Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon, known as Gilkes, is an English

hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...

engineering company based in

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...

, Cumbria, founded in 1853. The company makes hydropower

turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating e ...

s and engine cooling

pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they u ...

s. One of the company's notable products is the

Turgo turbine The Turgo turbine is an impulse water turbine designed for medium head applications. Operational Turgo turbines achieve efficiencies of about 87%. In factory and lab tests Turgo turbines perform with efficiencies of up to 90%. It works with net h ...

, invented in 1919 by Eric Crewdson whose grandson Charles Crewdson

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

is, the company chairman.

History

In 1853 two brothers named Williamson established a company at Canal Head,

. The first turbine they built in 1856 was installed at Holmescales Farm at

Old Hutton Old Hutton is a village in South Lakeland, Cumbria, England. It is in the civil parish of Old Hutton and Holmescales In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 357, increasing at the 2011 census to 417. The parish church, dedicated to ...

and powered farm machinery there for more than a century. This, the "Williamson Bros Vortex Turbine No. 1", survives and is in the collection of

Lakeland Arts Lakeland Arts is an English charitable company, successor to the Lakeland Arts Trust (founded 1957), based in the Lake District. It operates Blackwell The Arts & Crafts House near Windermere, Abbot Hall Art Gallery and the Museum of Lakeland L ...

; it was part of the

Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry The Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry, formerly the Museum of Lakeland Life and sometimes abbreviated to MOLLI, is a local museum in Kendal, Cumbria, northwest England.

in Kendal, closed during redevelopment of Abbot Hall. In 1881 Gilbert Gilkes (1845-1924) bought Williamson Brothers, and remained the company chairman until 1920, when he was succeeded by his nephew, Norman Forster Wilson (born 1869). In 1932 the company acquired James Gordon & Co, and became Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon. Portwood mills water turbine 6617

Gilkes Energy was formed as a subsidiary in 2010 and works in

project development Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process. Th ...

Recognition

The company holds a

Royal warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

as "Water Turbine Engineers" to

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. In 2010 the company was awarded The Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade (Export).

References

External links

* * Companies based in Cumbria Kendal Engineering companies of England Manufacturing companies established in 1853 British companies established in 1853 Water turbine manufacturers {{UK-manufacturing-company-stub