History
LSE are one of the UK's oldest electrical machinery manufacturers,
starting operations in 1883 with William Harding Scott's dynamo, built to
be supplied to Colman's, the famous Norwich mustard and cooking sauces
company. Mr Reginald Laurence provided the main financial backing and
security of the partnership from 1888 and, with the restraining arm of Mr
Cecil Wilson as Company Secretary to hold back the excesses of excellence
pursued by Scott the engineer,
Laurence, Scott & Co. flourished in the
design and manufacture of electrical generators and motors.
The company became involved in all aspects of electrical supply,
providing power stations for Norwich and Ipswich, laying distribution
mains to consumers and developing the first "off-peak" meter. However, its
real vocation lay in electric motors and the new Gothic Works in Hardy
Road was opened in 1896, exclusively devoted to the manufacture of motors
and generators. LSE still occupies the site at Hardy Road.
Scott was one of the first to recognise that users expected motors to
perform solidly, with a minimum of attention in largely unfavourable
conditions, and his motors developed into totally enclosed variations with
a high degree of mechanical protection for reliable and robust operation.
The company had already demonstrated its ability to make motors well able
to stand the conditions of use at sea, and soon became very busy with the
manufacture of motors for the immediate predecessors of the "Dreadnought".
Ammunition hoists and ventilating fan motors were made in quantity, and
there was larger and more complicated equipment for windlasses,
turret-turning gear, etc.
Recent photographs from submersibles of the
Titanic wreck clearly show a Laurence, Scott fan unit, and its twin is
clearly visible in the film of the same name behind Kate Winslett during
an emotionally charged scene.
Further marine involvement came from the design and very successful
introduction of electric cargo winches (the "Scott" winch, as they became
known), steering gear and other electrical equipment. The Empress of
Britain launched in 1920's had 4000 hp (3000kW) of the company's
electrical equipment on board.
The years immediately before and during the
Great Depression presented mixed fortunes for many companies and electrical
supplies utilities were changing from DC to AC, with a consequent shift
in Laurence Scott product.
In 1927, Electromotors Ltd of Manchester was
amalgamated into the company to become Laurence, Scott & Electromotors
Ltd.
LSE pioneered the development of welded steel-frame construction
for AC machines, and soon both Manchester and Norwich became busy operating
sites, with small machines made in Manchester and the large machines
and 'specials' built in Norwich. Machines made at this time included
standard squirrel-cage and slip-ring motors, and also auto-synchronous
and hypo-synchronous machines, alternators and generators.
In an idle
moment, the Design Dept. developed a mechanism for automatically controlling
traffic flow at road junctions, eventually to become "traffic lights" so beloved of drivers and pedestrians all over the
world.
Just before the Second World War, the company started the manufacture
of a variable speed AC motor (named the N-S) which met the growing demand
for a reliable and efficient machine capable of giving step-less speed
variation over the desired range, under hand or automatic control. This
was supplied in large numbers for the drive of draught fans and other
auxiliaries required in the post-war power station building program.
The TRISLOT squirrel-cage machine was a further development, offering
high-torque low-current starting, and displaced virtually all slip-ring
motors for the majority of applications.
In more recent times, LSE has
maintained its links with marine and defence applications, providing
motor generator sets for both the British Royal Navy and others, electric
propulsion motors for the Trident class of submarines and for Tigerfish
torpedoes and for numerous commercial ships and off-shore oil & gas
rigs. The power generating industry has also been a successful market for
LSE machines, for example, cooling water circulating pump motors have been
supplied to a high proportion of PWR nuclear power plants world-wide.
One
distinguished LSE motor drove the 8.7m Howden tunnelling machine used to
dig the UK side of the Channel Tunnel. Pioneering Work carried out by LSE
- Development of a practical industrial motor suitable for workshop conditions
- Origination of the use of mica for control gear insulation
- Development of marine electric motor, as distinct from a superficially modified standard industrial motor
- Development for totally-enclosed fan-cooled motors, both ac and dc.
- Introduction of fabricated steel-frame construction for industrial motors
- Introduction of TRISLOT high-torque low-current squirrel-cage motor
-
Development of water-cooled flameproof motors
Watch the Laurence Scott training video (Windows Media Player):
Timeline
1883 - Jeremiah Colman commisioned Hammond Electric Light and Power Supply Company of Nottingham to install electric light into the Colman's mustard plant. William Harding Scott and E A Paris came to Colmans and were each paid a salary. Scott's dynamo works and lighting arrives at Colmans. Scott is provided with accommodation by Colmans - a cottage in Bracondale.
1884 - Scott rented property at 107 King Street, Norwich on a 21 year lease and the partnership of Paris and Scott began,
1888 - Reginald Laurence joined Paris and Scott and formed the Limited Company Laurence Paris and Scott. His investment - £6,000! Jeremiah Colman bought shares to the value of £3,000 and the partners all took a total of £3,000 in shares. In this year E R Coote joins the Company - read his personal letter (- page two) on the 'Norfolk Ancestors' Web Site.
1890 - Laurence Scott and Co floated in this year. "Norwich Ship Lighter" released into the marine market
1896 - New works building began. The land for the new works was bought on the north bank of the Wensum
1897 - C Wilson became a Company Director
1898 - Transfer of land completed and the new factory was to be called the Gothic Works. The factory space covered at least 7,500 square feet and had 150 employees. - Sisling made Company Director in this year.
1901 - First motorised crane was installed
1905 - Another measure of land was purchased and a New Test Shop was constructed
1908 - New Test Shop completed in 1908
1912 - Torrential rain flooded parts of the Gothic Workshops and offices - under 2 feet of water. Scott turned his attentions to electrically starting and lighting cars
1920 - A large house purchased by Laurence and Scott in Thorpe Road, Norwich, it was converted into offices and control gear works built in the grounds. It became known as "Switchworks"
1923 - Death of Laurence. "Switchworks" completed
1929 - Formation of Laurence Scott and Electromotors Limited
1937 - A further extension was added to the Works - this doubled the Works in size and there were then 3,000 employees.
1938 - Sadly in this year Scott's youngest son Tom and then Scott himself died within a month of each other.
1940 - Captain G J Scott, Scott's older son, dies in this year
1953- A new building was completed and the most up to date equipment installed, which was designed to cope with all types and sizes of motors envisaged
1957 - New office block completed
1959 - Laurence and Scott established another facility at Blantyre in Scotland
1960 - Enlarged heavy machine Bay completed
1980's (mid) - Plating Shop closed. Doncaster based Mining Supplies Limited take over LSE
1982 - Mining Supplies Limited moved the Instrument Department from Thorpe Road to Salhouse Road in Norwich. The Switchgear went to the Gothic works and LSE (Wolverhampton) Ltd
1981 - Dispute and threat of redundancies due to lack of demand for the products at Openshaw
1986 - Thorpe Road foundry and Wolverhampton, the Salhouse Road Works retained by Mining Supplies as part of LS (Defence Systems) Ltd which later became MSI Defence Systems.
For much more information and hundreds of photos, please click here.
