A major employer in Ipswich, until around 10 years ago, was Reavell, writes David Kindred

Their engineering works in Ranelagh Road, Ipswich, occupied a large site employing hundreds of skilled local workers. William Reavell, later Sir William, founded Reavell and Company in 1898 on a site purchased from the Great Eastern Railway Company.

The company, known as CompAir Reavell from 1969, was world famous for its air and gas compressors and work continued on the site until the company was taken over by Gardner Denver. The Ranelagh Road site closed in 2005 and the company operated on a smaller scale from Whitehouse Road, Ipswich, which closed in 2012.

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