Joseph Whitworth's erecting shop at his engineering works, Manchester, 1853. Whitworth's sales had just increased fourfold following his display of machines at the 1851 Great Exhibition.
Image: Manchester Archives & Local Studies
Joseph Whitworth
Joseph Whitworth (1803-1887) was born in Stockport, Cheshire. Following his mechanical training in Lancashire, in 1826 he started two years' work for Henry Maudslay.
Returning to Manchester, Whitworth built a reputation as 'the world's best mechanician'. His built everything from armaments to street-cleaning machines, to great acclaim: Prince Albert visited his works several times.
Whitworth made a sizable fortune, and used some of this to establish the Whitworth Scholarships, ensuring that young engineers' skills could continue to be developed today.
