Lancashire Lantern
Lancashire Lantern: Lancashire Pioneers
Part of the Lancashire Lantern network, the Pioneers gives details of people who were famous local people in science, technology and innovation. These pioneers were either born in Lancashire or their endeavours made a significant contribution to the development of the County.
William Windle Pilkington - His work at Pilkington Brothers
At 18 he left school and started work in the offices of the family glassworks. From the very beginning he was interested in the practical side of glassmaking and became a skilled engineer. He was held in high regard by the workers who believed that "Mr Windle could do owt" and turned to him at any time of day or night to solve their problems.
He proved himself as an inventor of marked ability by taking out 34 patents between 1869 and 1913.
One of his most significant inventions in 1871 was a machine attached to a compressed air supply that took over the functions of supporting, swinging and rotating thereby enabling even larger sheets of glass to be made.
Other improvements included the introduction of electrical equipment such as cranes and grinding benches. In 1904 he installed a lehr which would anneal glass continuously thus reducing annealing time from 4 weeks to 4 days.
In 1863 William Windle became a partner of the company and was Technical Director and Chairman from 1898 - 1914.
It can be said that William Windle's many patents provided the technological background for the future developments in float glass that gave Pilkington Brothers international supremacy.
He was known as one of the foremost captains of industry in Lancashire providing employment for between 12000 to 14000 workers.
Every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in the Lancashire Lantern Website is correct and up to date. However, Lancashire County Council does not accept liability for any loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any inaccuracy or omissions within these pages. Read the full disclaimer.