Strachan & Henshaw
A former Bristol-based British engineering company serving the nuclear-power and defence sectors.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Strachan & Henshaw was a British engineering company based at Ashton Gate in Bristol. Founded in 1879 by Robert Price Strachan and George Henshaw, the business began as a partnership making machinery for paper-bag production. Its early industrial-equipment activities later developed into a broader engineering capability, and during the post-war expansion of the British nuclear industry the company became involved in the design and supply of mechanical plant for nuclear power stations. In the 1950s, Strachan & Henshaw participated in the Nuclear Power Plant Company consortium alongside Clarke Chapman, Head Wrightson, C. A. Parsons & Co., A. Reyrolle & Co. and Whessoe. Through this consortium it won work connected with the reactor mechanical plant at Oldbury nuclear power station. The company subsequently received comparable contracts for Heysham 2, Hinkley Point B, Hunterston B and Torness. These projects established its reputation in nuclear engineering and made the company part of the industrial supply chain supporting the United Kingdom’s civil nuclear-power programme. The ownership structure changed several times. E. S. & A. Robinson acquired the business in 1920, and in 1966 E. S. & A. Robinson merged with John Dickinson Ltd to create Dickinson Robinson Group. In 1972, Strachan & Henshaw became the prime contractor for launch systems for the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar-class submarine fleet, marking a significant expansion of its defence-related work. In 1989, Roland Franklin of Pembridge Associates acquired Dickinson Robinson Group and subsequently sold Strachan & Henshaw to the Weir Group in July 1990. Under Weir ownership, the company continued to expand its nuclear-industry presence. In April 1998 it acquired Bridgetest Holdings Ltd, a Manchester-based engineering group whose subsidiaries included Cunnington & Cooper Ltd, Nuclear and General Engineering Ltd and Wingrove & Rogers. These businesses were established participants in the United Kingdom nuclear sector and broadened Strachan & Henshaw’s engineering portfolio. In May 2000, the company disposed of its materials-handling-equipment division to Sweden’s Svedala, sharpening its focus on its remaining engineering activities. Babcock International Group acquired the business for £65 million in April 2008. After the acquisition, Strachan & Henshaw was fully integrated into Babcock, and the Strachan & Henshaw name ceased to be used as a standalone operating identity. Its historical activities therefore span industrial machinery, nuclear-power engineering, defence systems and specialist project engineering, although the brand itself is now defunct.
History
Strachan & Henshaw originated in Bristol in 1879, when Robert Price Strachan and George Henshaw established a partnership specializing in machinery for making paper bags. The company operated from Lewin’s Mead during its early period and formed part of the city’s wider industrial economy. In 1920, E. S. & A. Robinson purchased the business, beginning a long period in which Strachan & Henshaw was connected with larger industrial ownership structures. A major transformation occurred after the Second World War. During the 1950s, the company joined the Nuclear Power Plant Company consortium, commonly known as NPPC. The consortium also included Clarke Chapman, Head Wrightson, C. A. Parsons & Co., A. Reyrolle & Co. and Whessoe. NPPC secured a contract for reactor mechanical plant at Oldbury nuclear power station, one of the early stations in Britain’s civil nuclear programme. Strachan & Henshaw later obtained similar work associated with Heysham 2, Hinkley Point B, Hunterston B and Torness. This nuclear work shifted the company’s profile away from its original machinery niche toward highly specialized engineering for large and technically demanding energy projects. In 1966, E. S. & A. Robinson merged with John Dickinson Ltd to form Dickinson Robinson Group. Strachan & Henshaw remained within that corporate environment until the group changed hands in the late 1980s. In 1972, the company became prime contractor for launch systems used by the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar-class submarine fleet. This contract demonstrated the company’s ability to undertake defence programmes involving complex mechanical systems and helped establish defence engineering alongside nuclear engineering as a core part of its identity. Roland Franklin of Pembridge Associates acquired Dickinson Robinson Group in 1989. Strachan & Henshaw was then sold to the Weir Group in July 1990. During the Weir period, the business expanded through the acquisition of Bridgetest Holdings Ltd in April 1998. Bridgetest was based in Manchester and owned Cunnington & Cooper Ltd, Nuclear and General Engineering Ltd and Wingrove & Rogers. These subsidiaries were described as established United Kingdom nuclear-industry businesses, strengthening Strachan & Henshaw’s presence in the sector. The company subsequently narrowed part of its industrial portfolio. In May 2000, its materials-handling-equipment division was sold to Sweden’s Svedala. The disposal separated that activity from the engineering operations that remained associated with nuclear and defence work. In April 2008, Babcock International Group acquired Strachan & Henshaw for £65 million. Babcock later integrated the business fully, after which the Strachan & Henshaw name was no longer used as an independent brand. The company’s history consequently reflects the evolution of a nineteenth-century machinery maker into a specialist contractor serving Britain’s nuclear-power and defence industries before being absorbed into a larger engineering group.
