Hanson and Edwards

Dates: unknown to 1961

Location: Vernon Street, Warrington

Specialities: stranding and ancillary equipment for the wire and cable-making industries

Hanson and Edwards did not manufacture or weave wire but they were very important contributors to the Warrington wire industry who manufactured machines used in the various Warrington wire works including for stranding wire – i.e. winding strands of wire around a central wire and then around a core to make wire ropes or cables.

In 1961 they were taken over by Winget UK who specialised in making machines used in concrete industry but wanted to move into manufacturing machines and equipment for the wire and cable making industries. The company still existed in Bolton as recently as 2009.

This article was written for the Wire Works Project 2020-2021, a National Lottery Heritage funded project aiming to highlight and celebrate the legacy left by the wire industry, which dominated Warrington’s employment structure for over 170 years, putting the town at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution.