History of Escol
Escol Products Limited ~ Company History
Escol Products Limited, a member of the Stewart & Gray Group of Companies, is the longest commercially established frit manufacturer in the United Kingdom and a leading supplier of frits and oxides for vitreous enamelling worldwide.
The original Company J F Stewart was established in 1919 with manufacturing facilities in Stratford, London, England. It was founded by William Thomason, whose pioneering work in introducing leadless enamels into the ceramic industry paved the way for the production of leadless frits for vitreous enamelling.
During the late 1920s, J F Stewart worked closely with J Gray & Sons, who were specialist engineers servicing the enamelling industry. It was at this time that Escol was first used, a name which subsequently became the registered trade mark.
In 1933 following continual increasing demand for Escol frits the company moved to a new site in Tooting, London where they retained a presence for the next thirty seven years.
In 1942 J F Stewart amalgamated with J Gray & Sons to form Stewart & Gray Limited.
In 1945 with the expansion of the vitreous enamelling industry Stewart & Gray quickly became one of the largest contract enamellers in the country, specialising in the enamelling of cast iron and steel. Frit manufacture also grew rapidly, particularly for overseas markets and in 1955 a separate specialist company Escol Products Limited, was formed for the manufacture and sale of frits, oxides and miscellaneous materials.
By the early 1960s, the Tooting site had become too small to accommodate both companies and as a result of this, in 1964, Escol Products Limited moved to a new purpose built factory in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. Stewart & Gray continued for a while in London developing their expertise particularly in the growing use of vitreous enamelled architectural building panels.
Stewart & Gray Limited remains a family-owned and managed company and acts as the holding organisation for the group.
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