Hawkins table fan.

[Heatercathodeshort]

Summer arrived in West Sussex on a July the 18th and it was very hot! [I was born on July 18th 1948 and my mum told me it was a blazing hot day with all the windows wide open. The maternity ward at the Nelson Hospital Merton Park looked right into 'Arthur's Radio' KB dealers in Merton Park Parade. I'm sure I saw a CV40 being loaded into his Austin van..]
I unearthed this Hawkins table fan that I pulled off the tip many years ago.
It only required some lubrication to get it spinning freely and it has certainly kept my kitchen cool!
It has a 13" daisy fan, more suited to a large living room or office. A 9" one would be more than adequate for most purposes and provide complete satisfaction in the average domestic situation.
Ekco bought out Hawkins I believe in the early 50's forming 'EKCO HAWKINS ELECTRIC'.
They wanted the manufacturing rights for Hawkins tubular heaters that were usually fitted at skirting board level in factories, greenhouses and sheds etc. They also had a high degree of safety. They were typically 60 watts per foot and popular when electricity was a lot cheaper than it is today.
It is difficult to date this fan. It has an original flat 3 core plastic mains lead and I guess it dates from around 1948-55.
The revolving mechanism has been disconnected and to be honest I can understand why! It would have shot any papers or cups off the table when it's Tornado blast hit home!
Built like the Queen Mary and outlived her. Regards, John.

[peter_scott]

Originally Posted by Heatercathodeshort

Built like the Queen Mary and outlived her. Regards, John.

Outlived her? Perhaps just equalled her? Your's can't steer but can rotate its propellor. She can't rotate her propellors but can steer.

Peter

[Herald1360]

A fan won't cool the kitchen if it's just blowing kitchen air about. It will cool anything warmer than the kitchen, particularly if that (he?) relies on evaporative cooling to maintain a constant operating temperature

[Hartley118]

Would that be an external rotor induction motor I see on the Hawkins fan? Pretty advanced in its day!

Martin

[Heatercathodeshort]

Originally Posted by Herald1360

A fan won't cool the kitchen if it's just blowing kitchen air about. It will cool anything warmer than the kitchen, particularly if that (he?) relies on evaporative cooling to maintain a constant operating temperature

I'm rapidly loosing the will to live..It's only an old fan!
[I open the window behind the fan and it sucks in cool er air so there!] john

[FERNSEH]

Hi John,
A nice piece of solid post-war British engineering.
Yes by all means open the window for better air circulation, you're lucky as you live near a sludge works.

DFWB.

[Herald1360]

Originally Posted by Heatercathodeshort

I'm rapidly loosing the will to live..It's only an old fan!
[I open the window behind the fan and it sucks in cool er air so there!] john

I've been told I can have that effect on others.

I quite agree with using it to suck in cooler air, if there is any. Last Tuesday it was 27C in my living room but 30C outside. Just right for the solar PV system to power the air conditioner!

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
'Hawkins', now there's a blast from the past! (no pun intended).
My parents had a Hawkins 'Hi-Dri' clothes dryer which was a wooden collapsible clothes 'horse' mounted atop a convector heater base. The instruction stated that the wooden bit could be detached and the base used as a room heater when turned onto its side. It was finished in a bronze coloured Hammerite type paint. No controls or over heat cut-out (that I could see), just plug in and go.
Cheers, Pete.

[dazzlevision]

Originally Posted by Heatercathodeshort

Ekco bought out Hawkins I believe in the early 50's forming 'EKCO HAWKINS ELECTRIC'.
They wanted the manufacturing rights for Hawkins tubular heaters that were usually fitted at skirting board level in factories, greenhouses and sheds etc. Regards, John.

Hello John,

Are you certain about Ekco acquiring L G Hawkins & Co in the early 1950s?

According to my researches:

L G Hawkins & Co Ltd. Established at least by the mid-1930’s. Maker of small electrical appliances, such as kettles and the “Hostess” heated food container range. Became a Pye subsidiary. Lawrence George Hawkins was a director of Pye Ltd for many years (certainly appearing on the "Pye Ltd" letterheads I have in my archive from the early 1950s).

In 1953, the London locations was at 30-35 Drury Lane. In 1964, at Drury Lane, Hastings, Sussex (factory).

Pye and E K Cole merged in 1960, to form the holding company British Electronic Industries Ltd (which was later changed to Pye of Cambridge Ltd).

By 1968, L G Hawkins was merged with similar Ekco activities to form Ekco-Hawkins, still in Hastings.

Philips of Holland acquired a controlling interest in the Pye of Cambridge group in 1967 and a lot of rationalisation and reorganisation of Pye group companies took place. As a result, Ekco-Hawkins Ltd later became Philips Small Appliances, but was closed down in the late 1990’s, due to overseas competition.

Regards,

Dazzlevision