Dowty Electronics - Gresham Lion Technology

Comments about this page

• Started at Gresham”s 03/09/1973
  Was at hanworth trading estate until the end. Single storey building knocked down

  By Stephen waygood (31/08/2023)

• Gresham Lion started developing electronic systems in the 1980’s. I used a Gresham Lion frame store for doing computer graphics research in around 1983. Later GL developed terminals for use in the stock market, a major customer was Reuters. The terminals were able to emulate multiple different types of computer terminal, allowing a user to access different computer systems from the same terminal. When the Swindon development center was established in the late 1980’s the (former GL) terminal development team was located there.

  By Alan Clark (17/08/2023)

• Racking my brain now, it must be said !
  I was at Dowty Maritime around 1986/87 as a trainee draughtsman, straight from Feltham school. I remember I was also at HEGTA which I think stood for (Hounslow Engineering Group Training Association)
  I remember that sitting in front of a drawing board wasn’t for me, so left and worked in a record shop in Kingston, much to the dismay of my parents, as my brother had gone to private school (Colet Court & St Pauls) in Hammersmith then onto Loughborough University.
  I ended up on Top of The Pops as I had a UK No.4, worked on 4 UK No.1s and have had tracks on 15 Ministry of Sound compilations and DJ’d around the world, so not too shabby for a kid from Feltham who left a potential ‘career’ to mess about with music
  As they say, follow your passion, work with your passion and you will never actually work a day in your life 😉

  By Mathew Frost (30/07/2023)

• Gladys Brothers worked at Greshams in the coil winding section. Probably 1970’s?
  Later on, she was friendly with Olive Pope who also worked at Greshams.

  By Jan (30/06/2023)

• My Father William Frank George Woodcock, known as Bill, worked there from c.1945 to the late 1970’s, when he passed away quite suddenly. He was an Electronics Engineer. Most of his Gresham Colleagues attended his funeral at Hanworth Crematorium, as he was well liked by everyone. Does anyone remember him please?

  By Dennis Woodcock (21/05/2023)

• I worked at Gresham, Hanworth trading estate with Tony Slater, Doug Slater, Frank Martyn and many other great guys. Pat Toulouse was our MD.Great times, great parties!
  All the ladies in the coil winding section, brilliant!

  By Ian Martyn (24/03/2023)

• Who remembers Janice Snell….?? She was working there about 1980?

  By Mitchell Swift (24/03/2023)

• I worked at Greshams small transformers from 1960 until 1975; I was a coil-winder, we had lots good times, I am still in touch with some of the girls. I remember Mr Clegg walking around when we were working and at Christmas coming onto the works floor and wishing us a Happy Christmas I ended up going to work for Mr Metcarf who was my manager for a few years, then started his own company at Chessington. I got my 10 year service award at Kingston Baths, where they had their Christmas party every year.

  By Tonya Wheeler (05/02/2023)

• To Chris Speedy: I would like to send a personal message to. Dr Stanley Baker. And wondered if you can facilitate this.

  By Frank whymark (31/12/2021)

• My late father was John a Phillips, technical director of Dowty Maritime Defence Systems.

  By Jonathon (26/11/2021)

• I have vivid memories that Jimmy Saville attended Christmas Parties when I was the child of a mother that worked at Gresham around 1962 plus my mum Joyce Nicholson her good friends Betty Purdy and Eileen her twin sister and Pam. Field Please get in touch sueabees@gmail.com.

  By SUSAN ASHTON (07/10/2021)

• Hi my name is Chris Speedy , I’m the son of Dr Brian Speedy who was involved with Gresham, Mr Clegg and Mr Coleman at various times in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Im in contact here in Australia with Dr Stan Baker, a former PHD student of Brians from New South Wales Uni, Sydney who also worked for Gresham about 1967–1969. Does anyone have a condensed history of Gresham ? What happened ?? Did it all end up at Newbury Data as indicated in previous post ? Any information would be interesting. The ” Looking into the future brochure ” is fascinating ,very 1980’s Tech Glossy ! Regards. Chris Speedy @ Australia

  By Chris Speedy (07/10/2021)

• Hi, I have come into possession of a pair of heads that were supplied by Gresham Lion Electronics LTD, and wonder if anyone could please tell me what equipment they might have been used in ?
  They are type AA40/4/02 and have serial numbers of 2082/32 and 2082/33. They seem to be new in the box and have never been installed. Any information would be much appreciated.

  Thanks Jonathan

  By Jonathan Wright (17/09/2021)

• I started with Greshams on the Hanworth Trading Estate in the Recording Heads Section in 1962; got my 10 year award in 1972, presented to me by Mr Coleman; moved with the company to Weybridge Trading Estate where we were incorporated with Gresham Instrumatic; we were then taken over by a American company called Infomag; then in turn taken over by Magnetic Components, based in Penryn Cornwall; in turn then taken over by Newbury Data.

  I spent 36 years in the Tape Head Section, when taken over by Newbury Data we moved to Staines, I stayed there for six months before leaving.

  I have pics of the Hanworth workshop pics of the Weybridge workshop ans a few when we where based at the Chertsey bridge site. Hope this is of some interest.

  By Barry Ashford (08/04/2021)

• As well as John Colman, (mentioned above) Gresham Lion was also founded by my grandfather Jeffrey Clegg and part owned by his family when sold to Dowty.

  By Joanna Roche (07/11/2020)

• I worked for Gresham Loin Electronics in 1970-72 in Twickenham road And I worked for Pat Toulouse production engineering manager.

  By Kamal Bajaj (12/09/2020)

• Thank you Alan for the updated information, much appreciated.

  By John Redfern (07/09/2020)

• Hi
  I worked at Twickenham road for 10 years in the Technical dept design quality under Dave Pennington. Gresham got its name from companies house in Gresham street London. It moved into small electronic power supplies buying Lion electronics (at the back of the red lion pub in Hounslow). As the prime subcontractor to Ferranti computers it learnt about RN weapon systems and after the Falklands disasters offered the RN a totally new distributed microprocessor based concept.
  The original large and small transformer business had by this time deminished. The company had to sold to a non predtory buyer Dowty to avoid being taken in death duties on the passing of owner J.P Colman who reportedly got £25m. Dowty were financially strong and as such were taken over by TI group on the orders of both companies major shareholder Prudential in the 1990s. Dowty / Gresham were subsequently broken up the Gresham part sold off and have become very successful under an old Britsh trade name Ultra Electronics.
  Regards to all old Gresham staff.
  Alan perry.

  By Alan perry (06/09/2020)

• I was told when I worked at the Twickenham Road site from 1975 to 1985 that the brick faced building at the right hand end of the site was originally ‘Lion Mechanical Products Ltd’ whose merger with ‘Gresham Transformers Ltd’ was how ‘Gresham Lion Ltd.’ got so named. Gresham Transformers was named after the original site, a cow shed on Gresham Road in Staines-upon-Thames. Can anyone verify this?

  By Clive Hodson (14/02/2020)