Henry Meadows Limited was founded in 1920 to manufacture high quality 3 speed gearboxes for cars at their Park Lane works. The company soon grew and in 1922 added petrol engines to the product range and began to supply many famous manufacturers including Lagonda, Invicta, Lea Francis, Bean and Frazer-Nash.
The engines ranged in power from 15 to 270b.h.p., one of the most popular being the ‘H-litre’, four-cylinder ‘Type 4’ ED engine, widely used by Frazer Nash and Lea Francis during the 1920s. Another successful product, the 4.5litre 6 cylinder ‘Type 6’ engine is best remembered as the power unit for Invicta and Lagonda cars.

By 1938 Meadows had firmly established itself, and the Fallings Park works now covered 16,000 square feet. During the war, large numbers of high-powered engines were produced for military use. A new factory, the Cannock Road works was built next to the existing building, adding a further 10 acres to the site and equipped with the latest machinery. Engines were produced for tanks, generating sets, commercial vehicles, trailer pumps etc.
In the late 1930s development began on a diesel engine, which continued during the war on a reduced scale. This work led to the introduction of the well-known 4 and 6 cylinder direct injection diesel engines of 130mm bore and stroke. The first Meadows diesel engines were launched in 1947 including the ‘4 ELA’ that was produced for Guy Motors and had considerable success in their commercial vehicles. 
Many thousands of these engines were in use and adapted for a wide range of applications such as driving pumps, welding equipment and compressors.


The Meadows 6DC.630 diesel engine.

 The 6 cylinder 6DC.630 diesel engine had a maximum output of 127b.h.p. at 1,800r.p.m. using a 130m.m. 'square' form bore and stroke. It used a C.A.V. type 'N' fuel injection pump and came complete with a robust 5-speed gearbox with overdrive.

The engine was used in some of Guy's 'Invincible' chassis.
Marine engines were also developed and soon after their entry into the market the Meadows engines attracted the same kind of attention amongst enthusiasts for high-speed boats as the earlier engines had attracted in the sports car world. The 4.5litre model became standard in the Scott Paine's high-speed craft, and soon British power-boats were becoming famous worldwide.
The 8litre 6 cylinder 6HDC500 diesel engine had a maximum output of 161b.h.p. at 2,500r.p.m. It used a direct fuel injection system and a special automatic advance governor to ensure maximum fuel economy.

Its small size enabled it to be mounted below the chassis and so was ideal for use in buses such as the Guy 'Victory'.


The Meadows 6HDC500 diesel engine.

Another successful product was the Meadows diesel generating set. Many versions were produced for remote high power mains supplies and for use as a backup supply when mains power failed. These units reached maximum output in 10 seconds and could supply 135KW of power. They were a compact and robust unit, many of which used the Meadows 970S engine. Some of them were purchased for use as power supplies for American nuclear tests. One of the units actually survived a nuclear explosion and was found to be still working when all else was destroyed.

The company also worked jointly with D. Wickham & Company Limited, of Ware, to produce diesel engines for railway locomotives. Amongst Wickham’s customers was the Bas Congo Katanga Railway and in 1954 locomotive units were supplied with Meadows’ 130b.h.p. diesel engines. Rail buses were also purchased by British Rail in 1957 for use on Scottish branch lines. They were powered by Meadows’ HDT500 six-cylinder, 8.14litre flat diesel engines.

In 1957 Mr. Lawrence Robson, Export Sales Manager decided to produce a small car called the 'Frisky' and the original Park Lane works were now dedicated to car production. A number of models were built but sales were poor because the hand-built cars found it difficult to compete with the cheaper mass-produced competition.

By this time the site covered over 14 acres and the company employed more than 1,200 people. The engine export business continued to grow and large numbers of diesel engines were supplied to Chamberlain Industries Ltd. of Perth, Western Australia to power their famous "Countryman" tractors. Hundreds of Meadows 4 DC 330 diesel engines were also shipped to India in component form.

In later years the company concentrated on large-scale production of transmissions and gearboxes of all kinds. Some of the components were incorporated into Lotus formula racing cars and used in the Elite and Mk. 7 Series 2 Formula junior car. The popular 250CS5 compact gearbox used a Porsche synchromesh unit and was designed for heavy-duty work. Considering its robust construction the gearbox occupied the minimum amount of space.  Remote controls for marine applications were also produced and a fully equipped modern metallurgical and scientific laboratory was at the disposal of local industry.

The company eventually became part of the Associated British Engineering Company and Henry Meadows Limited closed in 1960. Most of the buildings have been demolished and only a small part of the Cannock Road works now survives and is used by a clothing manufacturer.

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