Along the Moors - Donnington

A Change of Direction

Founding Fathers Charles Walker (Left) And His Sons, Charles and William

Charles Walker & Sons was originally a London-based firm that began trading in 1837, manufacturing industrial products, such as stamps, presses and press tools. Twenty years later, the business relocated from Clerkenwell to Donnington, where the company continued to produce a range of general engineering products, employing a small workforce of about 35 people. After the move, Charles Walker handed the business over to his sons, Charles and William, and the company became known as C&W Walker.

Despite the relocation, it was not until around 1868 that the fortunes of the business really began to change, when the firm took the decision to begin manufacturing gas holders and purifiers. William and Charles divided their business between Donnington and London, with the latter overseeing operations at the plant, which expanded greatly in the later years of the 19th Century as the business began to take-off.