Frank Hawtin
Machines made by Frank Hawtin, plus 11 historic Factoids.
Factoids
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1902
Frank Hawtin was born in Bloxham, Oxfordshire.
1918
Frank Hawtin had his own joinery business shortly after leaving school.
1922
Frank etered into the amusement trade sometime in 1922 when his brother Percy returned from Margate after running a Cafe.
1922
Frnak Hawtins' brother, Perry, bought the production rights of a game called 'Bingo' from two Canadians. It is not known if it went to production.
1922 to 1947
Hawtins operated from 1922 to 1947.
1939 to 1945
During the war years the factory was turned over to making aircraft parts for the war effort.
1947
By 1947 Hawtins left the amusement industry to focus on many other projects in the building, agriculture and dental industries, to name a few and Hawtin Industries was founded.
1970
By the 1970s the Hawtins brothers owned their own merchant bank and finance company and were multi millionaires.
1978
The Hawtins finance company was a disaster, the family gave up control around 1978 and it folded in December 2011.
At it's height the Hawtins operation became a three and a half acre site employing thousands, many skilled engineers.
Hawtins' most famous amusement machine is probably the Clutching Hand - an engineering marvel and now highly sought after.
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Code updated 19th January 2026