page_title: Mather & Platt
section_title: Timeline
hierarchical_section_title: Mather & Platt / History / Timeline
caption_attribution_description: City &amp; South London Railway electric Bo No.30 built by Mather &amp; Platt, Salford (Works No.13) in 1890. Withdrawn 1930. At the London Transport Museum, 06/09.
context_page_description: Mather & Platt is the name of several large engineering firms in Europe, South Africa and Asia that are subsidiaries of Wilo SE, Germany or were founded by former employees. The original company was founded in the Newton Heath area of Manchester, England, where it was a major employer. That firm continues as
  a food processing and packaging business, trading as M & P Engineering in Trafford Park, Manchester.
  The core business produces large electrical centrifugal pumps. The brand is known in India as Mather & Platt Pumps and in South Africa as Mather & Platt SA PTY Ltd.
context_section_description: 1794: A map is published, showing the Salford Iron Works, Chapel Street, Salford, owned by Bateman and Sherratt.
  1817: Peter Mather starts making textile machinery.
  1829: By now only the Sherratts are active at the Salford Iron Works. John and Thomas Sherratt describe themselves as "brass founders, engine makers and iron founders".
  1836: The Sherratts called themselves "iron founders, steam engine manufacturers, millwrights and hydraulic press manufacturers".
  1836: Colin "Cast iron Colin" Mather and his brother started a small business, William  & Colin Mather. It serviced the local textile bleaching industry by providing simple well-made rollers and equipment. They described themselves as "Engineers, machine makers and millwrights". They had a premises at 23 Brown Street, Salford.
  Colin Mather had three sons, none of whom were destined to play a large role in the business.
  William Mather, who had had little to do with the running of the business, had two sons, and his second son William Mather became the chairman when Colin retired. William Mather and John Platt travelled extensively in the US and Russia expanding into new markets. Mather was also involved on public life and the advancement of education. He was the Liberal Member of Parliament for Salford in 1885 and later for Gorton.
  1837: Thomas Sherratt dies.
  1837:  Platt takes over the Salford Iron Works
  1839: The Salford Iron Works was leased to John Platt a machine-maker from Higher Broughton. Platt and his partner Yates continued Sherratt's business.
  1845: John Platt leased part of the Salford Iron Works to William and Colin Mather. Mather and John Platt form Mather & Platt in Newton Heath in Manchester (UK)
  1847: John Platt dies.
  1851: Mather and Platt exhibit at the Great Exhibition as the Salford Iron Works; they took textile finishing equipment including an eight-colour roller printer for calico.
  1853: John Platt's son William Platt forms the partnership with the Mathers, forming Mather & Platt. William Platt provide capital, land and casting skills; Colin Mather provided the new engineering solution.
  1873: Professor Osborne Reynolds designed a turbine pump that Mather and Platt improved. The centrifugal pump was essential to operating a bleaching kier, hence their interest. Later, it became the core product and it is the Pump division alone that survives in India.
  1883: Mather & Platt obtain the rights to manufacture Edison’s electric dynamo and, as a result of improvements by Dr. John Hopkinson, the Edison-Hopkinson dynamo was produced. This led to the formation of an electrical engineering division, the military work on submarine motors, and later involvement in electricity generation.
  1883: Mather & Platt obtain sole rights outside the USA to manufacture the Grinnel's automatic sprinkler: cotton mills were very vulnerable to fire. These rights expired in the 1970s. The production of sprinkler systems for cotton mills led to the prominent water towers and flat roofs for water storage.
  1899: Mather & Platt incorporated.
  The firm was expanding and over the years acquired neighbouring properties such as Drinkwaters Mill and whole streets such as Foundry Street.
  1894: An agreement was reached to close Union Street and demolish two rows of cottages for the new "erecting shop" which had the splendid name of the Klondyke. Further expansion was impossible. The need for space was partially caused by the acquisition of three important new products described here.
caption: M&P underground loco 1890
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