Garrett 10 Ton Steam Roller Serial No: 34084 1922
"Baroness" 1922 Garrett CD Steam Roller Serial No: 34084. Built in February 1922 by R. Garrett and Sons of Leiston, Suffolk, for Suffolk County Council who used it mainly in the Ipswitch area until the early 1950s after which it was sold to Sligo & Harrison of Lowestoft. By 1960 it was in the ownership of Potter Bro's. Norfolk. Now fully restored, she is now owned by John Millington of Audlem, Cheshire and travels to numerous events throughout the summer under her own steam. R. Garrett and Sons built nearly 400 steam rollers between 1898 and 1928, most of them for export. The Garrett family lived in Suffolk since the 14th century, the firm of R. Garrett and Sons traces its origin to the arrival of Richard Garrett in Leiston in 1778, when he acquired a blacksmith's shop and forge. His grandson, Richard Garrett III, was in charge of the business by 1836 and promoted a rapid expansion, especially of the manufacture of agricultural machinery for export. The firm became a limited company in 1897. At its peak, there was a workforce of over 2,000 and in 1913 a new works adjoining Leiston railway station was built to increase capacity. Despite a serious fire in 1913, the old Town Works site continued in use. Repudiation of foreign debts by the Russian government in 1919 precipitated a financial crisis and forced Garretts into a merger with eleven other firms, the consortium trading as 'Agricultural and General Engineers' with a headquarters at Aldwych House, London. Attempts to diversify from traditional steam traction and agricultural engineering into electric (later motor) vehicles and machine tools were only partially successful; Agricultural and General Engineers went into Receivership in 1932 and the Garrett business was then purchased by Beyer, Peacock and Co Ltd of Gorton, Manchester. Further changes of ownership took place in 1976 and 1980; part of the Station Works remained active until 1985 when final closure took place. |