A brief history of the company
Stringer & Co was founded in 1876
by John Charles Stringer (b1854 d1937).
The firm was primarily an engineering company specialising in the production of
crankshafts for both commercial vehicles and aircraft. This earned John Charles
the nickname of 'Mr
Crankshaft' and was used by his colleagues in engineering. According to a letterhead of
the time they produced; Steel and Iron Forgings (in the rough, part machined or
fished complete), Steel and Malleable Iron Castings, Crucible Cast Steel and
also Machine Tools, Files Saws Tools etc and Boiler Tube ferrules
Stringer & Co (Sheffield) Ltd was made public
on 21 December 1912 with it's principal activities stated as 'To acquire and
take over as a going concern and carry on the business of Steel Manufacture and
Merchant and Motor Car Manufacture and Engineer now carried on by Stringer &
Co.'. The initial majority shareholders were John Charles and his wife Emma
Jane. His daughter Mabel Alice and the Company Secretary (George Bullock, the
car's designer) having a nominal holding of 1 share each.
It is believed the flotation occurred after the original
firm/John Charles were made bankrupt.
A letterhead from 1939 claims the company to be 'On Admiralty
and Air Ministry Lists' and used a logo of 'Winco Special Steels' together with
a picture of a
crankshaft.
John Charles was helped with the running of the company by his daughter
Mabel Alice (b1879 d1973, never married) who continued to run the company after her father's
death (Obituary) until it was sold.
The company was sold to another (large) Sheffield
engineering concern, the Neepsend Steel & Tool Company, in 1955.
There is recollection of a brass plaque
inscribed 1888 outside the company premises, Wincobank Steel Works in the east
of Sheffield. It can only be assumed that this relates to the date of the
building. The East side of Sheffield was (and still is) the heart of
Sheffield Engineering.
The company is listed in White’s Directory of
Sheffield and Rotherham (1901) as E J Stringer & Co at 3 Fowler
Street (Wincobank) Sheffield. Presumably named after John Charles wife,
Emma Jane. It is known that John Charles had financial
difficulties and these may have necessitated placing affairs in his
wife's name. This address is also listed as his home address and his
occupation as Manager.
Mr Stringer purchased a house in Standon Road, Wincobank, Sheffield
in the early part of
the 20th century (probably just before the time of the company flotation). This home was
just 300 yards (280 metres) from the factory. He
lived there until his death. At some point Mabel bought a house close to her
fathers. She lived there until after the sale of the factory when she moved to a
substantial property in an affluent suburb of Sheffield. Mabel's Wincobank house
was subsequently demolished and a number of houses built on the site.
The only other member of Mr Stringer's family known to work for
the company was his nephew (also called John Charles Stringer). He, and his
family, lived across the road from 'Mr. Crankshaft'.
There is record of the company not only
producing cars but also, during the early 1920s, the Winco Motorcycle.
More information can be found here.
