HEENAN and Froude, the engineering company which was to be one of Worcester's industrial cornerstones for much of the 20th Century, came to the Faithful City exactly a century ago.

The Journal for this week of 1902 reported: "Messrs. Heenan and Froude, engineers of Birmingham and Manchester, have purchased Messrs Pease and Company's works and plant at Shrub Hill and are to operate there soon."

Heenan and Froude had only a few years earlier written their company's name into the history books by tackling one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th Century - building the 518ft high Blackpool Tower. Construction work was between 1892 and 1894 and involved more than 2,000 tons of steel.

Heenans were also awarded the contract to build the Tower Ballroom, menagerie, circus, aquarium and restaurant below.

The Journal of 100 years ago much welcomed the company's move to Worcester. "Heenan and Froude will continue their bridge building operations from Manchester but will remove entirely from Birmingham to Worcester.

"They have a prosperous business which includes exhaust and mine ventilating fans, colliery and mining plant, belts, conveyors, elevators, sawing machines, bench chains, water dynamo meters, spherical, horizontal and vertical engines, patent water boilers, bridge and roof iron work, and refuse destructors.

"Messrs. Heenan and Froude will soon enter on what, no doubt, will be a long and successful occupation of the Shrub Hill site. The works are capitally situated and excellently adapted, and Worcester will welcome this transferred enterprise."