BURCO DEAN

A Drip-Dry-Air clothes dryer made by the Burco Dean company

W. H. Dean was founded in 1895 on Accrington Road, Burnley, with the purpose of building gas-powered water heating equipment as this method of heating water became more popular moving into the 20th century. W. H. Dean was a well known figure in the water heating industry and created many patents for the unique technology that the company had created. However, towards the middle of the 20th century gas powered products began to be overshadowed by electrically powered products, putting W. H. Dean at a disadvantage. In addition, the resources to manufacture their products were becoming increasingly expensive due to the competition buying it first which meant that W. H. Dean needed to find a way to keep ahead. This led to W. H. Dean agreeing to merge with Burnley Components Ltd following the Second World War to form Burco Dean, combining both of their technologies and specialities to create electrical water heaters as well as other popular household appliances, such as the Baby Burco water heater.

An image of a Baby Burco water heater

Burnley Components Ltd, also known as Burco, was founded in 1916 at Rose Grove, Burnley, with the purpose of creating small electrical components. In the First World War they also made munitions to help the war effort and they were one of the few companies to continue to employ female workers after the war was over. After the First World War the company made components for the motor industry and in 1932 they began to sell electrical equipment to the public, thanks to the development of the National Grid making electricity more accessible. Burnley Components Ltd continued to be a dominating force in the electrical components manufacturing industry even after they merged with W. H. Dean in 1955 to form Burco Dean. Burnley Components Ltd continued to spread into the domestic appliances market, making use of the increasing demand for electrically powered products to build their range of products. However, W. H. Dean was already familiar with the market, with their popular gas powered water heating products, and a significant competitor to Burnley Components Ltd. When the two companies decided to merge it was so that they could combine their expertise to create new innovative products, such as gas water heaters which were powered by electricity. It also made the raw materials and resources easier to get a hold of as they could combine profits to purchase the necessary materials.

taken 1965/1966, this image depicts a window display of some of Burcos popular products

An image of a Burco made heated clothes rack for drying clothes

In 1955 Burnley Components Ltd and W. H. Dean merged to form Burco Dean. Due to their similar products and the rising competition in the industry the directors of the companies thought that it would be more profitable to combine their companies. Both companies continued to manufacture their individual products, with Burnley Components Ltd specialising in electrical products and W. H. Dean specialising in gas products. These products became easier and cheaper to manufacture due to their combined resources and products which combined gas and electrical power helped Burco Dean to stand out from the competition.

Burco Dean became a key figure in household appliances following the merging of W. H. Dean and Burnley Components Ltd. Influential products such as the Baby Burco wash boiler in the 1950s cemented the Burco Dean company as a household name throughout the Burnley area. W. H. Dean and Burnley Components Ltd were not the only companies under the Burco Dean umbrella. Prior to the merger in 1955, Ashworth & Co. Ltd, a Burnley based company that made metal casings, was bought by Burnley Components Ltd who then bought Carters in 1962, who made sirens and fire alarms, bringing them under the Burco Dean umbrella as well. W. H. Dean had also bought other companies before merging with Burnley Components Ltd. In 1931 they bought the Abbey Foundry Company Ltd, who made metal casings and in 1954, just one year before the merger, they bought Slack & Sons Ltd as well as Howarth & Co. Ltd, who were both boiler manufacturers. 10 years later W. H. Dean bought Maxol Heaters Ltd in Manchester which allowed them to expand their range of water heating appliances. In 1963 Burco Dean acquired Eastham & Son Ltd, who manufactured a range of fitted kitchens. In 1973 Mitchell Plastics Ltd, another Burnley based company that made plastic mouldings alongside supplying components to appliance companies, was obtained by Burco Dean as well.

Burco Dean had bought many companies within similar industries, such as metal working, to reduce competition and increase profits. This meant that obtaining the raw materials and resources to produce their other products was much easier and cheaper. However, they also bought other unrelated companies in an attempt to diversify. The inclusion of these companies in the group allowed for the products that Burco Dean made to diversify into a range of household appliances, such as gas and electric hobs, fire safety equipment, and luxury kitchen items. Many of these kitchen items may have some variation of Eastham in their names because Eastham & Son Ltd were already a recognisable name in the kitchen appliance market. Products with Eastham Maxol written on them were gas appliances and W. H. Dean had an influence on their design whereas products with Eastham Burco were electrical appliances and Burnley Components Lt had a hand in them. Despite Burco Dean owning companies outside of the Burnley area, the company still has a presence in Burnley and one of their warehouses can be found on Accrington Road.

An image of a Eastham Maxol boiler unit in a kitchen

An image of some 1968 Thermair Storage Heaters produced by Thermair Domestic Appliances Ltd, a company owned by the Burco Dean comapany

An image of an oven produced by Eastham Burco in a domestic kitchen

The Burco Dean Company still exists today and in 2012 they released the first UK made autofill water boiler with a built in filtration system. In recent years, the Burco Dean company has made a few partnerships with other large companies within the industry and in 2018, the Burco water boiler business integrated with the Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation division. The Glen Dimplex Groups is a leading manufacturer of electrical heater as well as other small appliances and in 2023, Burco Dean became part of RKW, who is one of the leading distributors and manufactures of small domestic appliances in the UK. The Burco Dean company is still creating their historic products and have been an influential presence in Burnley since it was founded and maintains their presence in the Burnley area to this day.

Date article was written: 06/08/2025