- 2008
Acquired and integrated by Babcock
[1]Babcock International Group acquires the business for £65 million and subsequently integrates it, ending use of the standalone Strachan & Henshaw name.
- 2000
Materials-handling division divested
[1]The materials-handling-equipment division is sold to Svedala of Sweden.
- 1998
Bridgetest Holdings acquired
[1]The company acquires Bridgetest Holdings and its nuclear-industry subsidiaries.
- 1990
Sold to the Weir Group
[1]After the 1989 acquisition of Dickinson Robinson Group by Pembridge Associates, Strachan & Henshaw is sold to the Weir Group in July 1990.
- 1972
Becomes prime contractor for Trafalgar-class submarine launch systems
[1]Strachan & Henshaw takes prime-contractor responsibility for launch systems for the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar-class submarine fleet.
- 1966
Dickinson Robinson Group formed
[1]E. S. & A. Robinson merges with John Dickinson Ltd, placing Strachan & Henshaw within the newly formed Dickinson Robinson Group.
- 1950
Begins nuclear-power engineering work
[1]During the 1950s, the company participates in the Nuclear Power Plant Company consortium and wins work for reactor mechanical plant at Oldbury nuclear power station.
- 1920
Acquired by E. S. & A. Robinson
[1]E. S. & A. Robinson purchases Strachan & Henshaw.
- 1879
Company founded in Bristol
[1]Robert Price Strachan and George Henshaw establish a partnership manufacturing paper-bag-making machinery.
Products and positioning
A specialist British engineering contractor focused on complex nuclear-power, defence and industrial-engineering projects.
Industrial machinery · 1879
Paper-bag-making machinery
The company’s original business focused on machinery used in paper-bag manufacture. This early product line established Strachan & Henshaw as an industrial equipment maker in Bristol before the company moved into larger engineering projects and specialized sectors.
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear reactor mechanical plant
Strachan & Henshaw supplied or engineered mechanical plant for nuclear power-station projects through the Nuclear Power Plant Company consortium and later contracts. Referenced projects included Oldbury, Heysham 2, Hinkley Point B, Hunterston B and Torness.
Defence engineering · 1972
Trafalgar-class submarine launch systems
From 1972, Strachan & Henshaw served as prime contractor for launch systems for the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar-class submarine fleet. The work represented a major defence application of the company’s mechanical-engineering capabilities.
Industrial equipment
Materials-handling equipment
Materials-handling equipment formed one part of the company’s broader industrial portfolio. This division was sold to Svedala in 2000 and was therefore no longer part of the business after the divestment.
Brand decisions
2008
Acquisition by Babcock International GroupM&ABackground
Strachan & Henshaw was operating as a specialist engineering business within the Weir Group.
Action taken
Babcock International Group acquired the business for £65 million in April 2008.
Aftermath
Babcock fully integrated the business, and the Strachan & Henshaw name ceased to be used as a standalone operating identity.
Acquisition price. £65 million (April 2008)
2000
Sale of materials-handling-equipment divisionStrategyBackground
The company reorganized its industrial portfolio while retaining its other engineering activities.
Action taken
It sold the materials-handling-equipment division to Sweden’s Svedala.
Aftermath
The divestment reduced the scope of the company’s materials-handling business.
1998
Acquisition of Bridgetest HoldingsM&ABackground
Strachan & Henshaw sought to expand its established nuclear-engineering activities.
Action taken
It acquired Bridgetest Holdings, including Cunnington & Cooper, Nuclear and General Engineering, and Wingrove & Rogers.
Aftermath
The transaction broadened the company’s group of businesses serving the United Kingdom nuclear industry.
Sources1 sources
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