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Private company

Fielding & Platt

Hydraulic engineering firm

Fielding & Platt (founded October 1866) was a firm of hydraulic engineers who were an important part of the manufacturing sector in Gloucester until the 1990s. Started by two Lancashire men, Samuel Fielding (died 1874) and James Platt, the firm exploited the portable hydraulic riveting technology of Ralph Hart Tweddell to build a business that exported hydraulic machinery worldwide. Apart from the wide range of items made, the firm was particularly noted for the quality and long life of their products.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1866Founded1

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Fielding & Platt advert April 1870
Photo: Fielding & Platt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

Fielding & Platt (founded October 1866) was a firm of hydraulic engineers who were an important part of the manufacturing sector in Gloucester until the 1990s. Started by two Lancashire men, Samuel Fielding (died 1874) and James Platt, the firm exploited the portable hydraulic riveting technology of Ralph Hart Tweddell to build a business that exported hydraulic machinery worldwide. Apart from the wide range of items made, the firm was particularly noted for the quality and long life of their products.2

The story

In 1874 Samuel Fielding died and his two sons, James and John Fielding, became joint junior partners with James Platt. The company was expanding rapidly at this time, building new equipment and registering patents. The firm built furnaces, hydraulic presses, travelling cranes, and machinery for processing girders. In 1874 they made a 900 ton flanging press. The firm won awards for its equipment at Philadelphia (1876), Paris (1878) and London (1880). A wide range of steam and oil engines were developed.

The firm worked on the construction of Blackpool Tower.

From Wikipedia’s article on Fielding & Platt, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1866Founded Founded1

Sources

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