1789 - partnership between George Newton and Thomas Chambers. Newton a businessman, Chambers a craftsman in iron. business established to smelt and cast iron.

1792 - bought the mining rights to the Thorncliffe valley and set up works near Chapeltown, near Sheffield.

1815 - Newton & Chambers met with William Murdoch, the inventor of coal-gas lighting, to provide coal for beehive coke ovens on the site.

1890s - introduced Izal disinfectant made from distilled coal tar and later other products.

by 1900 - mined coal and ironstone; built blast furnaces, coke ovens and chemical plant.

Iron, cast in their foundry was used for Tower Bridge, London, and the Eddystone Lighthouse

by 1939 - built excavators under license from the American manufacturer Koehring selling under the NCK brand.

1948 - coalmining and steel industries nationalised; company remains heavily involved in iron and steel founding and the production of chemicals from tar distillates, supplying process plant and equipment for the coal-gas, chemical and steel industries.

1958 - acquires Ransomes & Rapier to produce excavators, draglines and other construction equipment; subsidiary company NCK-Rapier formed, production moves to Ipswich.

1960 - acquires Ronuk Ltd, owner of Ronseal brand and manufacturer of wax polishes and wood stains, located in Portslade, Sussex, England

1972 - group taken over by industrial holding company Central & Sheerwood.

by 1973 - set up Redfyre to market coal-burning grates made in foundry. began to manufacture light fabrications and oil-fired central heating equipment