W Hurst & Son (IW) Ltd

COMPANY PROFILE

The company was started by Charles Wheeler in 1859 as a foundry concentrating on agricultural implement manufacture, servicing and repair for the Islands booming farming industry. It was based at Pan Foundry, near the old mill at Pan Bridge and also acted as agent for D.M. Osbourne & Co.s celebrated Kirby mowers and reapers. In 1886 Charles Wheeler purchased 33 Holyrood Street, which remains Hursts main Island premises to this day. It was originally the Primitive Methodist Chapel and the original flagstones from the church forecourt still form part of the flooring in the toolshop. The foundry was moved to Sea Street at this time and the Holyrood store set up as offices and showroom for the sale of ironware and other products cast at the foundry. In 1891 William Hurst joined the company and the present name was adopted. The stock included a range of products from fencing and gates to furnace bars and bakers oven works. Kitchen ranges and troughs lined one wall while larger agricultural machinery such as steam and horse-powered chaff cutters, mills, separators, ploughs and harrows filled the showroom. Various workshops were equipped for their different purposes with iron and brass foundries turning out castings of all descriptions, shapes and sizes. The business passed from the Hurst family on the death of William in 1950 and is now a limited company. One of the mainstays of the company was the supply and servicing of milking machines for the Islands 200-plus dairy herds and up until the 1960s, it continued to trade almost solely with the farming community. It also operated as a blacksmiths with three farriers shoeing shire horses from the prison and paring cart-oxens hooves.

BUSINESS INFORMATION