“Wadsworth” Bolton Bronze Lift Control Panel

This is a rare, and possibly historic, Wadsworth of Bolton control panel in bronze, together with an associated plaque. Dated 1940, at the height of the Second World War when materials such as this were very scarce and used sparingly, this was probably part of a “special order” agreed by government departments and made by Wadsworth at the time. Research has indicated that when the direct hydraulic elevators, serving the Mersey Underground Railroad since 1886 (at the world’s first under-river crossing 90 feet underground) had to be replaced Wadsworth substituted four, 60 passenger and two, 70 passenger lifts during this period. This provided the largest carrying capacity in the country — 30,000 people per hour. The tunnels under the Mersey at this time were among many “Top Secret” areas used for storage and other essential uses. During the Fifties and Sixties the company started to make lifts for multi-storey apartments. Later the company took pride in developing “one-offs”. The “control panel” had now been sympathetically “repurposed ” to become a useful wall mounted wall clock, with a modern quartz movement. Very little has been changed to do this….in trying to keep its integrity. Fixing bracket and screw provided. Both panel and plaque have been polished.