Pilkington

Pilkington Group Limited is a multinational glass manufacturing company headquartered in St Helens, United Kingdom and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japan-based NSG Group. Prior to its acquisition by NSG in 2006 it was an independent company listed on the London Stock Exchange and for a time was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

History

The company was founded in 1826 as a partnership between members of the Pilkington and Greenall families, based in St Helens, Lancashire. The venture used the trading name of St Helens Crown Glass Company. On the departure from the partnership of the last Greenall in 1845, the firm became known as Pilkington Brothers. In July 1894 the business was incorporated under the Companies Act 1862 as Pilkington Brothers Limited.

Pilkington was floated as a public company on the London Stock Exchange in 1970. It was for many years the biggest employer in the northwest industrial town. The distinctive blue-glass head office tower-block in Prescot Road, used as the firm's world HQ, and completed in 1964, still dominates the town's skyline.

Pilkington (Animal Farm)

Mr. Pilkington of Foxwood Farm is a fictional character in George Orwell's satirical novel Animal Farm.

Role in the story

Pilkington is based on Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt or generally just the allies. Mr Pilkington has a larger but more unkempt farm, and is on bad terms with Mr Frederick of Pinchfield Farm. Frederick's farm is adjacent to Animal Farm on the opposite side, to which Animal Farm acts as a buffer zone, sandwiched between Pinchfield and Foxwood. Frederick is in ways the antithesis of Pilkington; he is comparatively poorer and has less land than Pilkington; however Pinchfield is more efficiently run and more productive than Foxwood. Despite the bickering between Frederick and Pilkington, there are two factors both respectfully agree upon: they are frightened of the animal revolution that deposed Mr Jones, the original owner, fearing that their own animals may stage similar revolutions on their farmsteads, and both continue to call "Animal Farm" by its original name of "Manor Farm", as they believe the name "Animal Farm" is an unofficial endorsement of the animal revolution. Mr Pilkington at first offered to buy Napoleon's pile of surplus timber, but the timber is "bought" (with counterfeit banknotes) by Frederick instead. Napoleon plays both sides by feigning friendship with Pilkington to get Frederick to pay a higher price for the timber. When Frederick invades Animal Farm, Pilkington refuses to help the animals (primarily because of the messages that Napoleon sent to Pilkington that read "Death to Pilkington"). When Napoleon frantically sends letters to Pilkington asking for help after Frederick invades, Pilkington's response letter consists of a single phrase: "Serves you right."

Pilkington (surname)

Pilkington is a surname, and may refer to: