Frank Hornby

Frank Hornby (15 May 1863 – 21 September 1936) was an English inventor, businessman and politician. He was a visionary in toy development and manufacture, and although he had no formal engineering training, he was responsible for the invention and production of three of the most popular lines of toys based on

Hornby's inventions and initiatives made him a millionaire in the 1930s. He entered politics in 1931 when he was elected as a Conservative MP for the Everton constituency. Hornby's legacy has persisted long after his death with enthusiasts all over the world still building Meccano models and collecting his toys. The 150th anniversary of Hornby's birth was celebrated in Liverpool and Brighton on 15 May 2013.

Biography

Born on 15 May 1863 at 77 Copperas Hill,

After experimenting with new ideas in his home

By the end of 1900 Hornby had built a set of parts he considered worth marketing. On advice, he patented his invention in January 1901 as "Improvements in Toy or Educational Devices for Children and Young People",^[2] but not without first having to borrow £5 from his employer, David Elliot, to cover the costs.

During 1901 Hornby began looking for companies to manufacture his product, but it was poorly finished and did not attract much attention. Still having to support his family on the small wage he earned, Hornby did not have much time to market his invention. Fortunately, his employer saw potential in what Hornby was doing and offered him some vacant premises next to the office where he worked to pursue his ideas. With this move, Elliot and Hornby became partners.

Mechanics Made Easy

Hornby now called his construction toy "Mechanics Made Easy" and after receiving a positive endorsement from professor

Each set had only 16 different parts with a leaflet detailing the construction of 12 models. In 1903, 1,500 sets were sold, although no profit was made. New parts were continually being introduced and in 1904, six sets, packed in tin boxes with instruction manuals in French and English, became available. In 1905 two new sets were introduced and in 1906, for the first time, a small profit was made.

By 1907 Hornby's part suppliers could not meet the demand. This prompted Hornby to quit his job with Elliot and find suitable premises to begin manufacturing his own parts. He secured a three-year lease on a workshop in Duke Street, by Dukes Terrace in the Rope Walks area of Liverpool, and with the help of a loan granted to Hornby and Elliot for machinery and wages, they were manufacturing their own parts by June 1907.

Meccano

In September 1907, Hornby registered his famous "Meccano" trade mark and used this name on all new sets. To raise more capital to invest in a larger factory and plant, a company had to be created. This led to the formation of Meccano Ltd on 30 May 1908. Elliot had decided not to join the new company, leaving Hornby as the sole proprietor. The Meccano factory was relocated to West Derby Road in Liverpool, and in 1910 the famous "MECCANO" logo was commissioned. Meccano Ltd's turnover for the 1910 financial year was £12,000.

Meccano was exported to many countries and in 1912, Hornby and his son, Roland, formed Meccano (France) Ltd in Paris to manufacture Meccano. An office was also opened in Berlin, (Germany) and Märklin began to manufacture Meccano under licence. Hornby also started importing clockwork motors from Märklin.

To keep pace with demand, a new factory was built in Binns Road, Liverpool. By September 1914 the Binns Road Factory was in full production and became the company headquarters for over 60 years.

Other initiatives

In addition to Meccano, Hornby developed and manufactured a number of other model kits and toys, including:

• 1909 – "Hornby System of Mechanical Demonstration", an educational set.
• 1915 –
  O gauge
  trains.
• 1920 – The Hornby Clockwork Train (0 gauge), enameled tinplate – later Hornby Series – later Hornby Trains.
• 1934 – Dinky Toys, die-cast miniature model cars and trucks (first introduced under the Hornby name in 1931) .
• 1938 – Hornby Dublo model railway system (00 gauge. Introduced after Hornby's death).

In 1916, Hornby launched a monthly publication, Meccano Magazine, which remained in circulation for over sixty years, and in 1930 he formed the Meccano Guild, an amalgamation of Meccano clubs from all over the world.

Member of Parliament and final years

By the 1930s, Hornby had become a millionaire. He owned a mansion

Hornby died of a chronic heart condition complicated by diabetes in Maghull, near Liverpool, Lancashire, on 21 September 1936. He is buried in the grounds of St Andrew's Church, Maghull. His elder son Roland took over as chairman of Meccano Ltd.

Hornby's legacy lives on today with thousands of enthusiasts all over the world still building Meccano models, running Hornby Train sets and collecting Dinky Toys. In his homeplace of Maghull there is a local Wetherspoons pub named after him, The Frank Hornby.

150th anniversary

The 150th anniversary of Frank Hornby's birth fell on 15 May 2013,^[3] and festivities were held by the National Museums Liverpool and the Frank Hornby Charitable Trust, Maghull, and by the Brighton Toy and Model Museum.^[4][5][6]

Google also celebrated the 150th anniversary with a Google Doodle on their UK homepage on 15 May 2013.^[7][8]

See also

• List of English inventors and designers

Bibliography

• McReavy, Anthony (2002). The Toy Story – The Life and Times of Inventor Frank Hornby. Ebury Press. p. 288.
  ISBN 0-09-188117-X
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frank Hornby.

• Frank Hornby's Life and the History of Meccano Archived 26 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine
• Frank Hornby: The Boy Who Made $1,000,000 With a Toy
• Short Pictorial History of Frank Hornby. Archived from the original on 2006-02-15.
• Liverpool Lives – Frank Hornby
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Frank Hornby

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Derwent Hall Caine	Member of Parliament for Liverpool, Everton 1931 – 1935	Succeeded by Bertie Victor Kirby