Thos. W. Ward

Thos. W. Ward Ltd
Company type	Private company (from 1904 limited liability)
Industry	Steel, engineering, cement, shipbreaking, metal recycling
Founded	1878
Founder	Thomas William Ward
Defunct	1982
Fate	Acquired by Rio Tinto Zinc
Successor	Rio Tinto Zinc (RTZ Cement)
Headquarters	Sheffield, United Kingdom
Area served	England, Scotland, Wales
Key people	Thomas William Ward (founder), Joseph Ward (chairman)
Products	Steel products, machinery, Portland cement, scrap metal recycling, shipbreaking
Number of employees	11,500 (1953)
Parent	Rio Tinto Zinc (from 1982)

Thos. W. Ward Ltd was a British enterprise engaged in the steel, engineering, and cement sectors. It began as a merchant dealing in coal and coke before diversifying into metal recycling to support Sheffield’s steel production, alongside supplying and manufacturing machinery.

Starting in 1894, Ward developed extensive shipbreaking facilities throughout England, Scotland, and Wales. By 1953, the workforce had grown to 11,500 employees.

During the late 1970s, the company shifted its focus from a broad engineering portfolio primarily toward cement production. In 1982, it was purchased by Rio Tinto Zinc.

History

Established in 1878 by Thomas William Ward, the firm initially focused on coal and coke distribution but rapidly expanded into scrap metal recycling. It also traded in both new and secondhand machinery for industries such as iron, steel, coal, and engineering, with some equipment being manufactured in-house.

Ward’s Constructional Engineering Department specialized in fabricating and erecting steel-framed structures including buildings, bridges, collieries, steelworks apparatus, and furnaces. The Rail Department provided rails, sleepers, switches, crossings, and complete siding installations. Through De Lank Quarries, the company supplied granite used in notable London landmarks like Tower Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge, as well as lighthouses and prestigious edifices.

From 1894 onward, Ward expanded into shipbreaking operations at multiple locations. On 19 May 1904, a limited liability company was established to consolidate all business activities under the Thos. W. Ward name. By 1920, the company’s prospectus described it as the "leading shipbreaking firm globally," with significant investments across iron, steel, machinery trades, constructional engineering projects, and merchant enterprises.

Portland cement

In 1928, additional capital was secured to launch a greenfield Portland cement manufacturing facility at Ketton in Rutland. The site encompassed 1,170 acres of freehold land abundant in oolitic limestone and clays suitable for producing premium fast-setting Portland cement. This initiative was spearheaded by chairman Joseph Ward (1865–1941), brother of Thomas Ward (1853–1926). By the late 1970s, Ketton Cement Works had become the company’s primary business focus.

By 1934, employing over 4,000 people, the company’s main operations included:

Constructional engineering alongside mechanical and electrical equipment manufacturing
Supply of coal, coke, iron, steel products, metals, and machinery
Ship dismantling and works demolition services; ownership and brokerage activities
Management of wharf facilities
Machinery and plant appraisal services
Production of nuts and bolts
Manufacturing horn handles for cutlery
Brick production
Dry slag and tar macadam manufacturing
Quarrying operations

Freehold properties:

Albion Works located in Tinsley and Millhouses, Sheffield

Sites situated at Silvertown, Grays (Essex), Inverkeithing, Glasgow, Wishaw, Birmingham, Briton Ferry, Milford Haven, Lelant, Silverdale, Low Moor (Bradford), Albion sand quarries (Mansfield), plus brickworks at Longton, Newark, and Apedale

Leasehold properties:

Charlton Works and Effingham Road in Sheffield

Locations including Liverpool, Dublin; Cornish granite quarries (De Lank Quarries); Denny (Falkirk), Preston; Barrow-in-Furness; Pembroke Dock; Hayle; and Scunthorpe

Subsidiary companies:

Milford Haven Dock & Railway Company; Low Moor Best Yorkshire Iron; The Midland Iron Co.; Pengwern and Gwydir Quarries; The Drybrook Quarries; North Lonsdale Tar Macadam
The Ketton Portland Cement Co. (majority shareholder)

W. S. Laycock

Purchased in 1934, W. S. Laycock was recognized for manufacturing railway carriage and steamship components, locomotive and coach underframes, as well as automobile parts such as axles, gearboxes, propeller shafts, and its unique Layrub flexible drive joints. The company changed hands to new investors two years afterward.

1970s

By 1969, the Ward group concentrated largely on metal supplies, particularly sourced from shipbreaking activities. In addition, the group was involved in cement production, roadstone supply, rail siding construction, industrial facility development, and the installation of plant and machinery.

Division

In October 1981, Thos. W. Ward was segmented into three distinct divisions:

Thos. W. Ward (Raw Materials), which handled the processing and trading of carbon scrap, special steel scrap, non-ferrous scrap metals, and steel stock.
Thos. W. Ward (Industrial Supplies)
Thos. W. Ward (Industrial Dismantling)

Shortly thereafter, Rio Tinto Zinc (RTZ) acquired a significant stake and completed a full acquisition by early 1982. RTZ combined Ward's cement interests with Tunnel Holdings to establish RTZ Cement, capturing approximately 25% of the UK’s cement market share. The Railway Engineers division was sold to Henry Boot, while RTZ disposed of Thos. W. Ward (Roadstone) to Ready Mixed Concrete in June 1988.

Dismantling

Prior to 1926, Thos. W. Ward undertook the dismantling of major industrial sites such as Abbott's Works in Gateshead, Kelham Rolling Mills in Sheffield, and Bessemer's Works in Bolton. The company also demonstrated its capacity for large-scale projects by dismantling the Crystal Palace.

Noteworthy Ships

Thos. W. Ward was responsible for breaking up a wide range of prominent vessels including:

HMS Akbar
HMS Benbow (1885)
HMS Boadicea (1875)
HMS Centurion (1892)
HMS Colossus (1882)
HMS Devastation (1871)
HMS Edinburgh (1882)
HMS Narcissus (1886)
HMS Nile (1888)
HMS Prince Albert (1864)
HMS Sans Pareil (1887)
HMS Warspite (1884)
SS Adriatic (1871)
SS Alaska (1881)
SS Arabic (1881)
SS Britannia (1887)
SS Cleopatra
SS Cordoba
RMS Etruria
SS Furnessia (1880)
SS Leviathan
RMS Lucania
SS Majestic (1890)
SS Munchen (1889)
SS Servia
SS Syrian
SS Terec
SS Vancouver
RMS Saragossa
RMS Cherbourg

At Briton Ferry

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El Inca (1979)
Marrakech (1979)
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Lizzie the elephant

When World War I commenced, Thomas Ward’s firm employed 1,235 workers and provided steelmakers with a daily supply of one thousand tons of scrap metal. Due to military requisitioning of many horses, fulfilling transport needs became difficult. To address this challenge, Lizzie the Elephant was brought in from Sedgwick's Menagerie—a travelling circus—to assist with hauling duties.

Handled by trainer Richard Sedgwick, Lizzie took on the workload equivalent to three horses and became widely recognized as "Tommy Ward's Elephant," frequently seen transporting materials throughout Sheffield. Her deployment encouraged other local companies to explore unconventional transport solutions, including camels from the same menagerie, illustrating innovative logistics adaptations during wartime.

Publications

External links