Private company

Seddon Atkinson

Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Limited was a manufacturer of large goods vehicles based in Oldham, England, was formed after the acquisition in 1970 of Atkinson Vehicles Limited of Preston by Seddon Diesel.1

Last updated Oct 18, 2026.

Overview

1970Founded1
  • Industryautomotive industry1
  • HeadquartersOldham1

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Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Limited was a manufacturer of large goods vehicles based in Oldham, England, was formed after the acquisition in 1970 of Atkinson Vehicles Limited of Preston by Seddon Diesel Vehicles Limited of Oldham. In 1974, the firm was acquired by International Harvester, which sold it in March 1984 to Enasa which made it a subsidiary of Pegaso. In 1990, it became part of Iveco which used the brand for various types of specialised vehicles in the United Kingdom. The range of models produced included EuroMover, Pacer and Strato, which are aimed at refuse collection, recycling and construction operators.2

How it started

Early years

Atkinson & Co. was founded in the Frenchwood district of Preston, the cotton town and administrative capital of Lancashire, by two of five brothers, Edward Atkinson (1880–1932) and Henry Birch Atkinson (1882–1921) with assistance from their brother-in-law George Hunt (1870–1950). The real and effective beginning of the company was in 1907, when the partners decided to capitalise on the need for local engineers to make temporary or permanent repairs to the increasing number of 'pullcars' and private motor vehicles on the road. By 1912, the organisation had moved to premises in Kendal Street and the number of employees had grown to 20. In the same year a second, smaller repair centre was opened in Freemason's Row, Liverpool, to cater for the enormous volume of steam traffic using the docks. Very soon the company made something of a name for itself in the north of England as quality repairers, and the growing number of operators brought new business from far and wide.

From Wikipedia’s article on Seddon Atkinson, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Timeline

  1. 2006Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1970Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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