Company History

Queen Victoria had completed just about a third of her long reign when Thomas Manners founded this company in 1860, the American Civil War was still four years away and the Wright brothers hadn’t even been born. We point this out merely to give an impression of the great sense of history that exists here and the fact that the same old-fashioned pride in craftsmanship upon which the company was founded still exists today.

Under Thomas’s careful guidance the company prospered and during the First World War contributed a number of men to the war effort, including his son Robert. The company also ‘did its bit’ by building wings for fighter aircraft such as the famous Sopwith Camel and SE5. Shortly before the end of the First World War Thomas finally retired and handed over the reins of the business to Robert.

Having been gassed in the trenches, Robert suffered ill-health and was eventually forced to bring in his son, Brian, to head the company. Brian, a qualified accountant, had spent a good part of the Second World War training fighter pilots. He soon found that the foundations which his father and grandfather had laid stood him in good stead and the company continued to prosper.

In the late ‘1970’s, Brian, considering his own retirement brought in his son, Robert, our current MD. Robert, a qualified civil engineer, brought a modern dynamic approach to the business. The 1980’s and ‘90’s again brought expansion which continues to the present day, this necessitated the relocation, in 2005, from our original Victorian premises into our new modern offices and workshops.