Thornycroft was an English vehicle manufacturer which built coaches,

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

es, and trucks from 1896 until 1977.

History

In 1896, naval engineer John Isaac Thornycroft formed the Thornycroft Steam Carriage and Van Company which built its first steam van. This was exhibited at the Crystal Palace Show, and could carry a load of 1 ton. It was fitted with a Thornycroft marine launch-type boiler (Thornycroft announced a new boiler designed for its steam carriages in October 1897). The engine was a twin-cylinder compound engine arranged so that high-pressure steam could be admitted to the low-pressure cylinder to give extra power for hill-climbing. A modified version of the steam wagon with a 6-cubic-yard tipper body was developed for

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...

council in 1896 and went into service as a very early self-propelled dust-cart. While the original 1896 wagon had front-wheel drive with rear-wheel steering, the tipper dust-cart had rear-wheel drive and front-wheel steering. The Thornycroft tipper was built by the

Bristol Wagon & Carriage Works The Bristol Wagon & Carriage Works was a manufacturer of railway carriages and wagons, agricultural machinery and stationary engines, based in Bristol. History In 1851, Albert Fry and John Fowler acquired Stratton & Hughes, a coachbuilding fi ...

, though engined by Thornycroft. Thornycroft's first petrol vehicle was built in 1902, and the company completed the move into internal combustion engine power in 1907. Thornycroft's

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...

factory supplied nearly 5,000 motor vehicles for the World War I effort. It also provided large numbers of engines of various powers to the Admiralty, War Office and other government departments at the beginning of the war and for the next two years. Thereafter the Basingstoke factory manufactured marine engines for the Coastal Motor Boats being built at the John I. Thornycroft & Company works in Woolston, Southampton. The 180HP 6-cyclinder Thornycroft marine engine was also used in 20 petrol shunters made for war use by Manning Wardle & Co. Thornycroft also made the Thornycroft depth-charge thrower for anti-submarine warfare. In 1924, the War Office, anticipating the immediate need for motorised transport in the event of another war, set up a subsidy scheme whereby purchasers of approved vehicles would receive a £120 subsidy per vehicle with the proviso that the War Office could buy the vehicles at a pre-arranged price when needed. The Thornycroft A1 chassis was chosen for this scheme. From 1931, Thornycroft used descriptive names for its vehicle range. During World War II the company designed the Terrapin and other war-related vehicles. In 1948, the company name was changed to Transport Equipment (Thornycroft) Ltd to prevent confusion with the shipbuilding Thornycroft company. The company was well known for providing fire engine chassis, with multi-axle drive for uses such as airports. A limited number of 4x4 chassis were also provided to Worcester-based fire engine manufacturer, Carmichael for sale to civilian brigades in the 1950s. Thornycroft was taken over on 1 March 1961 by AEC parent

Associated Commercial Vehicles Associated Commercial Vehicles (ACV) was a holding company formed on 1 October 1948 when Associated Equipment Company purchased Crossley Motors and Maudslay Motor Company. In 1949 ACV took control of coachbuilding firm Park Royal Vehicles, along ...

(ACV), with production limited to Antars, Big Bens and Nubians, although the Thornycroft-designed six-speed constant mesh gearbox was used in AEC and later medium weight

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...

and Leyland trucks. ACV was taken over by Leyland in 1962. Leyland already had a specialist vehicle unit in Scammell. Vehicle production at Basingstoke ceased in 1969 with production transferred to Scammell at Watford. The factory continued to manufacture gearboxes. It was sold in 1972 to

Eaton Corporation Eaton Corporation plc is an American-Irish multinational power management company with 2021 sales of $19.63 billion, founded in the United States with global headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and a secondary administrative center in Beachwood, ...

.Thornycroft to leave Basingstoke
''Commercial Motor'' 12 January 1973 page 28

Models

Bus and coach

*Type J *Beautyride *Boudicea *Cygnet (Single Deck) *Daring (Double Deck) *Lightning *Nippy *Patrician

Lorry

1959 Thornycroft Swift GL JR6 (4868698532)

1960 Thornycroft Trident (WGP) (33360641336)

* Type J 40 hp, 1913 * Type K 30 hp, 1913 * Hathi, 1924 – four-wheel drive artillery tractor for the army * A1 Subsidy, 1924 * A1 RSW / A3 RSW, – an off-road capable rigid six-wheeler to an army specification, 1926 * QC / Dreadnought, 1930 – 12 ton rigid six-wheel chassis. *Hardy *Dandy *Sturdy - 5/6 tonner *Trusty - 8 ton forward control 4 wheeler *Bullfinch *Strenuous *Mastiff *Tartar 3-ton 6x4, both civilian & military versions and production (3,000 - 4,000) between 1938 and 1945. : (see

Thornycroft Bison The Bison was an Improvised fighting vehicle frequently characterised as a mobile pillbox. Bisons were produced in Britain during the invasion crisis of 1940-1941. Based on a number of different lorry chassis, it featured a fighting compartment ...

for an unusual variant) *Taurus *Iron Duke *Amazon *Stag *Bulldog *Jupiter - 6.5 ton *Nubian – 3-ton vehicle available as 4 x 4, 6 x 4, 6 x 6 *Big Ben * Antar – 85-ton – 6 x 4 pipeline and tank transporter *Swift *Trident

References

External links

Image of a Thornycroft Steam Wagon from around 1904'Thornycroft of Basingstoke'
- (Hampshire Cultural Trust) - extensive coverage of history and vehicles
Thornycroft vehicle preservation groupThorneycroft Classic Motor HistoryYoutube video of an existing Thorneycroft rifle in the Royal Armories in Leeds, England
{{Automotive industry in the United Kingdom Defunct bus manufacturers of the United Kingdom Defunct truck manufacturers of the United Kingdom Former defence companies of the United Kingdom Military vehicle manufacturers Associated Equipment Company Steam wagon manufacturers Steam road vehicle manufacturers Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1896 Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1977 1896 establishments in England 1977 disestablishments in England British companies established in 1896 British companies disestablished in 1977