About us

The Talbot business was founded in 1904 by Frederick William Talbot. He developed a machine for tapping under pressure into water mains and installing a valve or "ferrule" without interrupting the water supply. Both of these products were patented and due to the products initial impact on the market Ferrules are still known as "Talbots" in many parts of the world today.

Frederick Talbot continued to run and develop the business in the UK and internationally until his death in 1942. The company continued to grow and in July 1957 the company was incorporated and became known as F. W. Talbot & Company Limited.

After 1945, with the upsurge of housing schemes in the UK and infrastructure development internationally there was a significant increase in the demand for Talbot equipment. This resulted in the development of the company into a major force in the water industry.

In January 1964 the company was purchased by the Portals Group, and became a subsidiary of Portals Water Treatment (PWT) in 1978. During this period new ranges of fittings were designed and patented. These included the Talbot range of compression fittings for service connections, the most important of which was the joint for small bore polythene tubing. These become a standard product and were copied by many competitors.

This development of new products and markets continued, pushing the business forward and in 1983 a new product range, the Talbot Pushfit fitting for service and mains applications, was developed, providing a better quality, purpose designed fitting. This new product helped Talbot to differentiate itself from its competitors and make the company a market leader.

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