Pagefield
Pagefield was perhaps one of the smaller British manufacturers, but has a strong history of innovation, with many of its ideas still in use today.
The origins of the company began in 1866 when John Walker established himself in business in Queen Street, Wigan making nuts, bolts and pit tubes for the local mining industry. With the help of his brother Thomas, a coal cutter was designed and patented, and more mining machinery was developed including air compressors for ventilation.
The business outgrew its premises, and 5 acres of land on the edge of the town known as “Page's Fields” were acquired and a factory built. Many fans were supplied to mines and civil engineering projects; including Severn Tunnel railway tunnel (fans operated continuously for 37 years), Mersey Railway tunnel, Central London Railway (later LT Central line), Blackwall and Rotherithe road tunnels.
The business traded as Walker Brothers, but when the first cars were built in 1904 they adopted the name “Pagefield”. Following a visit to the Darracq works in France, Walker Brothers decided to concentrate on heavier goods vehicles, most of the vehicles built before 1914 going to local outlets. Early vehicles had two cylinder engines, a top speed of 18 mph and solid tyres.
Pagefield produced their “N” type 2 ton chassis by 1911, up-rated to 3 tons shortly after. This was the first “subsidy” chassis approved by the War Office, and in the 1914-8 period the entire production of 519 went into war service.
When hostilities ceased, Pagefield encountered the same problems as other manufacturers — there was a huge glut of military surplus lorries on the market, so new vehicles were an indulgence for operators which they could easily do without. Industries were starting the decline which would lead eventually to the slump of the thirties.
Rescue came in the unlikely form of Southport Corporation. Much of the refuse collection by local councils was still horse powered at this time, which was fine for door to door collecting, probably better the motors; but much time was wasted getting back and forwards to refuse tips, which were usually on the outskirts of towns. “The Pagefield System” was developed for swapping bodies; the horses still pulling the refuse carts, but the bodies they transferred to a lorry for disposal, and returned emptied to the horse teams again. This important innovation was the forerunner of todays' modern disposal skip loaders and other disposal systems. The system was considerably successful with many supplied to Liverpool and London.
A 6 ton mobile crane, the “Monitor” was introduced in 1929 and ordered by railway and dock companies, and by 1930 a Gardner 4L2 diesel engine had been fitted to a Pagefield NG chassis, which covered over 100,000 miles in just over two years for Burton Transport. The company used the Gardner 4, 5, 6 and 8LW ranges of engines for its truck production, but after a visit from Frank Perkins around 1933, the Perkins diesel engine was the usual option specified. A petrol alternative offered was Meadows. It was around this period when Pagefield fell into line with other manufacturers and adopted the assembly of bought in components, rather than continue building everything themselves.
Commercial production continued to interest municipal operators, and by now refuse collection was in the hands of motor vehicles. The “P” theme of Pagefield continued with the names of new models with Paragon, Prodigy, Pegasus, Pompian, Paladin, Pathfinder, Plantagenet, and Pegasix (6 wheel version of Pegasus). Lyons Tea was an important customer, specifying Gardner engines and Park Royal cabs for its fleet of Paladin and Pegasix platform trucks. Company activities extended into diesel railcars, at least one being preserved in Ireland to this day.
During World War Two the company produced shells and some marine engines, and afterwards attention returned to refuse systems which had been started in 1938. The introduction of compaction systems, enabling greater load capacity, and the company operated the first bin lifting equipment, when adopted the earlier names used “Paladin”. These 1.25 ton round bins were ideal for ideal for blocks of flats. After Pagefield ceased the “Paladin” rights were snapped by Eagle of Warwick, which is now part of Dennis.
By 1947 control of the company had passed to Walmsley's of Bury, their business being paper machine engineers, and in 1948 the business merged as Walker & County Cars, the Jetka municipal body building coming from the latter. Paladin and Jetka systems were also fitted to other chassis. 10 Paragon chassis were supplied to Northern Coachbuilders and became Walker/NCB trolleybuses. From this the Smiths range of electric vehicles was eventually produced.
By 1966 Walker & County Cars had been disbanded.
