Sir William Arrol & Co.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Civil engineering, Construction, Crane manufacturing |
| Founded | 1873 in Glasgow, Scotland |
| Founder | William Arrol |
| Headquarters | Glasgow , Scotland, United Kingdom |
Key people | William Arrol (founder) |
| Products | Bridges, Cranes, Steel structures |
Number of employees | 2000 |
| Parent | Clarke Chapman (from 1969) |
Sir William Arrol & Co. was a prominent Scottish firm specializing in civil engineering and construction, established by William Arrol in Glasgow. The company is renowned for constructing some of the United Kingdom’s most celebrated bridges, including the second iteration of the Tay Bridge, the Forth Bridge, and London's iconic Tower Bridge.
Early history
William Arrol, born in Houston, Renfrewshire in 1839, began his working life at the age of nine in a cotton mill. In 1850, he moved to Paisley, where he undertook an apprenticeship as a blacksmith while simultaneously studying engineering principles.
Following his apprenticeship, Arrol gained experience as a journeyman blacksmith and subsequently as a foreman at Laidlaw’s Engineering Works in Glasgow. There, he supervised his initial bridge projects: notably the Greenock and Ayrshire Railway bridge (1865) and the West Pier, Brighton (1866). After an unsuccessful partnership focused on boiler and girder manufacturing, he launched his own modest workshop in Glasgow. By 1871, he had secured contracts to build railway bridges on Edinburgh’s Balerno line.
In 1872, Arrol relocated to Dalmarnock, Glasgow. One of his significant projects was a bridge spanning the Clyde at Bothwell for the North British Railway. This project was distinguished by its innovative method of assembling girders on land and subsequently rolling them out from pier to pier. In 1875, commissioned by the Caledonian Railway, he constructed one of two key Clyde bridges and developed a hydraulic riveting machine during a riveters' strike—an invention that later became widely used in the shipbuilding industry.
The Great Bridges
Following the catastrophic collapse of the original Tay Bridge in December 1879 due to severe winds shortly after its inauguration, William Arrol was contracted to rebuild it. Construction commenced in 1882 and concluded in 1887. Concurrently, Arrol was engaged in building the Forth Bridge, which began in 1882 and officially opened in 1890; it featured the world’s longest single cantilever span at that time. His outstanding contributions to these monumental projects earned him a knighthood, and in June 1893, Sir William Arrol & Company Ltd was formally incorporated. These engineering feats secured Arrol’s global acclaim and paved the way for projects throughout Great Britain, Europe, and Australia. Notably, his company also fabricated all steelwork for London’s Tower Bridge, completed in 1894.
Diversification
To accommodate increasing demand, the firm expanded its Dalmarnock Works with expansive steel-and-glass structures equipped with overhead cranes capable of lifting loads up to 100 tons. This facility enabled the company to design and build similar industrial buildings for various clients. Furthermore, Arrol broadened its product range by venturing into crane manufacturing, producing shipbuilding cranes with lifting capacities ranging from five to 150 tons. Among these was the famous Titan Crane, completed in 1907 for John Brown & Company, which was then the largest cantilever crane worldwide with a capacity of 150 tons. By this era, Dalmarnock Works covered 17 acres and employed approximately 2,000 workers directly, alongside thousands more engaged via external contracts. After Sir William’s passing in 1913, the company maintained its independence until 1969.
Bridges
The firm’s portfolio includes numerous significant bridges:
- Caledonian Railway Bridge over the River Clyde (1878)
- Second Tay Rail Bridge (1887)
- Forth Bridge (1890)
- London’s Tower Bridge (1894)
- North Bridge in Edinburgh (1897)
- Redheugh Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne (1901)
- Connel Bridge (1903)
- Abbas Bridge (currently Giza Bridge) in Cairo (1908)
- Tees Transporter Bridge (1911)
- Warrington Transporter Bridge (1916)
- Keadby Bridge (1916)
- London’s Southwark Bridge (1921)
- White Cart Bridge (1923)
- Jubilee Bridge (Walney) (1908)
- Jubilee Bridge (Queensferry) (1927)
- Corporation Bridge in Grimsby (1928)
- Wearmouth Bridge (1929)
- Tsoelike Suspension Bridge located in Lesotho (1930)
- The Forth Road Bridge (1964)
- Deptford Railroad Bridge (1964)
- The iconic Severn Bridge (1966)
- Lifting span of Maurice O'Neill bridge on Valentia Island Co. Kerry (1970)
- Second iteration of the Craigellachie Bridge (1970)
- The renowned Humber Bridge (1981)
Cranes
- Titan Clydebank, finished in 1907
- Titan Crane at Fairfield, completed in 1911
- 250-ton crane located at HMNB Portsmouth, built in 1912 and dismantled in 1984
- Titan Crane at James Watt Dock Crane, finalized in 1917
- Titan Crane for Barclay Curle, completed in 1920
- Blocksetter Travelling Titan crane (South African Harbours and Railways) installed in Durban, completed prior to 1932
- Blocksetter Travelling Hercules crane (South African Harbours and Railways) for Table Bay, completed before 1932
- Blocksetter Travelling Hercules for Ceuta, finished before 1932
- Gantry crane at the Turbine Hall of Bankside Power Station during the 1940s; currently exhibited as a static display at the Tate Modern
- Gantry crane installed in the Turbine Hall of Battersea Power Station; maintained within the renovated facility
Titanic
The firm was commissioned by the Harland and Wolff Shipyard in Belfast to construct the colossal Arrol Gantry, which was used for assembling the trio of planned Olympic-class vessels. This gantry crane was among the largest globally at that time, notable for its length, height, and lifting capacity.
Hikitia
In 1926, the company manufactured the crane for the Hikitia, recognized as the last fully operational self-propelled steam crane still in existence.
Closure of the company
After being acquired by Clarke Chapman in 1969, operations at the Dalmarnock Works ceased in 1986.