Read Holliday & Sons Ltd

Notes:

Traced origins to the business of Read Holliday, 1809-1889, which was established in 1830 to make ammonia from the waste products of gas works for use in textile finishing. Other products soon included soda ash, ammonia salts, etc. 1845 started coal tar distillation and became largest distiller in northern England by 1860. At this time began to make aniline dyes and the 'Holliday Peerless Lamp' using fuels the firm manufactured. 1864 established factory at Brooklyn, New York, USA, for dye production. Incorporated 1890. 1915 British government became interested on account of the firm's war work, renamed British Dyes Ltd and built new works at Dalton, near Huddersfield. 1919 became British Dyestuffs Corp Ltd, part of ICI Ltd from 1926. Holliday family re-established their chemical interests as L B Holliday & Co Ltd, known later as Holliday Dyes & Chemicals Ltd