🏭 Broadbent & Parkes Ltd was a likely Sydney-based sub-contract manufacturer of water meters. Their industrial footprint and specialized equipment suggest they were a potential contributor to Australia's domestic metering industry during the mid-20th century. The Trove Newspaper Archive from Daily telepgraph dated 17th October 1925 shows a DEMCO Machinery Company advertisement referencing the acquisition of Broadbent & Parkes Ltd’s plant and identifying them as water meter manufacturers. The company operated a full-scale production plant, confirmed by a liquidation advertisement published in The Daily Telegraph a Sydney newspaper (archived on Trove). The ad, placed by DEMCO Machinery Company of 227 Castlereagh Street, Sydney Chippendale, NSW, states: "Having purchased the entire plant of Messrs. Broadbent and Parkes, Ltd., Water Meter Manufacturers, of Chippendale..." Their machinery included: • Turret lathes (Ward, Pratt & Whitney, Acme) • Swiss precision lathes (Ames, American Toolworks) • Grinders (Browne & Sharpe) • Millers (Kempsmith) • Multiple spindle drills (Pratt & Whitney, Taylor & Fenn) • Foundry equipment: moulding boxes, electric sand riddle, vibrators, universal moulding machines • Sprue cutters and assorted small tools The sale of their entire plant equipment was announced in 1925, meaning their manufacturing operations ceased after losing contracts to its competitors. This places their active period likely in the late 19th century, possibly beginning earlier. Broadbent & Parkes was also a prominent firm of motor body builders and coachbuilders historically located 184–200 Broadway, Chippendale Sydney. This setup indicates in-house casting and machining, typical of firms producing brass-bodied water meters and meter components. Chippendale, Sydney was a known industrial hub during the early to mid-1900s. The H.W.M.Museum suspects that Broadbent & Parkes were likely the primary sub-contractor for the known documented primary water meter manufacturers like John Danks & Sons, Clyde Engineering and Davies-Shephard all based with operations in Sydney at the time. From the surviving examples of water meters from the 1890's to 1920's of all three forementioned companies, the design and castings have striking commonality with only the customized names changed on the casts and register counters. The newspaper articles below prove Broadbent & Parkes as having tendered and won and lost orders for a water meter supply contracts with the Sydney Water Board, this confirms the company was involved in the manufacture of water meters or partly in some collaborative way. To date no surviving examples of the company's water meters have been found.