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Sharp, Stewart and Company

Logo: Das48, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons3

British locomotive manufacturer, 1852–1903

Sharp, Stewart and Company was a steam locomotive manufacturer, originally based in Manchester, England. The company was established in 1843 following the dissolution of Sharp, Roberts & Co. In 1888, it relocated to Glasgow, Scotland, where it later amalgamated with two other Glasgow-based locomotive manufacturers to form the North British Locomotive Company.2 It was founded by Richard Roberts.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1843Founded1
  • Industrylocomotive manufacturing1
  • HeadquartersManchester1
  • Founded inManchester1

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Sharp, Stewart and Company was a steam locomotive manufacturer, originally based in Manchester, England. The company was established in 1843 following the dissolution of Sharp, Roberts & Co.. In 1888, it relocated to Glasgow, Scotland, where it later amalgamated with two other Glasgow-based locomotive manufacturers to form the North British Locomotive Company.2

Corporate structure

Sharp, Stewart and Company sits at the top of its group. 2 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

Founded by Richard Roberts in 1843, in Manchester.1

Iron merchant Thomas Sharp and mechanical engineer Richard Roberts first formed a partnership, Sharp, Roberts & Co. (about which, see also company section in article on Roberts), to manufacture textile machinery and machine tools. They opened the Atlas Works in Manchester in 1828.

They had built a few stationary steam engines, and in 1833 built a locomotive, Experiment for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. It was a four-wheeled 2-2-0 with vertical cylinders over the leading wheels. After a number of modifications, three similar locomotives (Britannia, Manchester, and Hibernia) were built in 1834 for the Dublin and Kingstown Railway. Although they were relatively fast, the vertical cylinders meant they were too hard on the track at speed.

However, in 1834 Charles Beyer also joined the firm and contributed to its success in locomotive building as Roberts soon delegated most of the locomotive design work to him. A new 2-2-2 design was soon produced with horizontal inside cylinders under the smokebox and additional bearings to support the crank axle. Around 600 of these Sharp Single locomotives were built between 1837 and 1857. Ten of the first were sold to the Grand Junction Railway, with the "Sharpies" becoming a standard to compare with the "Bury" engines.

From Wikipedia’s article on Sharp, Stewart and Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Leadership

Who has led Sharp, Stewart and Company, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Products and brands

  • locomotive

Listed on Wikidata.1

Subsidiaries and ownership

Subsidiaries

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1903Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1843Founded Founded in Manchester1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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