LATCH & BATCHELOR LTD

Company Profile

James Horsfall moved his wire mill from the centre of Birmingham to Hay Mills (a disused sword factory) in 1856. He had already achieved fame with his revolutionary heat treatment process for wire in 1853 and was granted Letters of Patent by Queen Victoria. His process is still known as "patenting" throughout the World. He was also the originator of the term "Plough" steel, a wire grade made especially for a Plough manufacturer in Leeds.

In 1864 James was favoured with the whole wire order for the Atlantic Telegraph Cable - 1600 tons to be delivered within twelve months. He received a repeat order the following year when the cable was lost in the final stages of laying it. The new cable was successfully laid by SS Great Eastern in 1866, the operation taking fourteen days.

What was of particular interest to rope engineers was that wire rope manufactured from Horsfall's patent steel wire proved the only material capable of lifting and recovering the original cable lost two miles down in the depths of the ocean.

It was thus a natural progression into the manufacture of steel wire rope some years later when his son Henry was approached by T C Batchelor to developed and perfect his inventions for Locked Coil and subsequently Flattened Strand ropes.

Latch and Batchelor was formed in 1884 on part of the Hay Mills site.

Whilst the Flattened Strand rope proved an instant success due to its abrasion resistant and compact construction - coupled with a high breaking load, such was not the case with Locked Coil.

Not only was it difficult to manufacture - requiring specially designed machinery - but the cost of converting installations to accommodate this revolutionary design in many cases was prohibitive. Our early record books bear many a testament to expensive failures and say much for Arthur Latch's perseverance.

Due to its smooth outer layer Locked Coil's popularity came with increasing use in Aerial ropeways and eventually it's unexpected yet excellent non spinning properties and high breaking strength to weight ratio were recognized by the mining industry and adopted world wide.

In the early 1900's Latch and Batchelor Ltd gave considerable assistance to research being carried out by their Welsh agent, Becker, on the subject of rope attachments. Becker subsequently was granted a patent for his interlocking wedge type rope cappel and the Reliance Rope Attachment Company was formed.

Locked Coil development continued with the advent of the half-lock Colliery Guide ropes and more use made of galvanized wires.

The company was one of the first to come under direct Government control in both World Wars. In the 1914-1918 war we were the sole manufacturer of shell fuse spring wire for example, producing 80,260 miles, according to our records, along with anti-submarine netting, mine, aircraft and balloon cables.

The works did not fare so well in the 1939-1945 conflict receiving several direct hits during air raids. The main crane in the rope mill still shudders half-way down the shop caused by slight track misalignment from this time.

The virtual extinction of Britain's core manufacturing industries and mining caused us to re-focus our entire manufacturing operation at Hay Mills in the 1980's. As a result we now concentrate on manufacturing a variety of specialist mining ropes for the export market as well as stocking, servicing and trading a wide range of high quality ropes & attachments for numerous applications.