| Photographs from the Thomas Parker Day that was held at the
Valley Hotel, Ironbridge on 10th October, 2015. |
| The day began with an exhibition featuring
several displays. The first was by pupils of the John Fletcher
of Madeley Primary School, the second was by Andy Rose,
Regeneration Officer for Madeley Town Council, and the third was
by Ida and John White, members of the Britannia Aqueduct
Historical Society.
Some of the guests in the display area
at the start of the day. |
 |
Another view of the display area.
Andy Rose's excellent display, which hopefully
will be seen at the I.E.T. in London.
A close-up view of Andy's first board.
A close-up view of Andy's second board.
Ida and John White's display about Madeley Court
Ironworks.
| The exhibition was followed by four talks, two in the
morning, and two in the afternoon. The first talk, given by Roy
Bowdler, who is a fellow of the Institution of Engineering
Technology, was entitled "Engineering and Transport - The
Technical Achievements and Legacy of Thomas Parker." |
Andy Rose announces the first talk, as Roy Bowdler
sets-up the computer.
Roy's most interesting talk gets underway.
A close-up view of Roy describing a Thomas Parker
car.
Andy asks if there are any questions.
The second talk, "The History of Elwell
Parker in the USA and its Legacy" was given by Patrick Koch of
H&K Equipment. |
|
The attentive guests enjoy Patrick's talk. |
Some of Thomas Parker's descendants who
attended the event. Left to right: James Tudor, Gail Tudor,
Michael Parker, Peter Parker, Margaret Parker, William Fullerton
Parker, and Richard Tudor. |
Groups of guests were given a tour of the
old part of the building, with particular reference to Thomas
Parker and his family. This group was led by Lisa who is fifth
on the right. Courtesy of Andy Rose and Richard Bifield. |
| After lunch a plaque was unveiled to commemorate Thomas
Parker and his achievements. |
| Andy Rose gives an opening speech for
the unveiling of the plaque. On the right is Peter Parker, who
is Thomas Parker's Great Grandson. |
 |
Peter Parker gives a speech. Left to
right: Peter Parker, Gail Tudor, Michael Parker, and William
Fullerton Parker. |
 |
Andy Rose and John Freeman look on. |
The plaque is unveiled by Gail Tudor,
Thomas Parker's Great Granddaughter. Courtesy of Andy Rose and
Richard Bifield. |
|
Another view of the unveiling. Courtesy of
Andy Rose and Richard Bifield. |
| The plaque, which includes a quote
from Lord Kelvin who described Thomas Parker as 'The Edison of
Europe.' The cast iron plaque was
kindly produced by the team at the Iron Foundry at Blists Hill
Museum. |
 |
The four speakers stand next to the
plaque. Left to right: Patrick Koch, Roy Bowdler, Janet Doody,
and Dr. Ian West. |
The first talk after lunch was given by
Janet Doody. It was entitled "Thomas Parker - Early Years,
Family and Community." Her interesting talk was well received. |
|
A close-up view of Janet describing Court
Works. |
The final talk, given by Dr. Ian West from
the University of Leicester, was entitled "Awake my Muse! The
World of the Early Electrical Engineering Contractor." |
|
Some of the people present, listening to
Ian's talk. |
|
Another view of the audience. |
|
A final view of Ian giving his talk. |
| The event was a great success. Everyone present had a
marvellous day, and greatly enjoyed learning about the life and
achievements of Thomas Parker. We must thank Andy Rose for
organising the event, and also John Freeman and the people in
the Iron Foundry at Blists Hill Museum, for producing the
plaque. |
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