What’s in a name – Dowlais?
Shares in a listed British car parts manufacturer surged this week on the LSE when they accepted a takeover by American Axle and Manufacturing.
Not something normally worthy in a blog about tourism and tour guiding in Wales you might think. However, the name of the company being taken over was Dowlais plc – a name with a Welsh connection, in fact one which goes back centuries to the early days of the Industrial Revolution, and Wales’ part in that. And as a driver guide in Wales it’s something I’m acutely aware of.
At the end of the 18 century, Britain was the iron making capital of the world. The majority of British iron was in fact made in Wales, and the majority of Welsh iron was made in the town of Merthyr Tydfil in South East Wales. There were four major iron works in the town, Penydarren, Plymouth, Cyfarthfa and (you guessed it!) Dowlais. This made Merthyr the iron capital of the world. Small wonder that Nelson visited the town before Trafalgar as he knew his cannon balls all came from Merthyr iron. The Cyfarthfa and Dowlais ironworks were the two largest in the world, and one or other (they kept leap-frogging each other) held the position of largest for many decades. In the end only Dowlais that made the transition in the mid 1800s to switch to steel, whereas Cyfarthfa never made that investment and closed completely.
In time, the Dowlais iron works expanded into other enterprises, and the family name (Guest) became Guest Keen Nettlefolds, later abbreviated to the British company GKN. This then became part of Melrose Industries PLC, but when Melrose spun out the car parts division, they named it Dowlais plc in a nod to GKN’s heritage. Whether the name will survive remains to be seen, but hopefully some top executive in American Axle reads this blog and at least gives it some thought! You never know!
As this illustrates, the industrial heritage of Wales, the world’s FIRST industrialised nation, is extensive and varied, and covers iron, steel, copper, coal, slate and lead. As a driver guide, and the son of a mining engineer, it’s always a treat for me on guided tours of Wales to explain her industrial heritage, and how it shaped both her people and her landscape. You need only think of” How green was my Valley” – a film that won the 1941 Academy Award for best picture!
Although it’s American Axle who’ve taken over, on my tours I’m limited to just two on my licensed vehicle! But if they ever do need replacement, it would be nice to think that the name “Dowlais” might be stamped on the new one!