Jump to content

Granville Bradshaw: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→‎History: Discovered full page advert regarding Granville selling ABC motor cycle business to Sopwith and concentrating on design in 1918 (previous text said it was about 1920)
 
(19 intermediate revisions by 15 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox engineer
{{Infobox engineer
|image =
|image =
Line 22: Line 24:
}}
}}


'''Granville Eastwood Bradshaw''' [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]], [[Royal Aeronautical Society|AFRAeS]] (1887–1969) was an English engineer and inventor who designed motorcycle and aero-engines.
'''Granville Eastwood Bradshaw''' [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]], [[Royal Aeronautical Society|AFRAeS]] (1887–1969) was an English engineer and inventor who designed motorcycle, auto, and aero-engines.


==History==
==History==
Line 29: Line 31:
Bradshaw's early work was involved with the early pioneers of flight, which led him to become an expert on stressing. He designed the [[Star Monoplane]] including the engine for [[Star Aircraft]] when he was 19, which he later flew.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/Museum/Transport/planes/Star.htm|title=Star Aircraft |publisher=Wolverhampton History and Heritage |date=1921-02-14 |accessdate=2013-07-19}}</ref> He then started to work on aero-engines and was the co-founder of the All-British Engine Company (later [[ABC Motors]] then Walton Motors).
Bradshaw's early work was involved with the early pioneers of flight, which led him to become an expert on stressing. He designed the [[Star Monoplane]] including the engine for [[Star Aircraft]] when he was 19, which he later flew.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/Museum/Transport/planes/Star.htm|title=Star Aircraft |publisher=Wolverhampton History and Heritage |date=1921-02-14 |accessdate=2013-07-19}}</ref> He then started to work on aero-engines and was the co-founder of the All-British Engine Company (later [[ABC Motors]] then Walton Motors).


The ABC radial aero-engines designed and built during the First World War were extremely advanced and the government placed large orders for the [[ABC Dragonfly|Dragonfly]]. A number of aircraft were designed to use the Dragonfly, but the engines were plagued by problems and failed to live up to the promises. The design was taken over by the [[Royal Aircraft Establishment]] at [[Farnborough Airfield|Farnborough]] to try to resolve the issues, but with the end of the war, it was abandoned.
The ABC radial aero-engines designed and built during the First World War were extremely advanced and the government placed large orders for the [[ABC Dragonfly|Dragonfly]]. A number of aircraft were designed to use the Dragonfly, but the engines were plagued by problems and failed to live up to the promises. The design was taken over by the [[Royal Aircraft Establishment]] at [[Farnborough Airfield|Farnborough]] to try to resolve the issues, but with the end of the war, it was abandoned.


[[Image:British ABC WASP.jpg|right|thumb|A Wasp engine]]
[[File:British ABC WASP.jpg|right|thumb|A Wasp engine]]


He was appointed an [[Order of the British Empire|Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] for his war work in 1918.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1918/1918%20-%200641.html |title=Flight 13 June 1918 Birthday Honours for War Workers |publisher=Flight Global |date= |accessdate=2009-03-28}}</ref>
He was appointed an [[Order of the British Empire|Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] for his war work in 1918.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1918/1918%20-%200641.html |title=Flight 13 June 1918 Birthday Honours for War Workers |publisher=Flight Global |date= |accessdate=2009-03-28}}</ref>


