Atkinson & Co. was founded in Preston in 1907 by the brothers Edward and Henry Atkinson, first to repair steam vehicles, then from 1916 to build their own steam wagons at Frenchwood. About 545 were made before steam wagon production ended in 1929, and the firm went on to build diesel lorries, its circular “A” badge dating from 1937.
Robert and Herbert Seddon, sons of a Salford butcher, bought a Commer charabanc in 1919 and ran goods and excursion work from Salford. In 1937 Robert spotted a gap for low-weight diesel lorries and built one from proprietary parts, a 6-ton forward-control chassis with a Perkins diesel, first shown at the Scottish Motor Show in 1938. Seddon Motors was allowed to keep building through the war, and became Seddon Diesel Vehicles of Oldham.
The two companies merged in 1970 as Seddon Atkinson. International Harvester bought it in 1974 and sold it in 1984 to Enasa, owner of Pegaso, and Iveco took it over in 1990. The Atkinson works assembled the 400 Series until it closed at the end of 1981, and Oldham built the EuroMover, Pacer and Strato refuse and construction trucks until 2004. The offices closed at the end of 2006.
