Temperature Control

The company was founded by Mr E O Walker in 1899. With the introduction of electricity at the turn of the century, E O Walker & Co Ltd were on hand to support this new technology. By 1926 a specialist electrical shop was opened in Cannon St, Manchester to serve the growing trend in electric lighting. This expertise also found use for specialist the... atre lighting and support to the growing film industry. By the 1930's E O Walker & Co Ltd had expanded into all types of electrical services, including the growing trend in refrigeration. As one of the first UK companies to obtain the franchise for the American Kelvinator refrigerator brand (as sponsors in the picture), the foundations of the company were developing. 1942 oversaw the change in ownership with Mr H P Walker taking over the business from his father. The company maintained the Cannon St store and the electrical goods offered increased over this period into all types of domestic white goods. This coincided with the boom years after the second world war. Even the Queen enjoyed a visit to one of the exhibitions the company held offering the best British and American home appliances. The early 1960's brought in a new owner in Mr W Latta, who ran the business as E O Walker Refrigeration Ltd to reflect the change into commercial refrigeration. The business then moved from Cannon St, to the new premises at Walker House, Old Trafford where it remains now. The 1970's started to see E O Walker Refrigeration Ltd grow and prosper in this new direction. Mr Jeff Mellor joined the company during this period to offer bespoke products and eventually take over as Managing Director, kick starting the next stages of growth for the company. Through Jeff's leadership, the company grew in the 1980's and brought in specialist engineers to assist with this growth. Including in this recruitment was a young engineer Steve Grundy who during this decade became Deputy Managing Director. This created a dynamic partnership to lead the growth in the early air conditioning market. This ...Read More