Beck & Co (Meters), London UK. Founded in 1837 and rooted in John Beck’s earlier engineering work dating back to 1822, Beck & Co grew into one of Britain’s most enduring makers of valves, water meters, and later fuel‑dispensing equipment. The company began as a general engineering firm in Southwark, producing valves for gas, water, and steam, and by the 1860s had established a reputation for precision fluid‑control components. A major turning point came in the early 1880s when Thomas Angus Wheatley joined the firm. Wheatley brought with him a series of innovative water‑meter designs and patents, enabling Beck & Co to enter the rapidly expanding municipal water‑supply market. The water meter became a staple of their production. Their partnership with the Clay Cross Company in 1881 strengthened manufacturing capacity and helped Beck meters spread across the UK. Beck’s product range included “Imperial” positive meters, oil meters, and the “Auto‑Beck” meter, as documented in early 20th‑century trade catalogues. The firm also produced valves for gas, water, and steam, and later diversified into petrol pumps branded “The Beckmeter”. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Beck & Co produced a wide range of domestic and industrial water meters known for durability, accuracy, and robust mechanical design. Their meters appear in many early British waterworks installations and engineering catalogues. By the 1930s, the company diversified into fuel‑dispensing technology under the Beckmeter brand, producing petrol pumps that were exported internationally. Beck continued operations into the mid‑20th century, with a known factory location at Lilian Road, Streatham, in the 1960s. Today, Beck & Co stands as one of the oldest names in British metering history — a company whose evolution mirrors the broader development of water measurement, industrial engineering, and early automotive infrastructure. Their surviving meters and catalogues are important artefacts in the history of metering and hydraulic engineering. 🧭 Summary Timeline. 1822 - John Beck moved to London from Rotherham, setting up business as general engineers in Great Suffolk Street. 1837 Company founded. 1862 - Beck exhibited Valves for gas, water, and steam; fire-cocks, etc. 1877 - Beck and Co Ltd was incorporated, general engineers. 1880 - Thomas Angus Wheatley secured the designs and patents of a new type of water meter which became a staple product for the company. 1881 - Association with Clay Cross Co .The business was largely concerned with water meters and valves. 1888 - Producers of Schonheyders Patent Positive Water Meter. 1912 - A. Ronald Wheatley joined his father in the business. 1914 - Hydraulic and general engineers. Specialities: positive water meters, water, gas and steam fittings. 1961 - Manufacturers of "Beckmeter" petrol pumps, petrol/oil mixing pumps, valves, oil and water meters. 1970 - The company seems to faded away without any surviving records. The H.W.M.Museum has yet to acquire a surviving Beck water meter.