Hughes Bolckow

Background

Intending to create an industrial park for dismantling obsolete warships in 1911, the company leased 6 acres (2.4 ha) of land from Lord Ridley and the Blyth Harbour Commissioners.

The company was responsible for scrapping a number of famous Royal Navy ships including HMS Britannia. In response to requests from customers, the company created a series of "choice Antiques" from the fine old seasoned timber they possessed from the old HMS Britannia. The company even had a Ship Timber Department that would create articles manufactured from teakwood taken from obsolete battleships and preserved in “Solignum.”

During World War I Messrs, Hughes, Bolckow, and Co., Limited experimented with employing women in jobs that were traditionally reserved for men. By 1916 13% of the workforce were women; the UK Ministry of Labour approved the work provided the women did not have to lift a sledgehammer weighing more than 5 pounds (2.3 kg).

In 1921 the company acquired four huge concrete hangars at the Marske-by-the-Sea Aerodrome in North Yorkshire. The hangars also had an attached 30 acres (12 ha) of land that the company announced would be used to store and to dispose of material purchased by the company from dumps in France.

Over the course of its existence the company bought up a number of other companies such as the Worth, Mackenzie ft Company, Limited, which was purchased in 1935. By 1952 it had become a subsidiary of Metal Industries, Limited and was listed on their books. In 1960 The Hughes Bolchow Shipbreaking Co., Ltd., of Blyth changed its name to Hughes Bolckow Ltd. so as to serve notice that although its main activity was still in shipbreaking, the company was branching out.