At the end of 1918 it was announced<ref>ABC Motors Full Page Advert, Motor Cycle, 26th December 1918</ref> that ABC Motors Ltd had transferred its motor cycle manufacturing and selling rights to Sopwith Aviation Co Ltd, with Granville Bradshaw of ABC Motors Ltd concentrating on design. This allowed him to sell his designs to other companies. He designed a number of engines for [[Phelon & Moore|Panther motorcycles]]. He also designed motorcycle engines where the cylinder barrels were oil cooled, and these were made under licence by J Walmsley & Co (Preston) Ltd.<ref name="Walmsley">"Bradshaw Oil-Cooled Engines on the Market", The Motor Cycle, November 10th, 1921</ref> The flat-twin 500cc version of this engine was utilised from 1921 on the [[Zenith Motorcycles|Zenith-Bradshaw]] motorcycle. A single cylinder 348cc version was optional for [[OK-Supreme]], Sheffield-Henderson, [[Dot Cycle and Motor Manufacturing Company|Dot]], Orbit, and Coventry-Mascot in 1922<ref>"Olympia - A Review of 1923 models", The Motor Cycle, November 30th, 1922</ref>; and a 1100cc V-twin version of this oil-cooled engine was adopted for the [[Belsize Motors|Belsize]] light car<ref name="Walmsley"/>.
At the end of 1918 it was announced<ref>ABC Motors Full Page Advert, Motor Cycle, 26 December 1918</ref> that ABC Motors Ltd had transferred its motor cycle manufacturing and selling rights to [[Sopwith Aviation Company|Sopwith Aviation Co Ltd]], with Granville Bradshaw of ABC Motors Ltd concentrating on design. This allowed him to sell his designs to other companies. He designed a number of engines for [[Phelon & Moore|Panther motorcycles]]. He also designed motorcycle engines where the cylinder barrels were oil cooled, and these were made under licence by J Walmsley & Co (Preston) Ltd.<ref name="Walmsley">"Bradshaw Oil-Cooled Engines on the Market", The Motor Cycle, 10 November 1921</ref> The flat-twin 500cc version of this engine was utilised from 1921 on the [[Zenith Motorcycles|Zenith-Bradshaw]] motorcycle. A single cylinder 348cc version was optional for [[OK-Supreme]], Sheffield-Henderson, [[Dot Cycle and Motor Manufacturing Company|Dot]], Orbit, and Coventry-Mascot in 1922;<ref>"Olympia - A Review of 1923 models", The Motor Cycle, 30 November 1922</ref> and an 1100cc V-twin version of this oil-cooled engine was adopted for the [[Belsize Motors|Belsize]] light car.<ref name="Walmsley"/>


His biggest seller was selling patents for gambling machines, although he lost all the money he made in further business deals. He later concentrated on [[Swing-piston engine|torodial internal-combustion engines]]. Bradshaw produced a long list of inventions and designs, although very few achieved commercial success.
His biggest seller was selling patents for gambling machines, although he lost all the money he made in further business deals. He later concentrated on [[Swing-piston engine|toroidal internal-combustion engines]]. Bradshaw produced a long list of inventions and designs, although very few achieved commercial success.


A biography ''Granville Bradshaw: a flawed genius?'' by Barry Jones was published in 2008.
A biography ''Granville Bradshaw: a flawed genius?'' by Barry Jones was published in 2008.

==The Omega toroidal engine==

The Bradshaw engine was a type of [[swing-piston engine]] which had a single toroidal cylinder, containing four double-ended curved pistons. The pistons reciprocated in pairs, while the cylinder rotated around them, carrying around the spark plug and inlet/exhaust ports.


==Family==
==Family==
In 1911 he married Violet Elsie Partirdge in Wolverhampton. Violet petitioned for divorce in 1926.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=7&CATID=-3131299&FullDetails=True&j=1&Gsm=2008-08-08 |title=National Archives Petition for Divorce |publisher=[[The National Archives]] |accessdate=2009-03-28}}</ref> Bradshaw married again in 1927 to Muriel Mathieson in Kensington, London. He died in 1969 at Hitchin in Hertfordshire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%200834.html |title=Flight International |publisher=Flight Global |date=1969-05-08 |accessdate=2009-03-28}}</ref>
In 1911 he married Violet Elsie Partridge in Wolverhampton. Violet petitioned for divorce in 1926.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=7&CATID=-3131299&FullDetails=True&j=1&Gsm=2008-08-08 |title=National Archives Petition for Divorce |publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] |accessdate=2009-03-28}}</ref> Bradshaw married again in 1927 to Muriel Mathieson in Kensington, London. He died in 1969 at Hitchin in Hertfordshire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%200834.html |title=Flight International |publisher=Flight Global |date=1969-05-08 |accessdate=2009-03-28}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 49: Line 55:


==Notes==
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.realclassic.co.uk/books/granvillebradshaw.html Granville Bradshaw]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130527135428/http://www.realclassic.co.uk/books/granvillebradshaw.html Granville Bradshaw]

