George Henry Downing, JP (10 November 1866 – 12 October 1937) was a British businessman who established G.H. Downing and Co. Ltd., involved in the manufacture of bricks and tiles in the Stoke-on-Trent area of Staffordshire. The company claimed to be the largest producer of roof tiles in the world.
Based at Brampton Hill, Newcastle-under-Lyme, G.H. Downing became one of the principal employers in Chesterton with several thousand workpeople. In 1921, he acquired the Etruria works. By 1939 the company had taken over the entirety of the local Staffordshire works. He was a Justice of the peace for Stoke-on-Trent and was appointed High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1936.
On 10 November 1936, Downing celebrated his birthday at Trentham with over 3500 guests, many of whom were his employees.
Downing died at his residence of Clayton Lodge, Newcastle-under-Lyme, in October 1937, aged 70. He was to be knighted, but died before the patent could be completed.
He was the father of Ken Downing, a Formula One racing driver.
References
- "Brick and Tile Works In Apedale & Chesterton". The Apedale Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- Claycraft. Institute of Clay Technology. 1963.
- Warrillow, Ernest James Dalzell (1953). History of Etruria, Staffordshire, England, 1760-1951. Etruscan Publications. pp. 210–211.
- BBC. "The History of the Brick & Tileyards of Newcastle under Lyme". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- "Issue 34261". The London Gazette. 3 March 1936. p. 1380.
- The British Clayworker: The Organ of the Brick, Tile and Cement Trades. Turret Press. 1937. p. 287.
- Collingwood, Neil; Shufflebotham, Gregor (2012-03-15). Newcastle-under-Lyme Through Time. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-2967-4.
- "From Connaughts to Sea Diamonds – Ken Downing – F1 GPDC". www.f1grandprixdriversclub.com.
External links
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byAdolph Wenger | High Sheriff of Staffordshire 1936–1937 |
Succeeded byReginald Monckton |
 | This article about a British businessperson born in the 1860s is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- British business biography, 19th-century birth stubs
- 1866 births
- 1937 deaths
- Businesspeople from Staffordshire
- People from Chesterton, Staffordshire
- People from Newcastle-under-Lyme
- High sheriffs of Staffordshire
- 19th-century British businesspeople
- 20th-century British businesspeople
- British industrialists
- British philanthropists
- British business executives
- English industrialists
- English justices of the peace