History
“You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do”
Henry Ford

1878 |
Thomas W Ward starts his business delivering coal in a hand cart around Sheffield |
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1898 |
His Brothers join the business expanding into Scrap Ship Breaking and Machinery |
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1903 |
Move into Albion Works just off the Wicker in Sheffield |
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1916 |
As all the Company’s Horses are sent to the Western front …Lizzie an Indian Elephant is used for pulling wagons, the chairman’s roses that year were spectacular |
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1942 |
The Company is involved in “recovery work “on the German Battleship “Admiral Graff Spee” |
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1956 |
The first Generating sets are built at Albion Works |
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1960 |
Thos W Ward has become a multi-national conglomerate with over 120 associated companies with a turnover exceeding £300,000,000 |
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1972 |
Bob Linley joins the Company ill fitting flared trousers kipper ties and moustaches are essential work wear for the go getting salesman |
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1974 |
The trade name WARDPOWER is established covering a range of generating sets 25-1000 KVA |
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1975 |
WARDPOWER generating sets are exported worldwide. 72 countries so far and counting. |
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1978 |
A 725 KVA Dorman generating set is the main exhibit at the Centenary show celebrating 100 years of trading |
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1983 |
Thos W Ward PLC is taken over by Rio Tinto Zinc |
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1987 |
Bob Linley John Pascoe and Trevor Savage together with 3i’s and Tom Campbell carry out a Buyout of the Wardpower generating set division, the new Company is called Sheafpower ltd and it is established at Wardpower Works Wicker lane |
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1991 |
The Company’s emphasis is on bespoke purpose built power generation systems |
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1998 |
Wins major projects with IBM and Vodafone |
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2001 |
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2007 |
Several “type registrations “for National Grid are achieved together with numerous quality and management accreditations |
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2015 |
Wardpower are the longest established designers and builders of Power generation systems in the united kingdom |
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We are asked frequently “what’s the tie up between Wardpower and Sheafpower, hopefully the information above will help explain, following the buyout in 1987, we were not allowed us to use the Name Wardpower in our title for 5 years, that’s the reason for Sheafpower, Sheaf is the river that gives Sheffield its name, nowadays our organisation is promoted as Wardpower we own the trade name.