Daniel Adamson (30 April 1820 – 13 January 1890) was a notable English engineer who became a successful manufacturer of boilers and was the driving force behind the inception of the Manchester Ship Canal project during the 1880s. April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining, as the last day in April. ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... An engineer may be someone who practices the engineering profession, or the driver of a rail locomotive. ... The canal at its Manchester end, looking towards Old Trafford The Manchester Ship Canal (MSC), affectionately known by locals as The Big Ditch, was opened on 21 May 1894, and is a large canal in north-west England. ...

Education

Adamson was born in Shildon, County Durham, the 13th of 15 children born to the landlord of a public house, 'The Grey Horse' (today, 'The Surtees Arms'). At 13, after attending a Quaker school in Old Shildon, Adamson was apprenticed to Timothy Hackworth, an engineer for the Stockton and Darlington Railway, with whom he later (1841) served as a draughtsman and engineer. Location within the British Isles. ... County Durham is a county in north-east England. ... A public house, usually known as a pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries influenced by British cultural heritage. ... The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ... Timothy Hackworth (December 22, 1786 – July 7, 1850) was a steam locomotive mechanical engineer who lived in Shildon, County Durham, England and worked with George Stephenson on the Stockton and Darlington Railway. ... The Stockton and Darlington railway (S&DR) was the worlds first railway to successfully use steam locomotives and carry passengers, and is considered the worlds first modern railway. ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Business

In 1850, Adamson became manager of Heaton Foundry in Stockport, near Manchester. A year later, at Newton Moor near Dukinfield, he established an iron works, 'Daniel Adamson and Co', specialising in engine and boiler making. Initially, he followed designs created by Hackworth, but he improved the design and manufacturing process (pioneering the use of steel and taking out 19 patents in the process) over the next 36 years, exporting 'Manchester Boilers' worldwide, and building a business, the Newton Moor Iron Works, which by 1890 employed some 600 people. 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Stockport is a metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, in North West England. ... Location within the British Isles. ... Categories: Stub | Towns in Greater Manchester ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a government to an inventor or applicant for a limited amount of time (normally maximum 20 years from the filing date, depending on extension). ...

Adamson’s other business interests, included a mill building company in Hyde ('The Newton Moor Spinning Company'), the 'Yorkshire Steel and Iron Works' at Penistone, the 'Northern Lincolnshire Iron Company' at Frodingham, and large share-holdings in iron works in Cumberland and south Wales. Arms of the former Hyde Urban District Council Hyde is a market town in Tameside, part of Greater Manchester. ... Penistone is a small market town in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of around 10,000. ... The word Cumberland may have a variety of possible meanings. ... National motto: Cymru am byth (Welsh: Wales for ever) Waless location within the UK Official languages English and Welsh Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff First Minister Rhodri Morgan Area  - Total Ranked 3rd UK 20,779 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 3rd UK 2,903,085 140/km² NUTS...

The Ship Canal project

However, Adamson's most significant contribution was to become champion of the Manchester Ship Canal. He arranged a meeting at his home ('The Towers', in Didsbury) on 27 June 1882, inviting representatives of several Lancashire towns, Manchester businessmen (Adamson was a director of Manchester's Chamber of Commerce), local politicians and civil engineers, including the canal’s eventual designer Edward Leader Williams. At this meeting that he was elected chairman of the provisional committee promoting the Ship Canal, and was at forefront in pushing the scheme through Parliament in the face of intense opposition from railway companies and port interests in Liverpool. The requisite Act of Parliament enabling the canal was finally passed on 6 August 1885, after which Adamson became the first chairman of the board of directors of the Manchester Ship Canal Company – a post he held until February 1887. As a result of his resignation, the first sod was cut by his successor, Lord Egerton of Tatton, the following November. The canal at its Manchester end, looking towards Old Trafford The Manchester Ship Canal (MSC), affectionately known by locals as The Big Ditch, was opened on 21 May 1894, and is a large canal in north-west England. ... Didsbury lies about 6 miles south of the centre of Manchester lying on both sides of the road south towards Wilmslow. ... June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 187 days remaining. ... 1882 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Lancashire (archaically, the County of Lancaster) is a county palatine of England, lying on the Irish Sea. ... The term civil engineer refers to an individual who practices civil engineering. ... Sir Edward Leader Williams (1828-1910). ... The debating chamber or hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels. ... Liverpools skyline, as seen from the River Mersey. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... August 6 is the 218th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (219th in leap years), with 147 days remaining. ... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ...

Adamson remained a strong supporter of the project but, sadly, did not live to see it completed (in 1894). He died at home in Didsbury on 13 January 1890. Daniel Adamson and Co remained a family business until it was sold in 1964 to Acrow Engineers Ltd. 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Memorials

There are blue plaques at 'The Towers' (today the Shirley Institute), Wilmslow Road in Didsbury, and in Adamson Street, Dukinfield. Also in Dukinfield, St Luke's Church has a stained glass window in his memory. A military band was also named after him. A Greater London Council blue plaque at Alexandra Palace, commemorating the launch of BBC Television there in 1936. ...

The Daniel Adamson Coach House has been preserved in Shildon.

A former Manchester Ship Canal Company steam-powered tug-tender, The Daniel Adamson (originally named The Ralph Brocklebank but renamed in 1936) is being restored by The Daniel Adamson Preservation Society. 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

External links

• The Daniel Adamson Preservation Society (http://www.danieladamson.com/)
• Tameside Blue Plaque information (http://www.tameside.gov.uk/tmbc/danieladamson.htm)
• The Adamson Military Band (http://www.adamsonband.co.uk/)