Founded in 1888 by William Douglas and his sons, Tom,
John and Loudon. A contract with a Glasgow company provided them with
the opportunity to apply shale oil techniques to the lowering the
temperature of lard so that it could be controlled and packaged. Around
the turn of the century, Douglas supplied anything and everything for
the meat trade, issuing a 400-page encyclopaedia covering all aspects of
meat production – machinery and equipment, meat processing, the
chemistry of the pig, butcher’s clothing, swine fever, ingredients and
recipes for national and local speciality meat products. The company’s
industrial refrigeration business sprang from their supplying
thermometers and cold stores in the 1920’s.
The company’s efforts
in WW2 were of substantial value, Two cold stores were built for the
Ministry of Food, each with a capacity of a quarter of a million cubic
feet. A large number of ice-plants were made for the War Office, many of
these twenty tons per day plants being sent out to the Middle and Far
East.
After the cessation of hostilities, Douglas decided to
enter the liquid handling market, with a system based on the Douglas
Pump an exceptionally accurate measuring instrument. This was so
successful, particularly in the food industry, that a separate Bulk
Handling Division was formed.
William Douglas & Sons Ltd and
Baker Perkins had been associated for some time both technically and
commercially prior to the acquisition in 1959. Many Baker Perkins plants
in biscuit and other food factories incorporated Douglas equipment for
the automatic handling in bulk of the fats and liquids used in
production. During 1961, Douglas merged with Alfred Porter & Co Ltd.
Owned by a Mr. Crook, Alfred Porter had an agreement to sell the Trane
Compressor - a high quality refrigerant compressor made in the USA. –
for which William Douglas wanted exclusive marketing rights.
By
1962, the rate of growth was such that Douglas had outgrown its premises
in Putney and Sunbury and plans were in place to re-locate to a new
£350,000 factory in Basingstoke.
Before the move to Basingstoke,
Wm. Douglas & Sons were producing:
• Refrigeration compressors,
cold stores for factories and ports, chilled water and glycol plants and
plants to chill and freeze all kinds of meat and foodstuffs.
• Animal
and poultry by-products plant used for the conversion of inedible
residues (including feathers) to feed meals, fertilisers and tallows.
•
Margarine, lard and shortening plants for the bakery, biscuit, flour and
confectionery trades.
• Chocolate, glucose, syrup, malt extract and
edible oil storage and distribution plants.
• Bulk storage and
distribution installations for solvents, paints, oils inks, resins and
other liquid products.
Colin Joyce has provided his recollections
of his time with William Douglas & Sons Ltd.
“In mid-1964, after
18 months at Gainsborough with Rose Brothers, I accepted the position of
director and chief accountant at William Douglas at Putney. In accepting
this post l was told that it was the intention to merge this company
with Rownson Conveyors and to re-locate the merged businesses to a new
factory being built in Basingstoke.
Stan Bennett has provided his
recollections of working with the firm:
Note:
• The Putney premises
were at a location known as Douglas Wharf, now occupied by 'The
Boathouse' (a pub).
From research conducted by the Baker Perkins
Historical society
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