Nationwide Catering Services

Nationwide Catering Services Ltd (NCS) was formed in 1953 but the origins of the company go way back into the nineteenth century. In 1890, Charles Midgley (Great Great Grandfather of our current Managing Director Simon Atkinson) was General Manager of British Power Traction & Lighting Company Ltd. This was a time when businesses had names that real... ly said what they did. After a management buyout in 1901, The Eclipse Copper Company Ltd. was born and the NCS story really started. Based in Halifax, and later York, Eclipse were market leaders in the development, design and manufacture of commercial water boilers. Supplying giants of the day including LNER (London North Eastern Railway) it was all about boiling water quickly and in volume for a nation of tea lovers. Marketing literature from the time shows the passion the public had for a decent brew. Tea then was very different, the Tea Bag was not invented until 1908 and was not brought to UK shop shelves until 1939 by Tetley, so loose leaf tea was king. Some Eclipse marketing from the time makes interesting reading. It pulls no punches and shows how dedicated we were as a nation of tea drinkers. Very important stuff. The Eclipse Water Boiler and its derivatives including a twin boiler, affectionately known as the Siamese, were market leaders. Boiling one gallon of water per minute for continuous use. Charles Atkinson (Simons Grandfather) was employed as a sheet metal worker at the outbreak of WW2 and went to enlist at Imphal Barracks, York to join the war effort. Being a skilled metal worker he was unceremoniously told to go and find employment elsewhere and joined Marston Excelsior, Leeds where he worked on development and manufacture of parts for the Lancaster Bomber. Charles took over the reigns at Eclipse in the latter years of WW2 and the post war boom years were exciting and busy times for Eclipse. The American style coffee bars were popular across the UK and Eclipse grew with the times, manufacturing counters and accessories for their water boilers. ...Read More