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Stothert & Pitt Vibroll || Retirement to the Cricket Ground
This week our post is about Stothert & Pitt, an engineering company from the late 1700's. You may recognise the part to the left as one we have showcased on our Facebook for the past month, and you may be wondering why we have included it in this post. This part is a gearbox case for the Stothert & Pitt tandem vibrating roller. As no-one got the correct answer this month there is no winner unfortunately, but we will be bringing out a brand new competition with a part you may just recognise very soon.
If you've heard of Stothert & Pitt you will know that if you were to go down to the Bristol docks you are likely to see their cranes still standing where they were once used for loading & unloading boats. The company was founded in 1785, and they are still known as an example of great British engineering. They became known for their Fairbairn Steam Crane which was built in 1878 (which is now the oldest surviving example of its type in Britain), and went on to build concrete mixers, multi-bucket excavators and more.
Though the company is synonymous with cranes they went on to build vibrating rollers that still adorn many cricket grounds across the country today. In their prime these rollers would have been used to compact roads / road making. Now in the rollers' retirement years they can be found on many cricket grounds used as a dead weight to roll the wickets to create perfect playing conditions. Both the 32R and 32RD tandem rollers were powered by vintage engines that we supply parts for today. The 32R model was powered by a Villiers Mk.40 engine and the 32RD model was powered by a Lister Engine although some had Royal Enfield engines fitted too.
With such build quality and the longevity of use, some people have even taken to upgrading their rollers, giving them new engines and a new life. Next time you're near a cricket ground keep an eye out because you may spot one!
