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History of Roots brand

This article is one in a series of articles exploring the history of some of Roots world famous product brands. It is fitting therefore to start with one of the stories regarding Roots® blowers. We focus here on the history of the Roots brand in the United Kingdom.

Francis and Philander Roots developed rotary positive air blowers in 1854. The Roots-Connersville Blower Company operation grew in size and importance over the following years and in 1944 was acquired by Dresser. In 1990 Dresser purchased the Peabody Holmes factory in Huddersfield and paired the new company to the existing Roots division. It was this division that Roots acquired in 2015.

Francis and Philander Roots founders of Roots Blower Company

WC Holmes

The eight‑acre Huddersfield plant was originally home to WC Holmes Ltd. Founded in 1850, WC Holmes became a major manufacturer of industrial air blowers, at one point employing up to a thousand people in the Huddersfield area. In 1927, the company began producing positive displacement blowers, further cementing its role within the industry and influencing how engineers approached blower selection and system design — principles that still inform modern specifications today, as outlined in the Blower selection guide.

After being acquired by BHD Engineers — who also owned Bryan Donkin Co at the time — WC Holmes established itself as a leading supplier of gas systems, generators, and industrial blowers. This technical foundation would later support the adoption of Roots technology in a wide range of modern industrial uses, including pneumatic conveying applications, where reliable airflow and consistent pressure are critical to system performance.

Peabody Holmes, Dresser and GE

In 1973 BHD sold WC Holmes to the London based firm Peabody. Peabody was known for their scrubbers used to deal with flue gases. The new firm of Peabody Holmes would continue to develop and manufacture industrial blowers, many of which still form a core part of the Roots range such as the Tri-Nado blowers as well as HR 80 Blowers, RBTM Blowers, HV Boosters and XPL. All these products are still supported (and some are still manufactured) by Roots.

In 1990 Dresser Roots acquired Peabody Holmes and the Huddersfield factory and added more blower products to the range produced there, including URAI and RAS/RGS machines. In 2007, the Huddersfield factory was closed and the main UK operation moved to Skelmersdale, where it remained until 2015 when Roots parent company, Colfax, purchased the Roots operation from GE (who had purchased Dresser in 2010) and the factory work was moved to Renfrew.

Roots Blower RAS-20J-20RGS

Roots and the present

Today, Roots stands as the result of an unbroken lineage that includes WC Holmes, Peabody Holmes, and the original Roots‑Connersville Blower Company. This depth of experience underpins more than a century and a half of technical leadership a legacy that continues to shape how Roots is recognised globally as an industry authority. To explore how this heritage influences modern thinking and innovation, Roots – the original blower authority webinar provides further insight.

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