Ewbank is a brand of mechanical

carpet sweeper A carpet sweeper is a mechanical device for the cleaning of carpets. They were popular before the introduction of the vacuum cleaner and have been largely superseded by them. However, they continue to be used in many home and commercial applicat ...

s sold in the United Kingdom since the 19th century. Originally owned by Entwisle and Kenyon Ltd, it is now owned by Earlex Ltd.

History

Founded in

Accrington Accrington is a town in the Hyndburn borough of Lancashire, England. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, east of Preston, north of Manchester and is situated on the culverted River Hyndburn. Commonly abbreviated by locals to ...

, Lancashire, the company has its origins in an 1864 company founded by John Ramsbottom and George Hacking, which made water meters.Crossley, Richard Shaw & Ainsworth, Richard (2013) ''Accrington Through the 19th Century'', Robert Cunliffe, , p. 110 They were joined by John Haworth, James Entwisle, and James Kenyon, and when the founders retired the company was renamed Entwisle and Kenyon Limited. Entwisle & Kenyon started making washing machines around 1875, and also manufactured

mangle Mangle can refer to: * Mangle (machine), a mechanical laundry aid consisting of two rollers * Box mangle, an earlier laundry mangle using rollers and a heavy weight * Mangled packet, in computing * Mangrove, woody trees or shrubs * Name mangling, ...

s.Gantz, Carroll (2012) ''The Vacuum Cleaner: A History'', McFarland and Co Inc, , p. 33 While one of the company's representatives, Richard Walton Kenyon, was in the United States in 1882 to source wooden blocks for mangles, he visited a carpet sweeper factory in Chicago, and saw the potential for the product, which was already popular in the US, in the UK. Kenyon designed the first Ewbank branded carpet sweeper, which went on sale in 1889. It became the most popular product of its type in Britain, where carpet sweeping became known as "ewbanking". The 'Ewbank' name came from the Ewbank area of

, where the factory was located. Sweepers were produced in several models including 'Standard', 'Parlour Queen', and even miniature versions for children. Ewbank became a major manufacturer of floor-care products after World War II, including carpet shampooers, selling both in the UK and via export internationally."Entwisle and Kenyon Limited", ''Statist'', Volume 179, p. 752, 1963 Originally using metal casing, the sweepers were made from

Novodur Lustran and Novodur are trade names for various types of styrenic resins (ABS, ASA, SMA) owned by INEOS Styrolution, which is part of INEOS. These resins are used mainly for housings and covers requiring good toughness, strength, stiffness, chem ...

in the mid-1970s."Ewbank Sweeps the Field with Novodur", ''Engineering Materials and Design'', Volume 19, p. 33 By the mid-1970s Ewbank was owned by Prestige. In 2003, the company was purchased by Earlex Ltd. In November 2013 the company became independent again and has since opened subsidiary companies in the US and Hong Kong. The company still produces carpet sweepers and shampooers but has now moved into cordless vacuum cleaners, 2 in 1 vacuum cleaners, steam cleaners, UVC bed cleaners and the number one selling product now is their floor polisher/scrubber.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ewbank (Company) Companies established in 1864 Home appliance manufacturers of the United Kingdom Vacuum cleaner manufacturers British brands Companies based in Surrey Godalming