{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Bradshaw, Granville
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1887
| PLACE OF BIRTH = Preston, Lancashire, England
| DATE OF DEATH = 1969
| PLACE OF DEATH = Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradshaw, Granville}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradshaw, Granville}}
[[Category:1887 births]]
[[Category:1887 births]]
Line 68: Line 67:
[[Category:English aerospace engineers]]
[[Category:English aerospace engineers]]
[[Category:English aviators]]
[[Category:English aviators]]
⚫
[[Category:English engineers]]
⚫
[[Category:English inventors]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People from Preston, Lancashire]]
[[Category:Engineers from Preston, Lancashire]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century British inventors]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century British engineers]]

Latest revision as of 15:27, 23 May 2022

Granville Eastwood Bradshaw
Born1887
Preston, Lancashire, England
Died1969
Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationEngineer
ParentWilliam & Annie Bradshaw
Engineering career
InstitutionsRoyal Aeronautical Society
Practice nameABC Motors
ProjectsMotorcycle and Aero-engines
AwardsOfficer of the Order of the British Empire

Granville Eastwood Bradshaw OBE, AFRAeS (1887–1969) was an English engineer and inventor who designed motorcycle, auto, and aero-engines.

History

[edit]

Bradshaw was born in Preston, Lancashire in 1887 as the son of William and Annie Bradshaw. His father was a jeweler and optician.

Bradshaw's early work was involved with the early pioneers of flight, which led him to become an expert on stressing. He designed the Star Monoplane including the engine for Star Aircraft when he was 19, which he later flew.[1] He then started to work on aero-engines and was the co-founder of the All-British Engine Company (later ABC Motors then Walton Motors).

The ABC radial aero-engines designed and built during the First World War were extremely advanced and the government placed large orders for the Dragonfly. A number of aircraft were designed to use the Dragonfly, but the engines were plagued by problems and failed to live up to the promises. The design was taken over by the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough to try to resolve the issues, but with the end of the war, it was abandoned.

A Wasp engine

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his war work in 1918.[2]

At the end of 1918 it was announced[3] that ABC Motors Ltd had transferred its motor cycle manufacturing and selling rights to Sopwith Aviation Co Ltd, with Granville Bradshaw of ABC Motors Ltd concentrating on design. This allowed him to sell his designs to other companies. He designed a number of engines for Panther motorcycles. He also designed motorcycle engines where the cylinder barrels were oil cooled, and these were made under licence by J Walmsley & Co (Preston) Ltd.[4] The flat-twin 500cc version of this engine was utilised from 1921 on the Zenith-Bradshaw motorcycle. A single cylinder 348cc version was optional for OK-Supreme, Sheffield-Henderson, Dot, Orbit, and Coventry-Mascot in 1922;[5] and an 1100cc V-twin version of this oil-cooled engine was adopted for the Belsize light car.[4]

His biggest seller was selling patents for gambling machines, although he lost all the money he made in further business deals. He later concentrated on toroidal internal-combustion engines. Bradshaw produced a long list of inventions and designs, although very few achieved commercial success.

A biography Granville Bradshaw: a flawed genius? by Barry Jones was published in 2008.

The Omega toroidal engine

[edit]

The Bradshaw engine was a type of swing-piston engine which had a single toroidal cylinder, containing four double-ended curved pistons. The pistons reciprocated in pairs, while the cylinder rotated around them, carrying around the spark plug and inlet/exhaust ports.

Family

[edit]

In 1911 he married Violet Elsie Partridge in Wolverhampton. Violet petitioned for divorce in 1926.[6] Bradshaw married again in 1927 to Muriel Mathieson in Kensington, London. He died in 1969 at Hitchin in Hertfordshire.[7]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "Star Aircraft". Wolverhampton History and Heritage. 14 February 1921. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Flight 13 June 1918 Birthday Honours for War Workers". Flight Global. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
  3. ^ ABC Motors Full Page Advert, Motor Cycle, 26 December 1918
  4. ^ a b "Bradshaw Oil-Cooled Engines on the Market", The Motor Cycle, 10 November 1921
  5. ^ "Olympia - A Review of 1923 models", The Motor Cycle, 30 November 1922
  6. ^ "National Archives Petition for Divorce". The National Archives. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
  7. ^ "Flight International". Flight Global. 8 May 1969. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Granville_Bradshaw&oldid=1089399361"