Accles & Pollock

Accles & Pollock was founded at Holford Mill UK in 1899, with Walter W. Hackett as one of its founders. George Accles lent his name to the original business sans Pollock, and a 1949 corporate history says Accles was not involved. Thomas Pollock provided financial backing in 1901 at which point the company was renamed Accles & Pollock.
At first, A&P produced tubing for bedsteads, boilers, and bicycles, according to corporate history. Handlebars were bent by filling a straight tube with resin in order to keep the tube in shape during bending, which didn’t work on hot days. Business grew, and A&P was purchased by Tube Investments (TI) who also owned Reynolds. in 1919. A&P employees increased to nearly 5,000 by 1949, with tubing made for many applications.
In the 1930s through 1950s there was a healthy competition between top quality makers to use one or the other brand. Those who endorsed A&P tubing included Claud Butler, Hobbs of Barbican and W.F. “Sandy” Holdsworth. A&P bicycle tubing names included “A Quality,” “B Quality,” “High Carbon,” “Kromo,” and “Kromo S.A.Q.”