , England
Products	Large stationary steam engines for power stations and textile mills

George Saxon & Co was a Manchester-based engineering enterprise located in the Openshaw area, recognized for its specialization in constructing large stationary steam engines. The firm primarily provided robust steam-powered engines to power stations and textile mills across Lancashire and other regions.

Biography

Born in Manchester in 1821, George Saxon trained under William Fairbairn before advancing to the position of foreman at Benjamin Goodfellow's facility in Hyde. In 1854, he secured a patent for a fusible plug designed for steam boilers and launched his own operation at Spring Works in Openshaw. Initially working as a mill-wright, Saxon is believed to have commenced manufacturing steam engines around 1860, during which time he patented multiple enhancements to engine design. He held the presidency of the Manchester Association of Engineers in 1871 and was affiliated with the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. In 1879, he patented an automatic cut-off mechanism aimed at improving engine performance. Following his death that same year, his sons assumed control of the company.

History

Prior to 1860, Saxon's activities centered on engine maintenance and mill gearing installations. The establishment of an erecting shop in 1860 marked the beginning of their engine production, which expanded significantly by 1870. Among their earliest products was a horizontal single-cylinder non-condensing engine equipped with a Meyer variable cut-off slide valve. By 1870–71, the company manufactured larger horizontal cross compound engines operating at relatively high steam pressures around 100 psi. By 1875, their output included engines ranging from 750 to 1,000 indicated horsepower (ihp) for 'Oldham Limiteds,' predominantly horizontal twin tandem compound four-cylinder models that became synonymous with their brand.

Between 1871 and 1880, Saxon delivered no fewer than ten engines totaling approximately 6,800 ihp to cotton mills. These engines were characterized by long strokes and elevated operational speeds. Around 1890, they began incorporating Corliss valves into large mill engines, uniquely fitting them on both high-pressure (HP) and low-pressure (LP) cylinders while eliminating wrist plates. Although somewhat late in adopting Corliss valve technology, Saxon rapidly transitioned to triple-expansion engine designs, converting several major compound engines by 1892 and achieving fuel savings up to 18%. That year also saw the construction of their first horizontal twin tandem triple-expansion engine rated at 1,260 ihp for Rock Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne. Concurrently, they continued producing substantial horizontal twin tandem compound engines; models from 1902 delivered between 1,400 and 1,700 hp with flywheels measuring up to 26 feet in diameter and weighing as much as 90 tons.

In 1896, Saxon unveiled their inaugural inverted vertical engine—a compact design favored by mill architects seeking space efficiency. A notable example includes the powerful 2,750 ihp engine built in 1908 for No. 2 Mill at Times Mill in Middleton—the largest Saxon engine installed in Oldham. Additionally, they implemented the Manhattan engine configuration at Pear New Mill (Stockport) and Hall Lane Spinning Mill (Leigh), drawing inspiration from Allis-Chalmers' compact arrangement utilized for power generation within Manhattan’s transport infrastructure.

The firm experienced substantial activity during the early decades of the twentieth century, particularly between 1901–02 and again from 1905–08. Over the period from 1901 to 1910, they produced a total of eighty-five engines amounting to more than 90,000 ihp. However, manufacturing output diminished markedly following the outbreak of World War I in 1914. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Saxon also exported several horizontal cross-compound engines to India.

The final documented mill engine constructed by George Saxon was a 450 hp cross-compound unit supplied in 1928 to J J Hadfield bleachworks located in Chinley. This engine featured an HP cylinder measuring -inch diameter alongside a 31-inch LP cylinder with a stroke length of three feet six inches. Operating at a steam pressure of 120 psi, it drove a sixteen-foot flywheel equipped with twelve ropes running at one hundred revolutions per minute; both cylinders utilized Corliss valves with a horizontal condenser positioned behind the LP cylinder.

No surviving examples of George Saxon engines are currently known to exist.

Mills powered by their engines

• Junction Mill, Middleton – constructed in 1875, equipped with a 1,000 ihp engine
• Boundary Mill, Oldham – built in 1875, featuring a 750 ihp engine
• Star Mill, Oldham – installed with a 750 ihp engine in 1875
• Hawthorn Mill, Chadderton
• Lark Mill, Hollinwood – established in 1901
• Curzon Mill, Ashton-under-Lyne – dating from 1901
• Magnet Mill, Chadderton
• Broadstone Mill, Reddish
• Cairo Mill, Waterhead, Oldham – powered by a triple expansion engine
• Irk Mill, Middleton – fitted with a Manhattan engine
• Fox Mill, Hollinwood – utilizing a Manhattan engine
• Ridgefield Mill, Failsworth – driven by a Manhattan engine
• Swan Lane Mills, Bolton – equipped with a 1,200 hp engine

Bibliography

• Collier, D A (1985) 'A Comparative History of the Development of the Leading Stationary Steam Engine Manufacturers of Lancashire, c.1800–1939', PhD thesis, University of Manchester