The History of Foxboro-Yoxall |
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Most of the information on this page was supplied by Derek Flanagan. See the bottom of this page for more information about Derek plus the Foxboro-Yoxall Reunion Club he still runs and how to contact it. |
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| The Company xxxxxThe history of the Foxboro Company began in 1908 with the establishment of a factory in Foxboro, a small town 20 miles South East of Boston, Mass, USA. Since then process control products bearing the Foxboro trademark have become world-famous and have been manufactured in many countries. |
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| xxxxxMr L.S.Yoxall founded the Yoxall Instrument Company in 1931 and developed close links with The Foxboro Company, USA. A partnership between the two companies began at Merton, London, in 1934 with the building of a factory to manufacture Foxboro instruments for the first time in the UK. Foxboro-Yoxall grew rapidly and was able to produce many of the instruments vital to the needs of British Industry during WW2. | |
| xxxxxIn order to meet the post-war expansion of industry, a second, much larger factory was opened in Kidbrook, London. In 1950 a third factory was opened in Wandsworth, London, which concentrated on the production of electronic instruments and housed the first training centre, where customers' personnel received skilled instruction in the application and maintenance of industrial instruments. | |
| xxxxxThe UK and export business continued to increase and an expansion programme was started that culminated in the acquisition of a 52 acre site at Redhill in 1957 and the building of a 126,000 sq. ft. factory upon it for the production of industrial instruments. The new site was formally opened by the Mayor of Reigate & Redhill in 1958. The factory and office floor area was almost doubled in 1963. A new Research & Development and flowmeter Calibration facility were added and, in 1967, the old Wiggie Manor, on the perimeter of the Foxboro-Yoxall site and with links back to the 16th century, was acquired and converted for use by the Training Centre. In 1969 work began on a new office wing and, when opened in 1970, the Training Centre moved to occupy half of its ground floor. The total building floor area ended up at 250,000 sq. ft. by 1971 with around 1,500 people employed. |  Part of the opening ceremony at Foxboro-Yoxall, Wiggie, Redhill, in 1958. The Mayor of Reigate hoists the British and American flags. (Picture courtesy Derek Flanagan) |
A later aerial view; at the
bottom of thepicture a building has been added. The
picture was sent by Graham Bartlett. His father, John
Bartlett,worked for Foxboro from soon after it opened
until the 1990s. Graham remembers playing tennis on their
courts, and attending the Christmas parties as a child.
He says that someone must have had connections with the
record industry because they always gave away lots of
