Photographs of William Thornton & Sons Ltd. Stonemasons, Building and Civil Engineering Contractors.

William Thornton was born in 1814, the son of a stonemason and in 1840 established his own business. When his sons, Richard and James, joined the firm it was named William Thornton & Sons, Stonemasons. William died in 1878 and the firm continued to expand as a general contacting organisation. The partnership was converted into a limited company in 1916. The firm was based at 38 Wellington Road, Dingle. In 1936 (or 1932 according to the collection donor) a new masonry works was opened at the corner of Wellington Road and Grafton Street, by the Herculaneum Dock. The stonemasonry business ceased in 1961 and the firm closed in 1969. The collection contains photographs of the yard, workforce and commissions of William Thornton & Sons, Stonemasons. Two of the photograph albums included in the collection contain photographs taken by Stewart Bale. Note that album B/THO/3 is dated to 1932 from the Bale negative numbers on the verso of the prints; SB/9761. For further details see the attached catalogue or contact The Archives Centre for a copy of the catalogue.