Preserving the heritage of W H Allen, Sons & Co. Ltd.
W H Allen
Engineering Association
No material may be reproduced in part or in whole without written consent from holders.
Copyright ©2009 - W H Allen Engineering Association
The W H Allen Engineering Association is dedicated to preserving the heritage of the engineering company started in Lambeth in 1880 by William Henry Allen.
This Website is a 'Work-in-Progress'
Pages and content will be added as and when possible.
Please bear with us as our 'Webmaster' is an Allen trained engineer, not a computer geek.
Meanwhile, should you wish to comment on the layout or content of the site please do so by e-mailing the Webmaster at the address given below.
Some pages are incomplete and not all links are in place, but we are trying our best.
The Association was formed in 1999.
With the imminent closure of Queens Works in Bedford in the late 1990's it was felt by many of the members of the Allen Pupils and Students Association that it should be more than just an Old Boys Club with one re-union meeting each year.
Much work was done thereafter to rescue and preserve as many of the records and remaining artefacts of the Company as were available while it was still possible to do so.
These pages are not intended as a definitive history of the Company but as a portal providing an insight into the Company, and the family that ran it, and the work being done to preserve it's memory.
published in 1995 by Unicorn Press, London. ISBN 0 906290 09 0
For a fuller history of the the Company we would refer you to the excellent book by Michael R. Lane
'The Story of Queen's Engineering Works, Bedford'
W H Allens was a family run company and members of the family were on the board from 1880 until 1977. Many of the employees felt, and still feel, that they were part of that family. This was due in no small part to the paternalistic regard the family had for their employees.
William Henry Allen
(1844 - 1926)
If you were an Allen student, pupil or employee and would like to join the association please get in touch via our Contact links. We look forward to hearing from you.
From
September 2nd 2010
the Allen engine section of Rolls-Royce in Bedford became an independant company named
Allen Diesels Ltd
Site Updated - 12th Dec 2011
'A few notes about myself'
The early life of
William Henry Allen
and his company
in his own words.
January 1902
In 2009 the 'New' office block was demolished.
