About Us

The story of Freeman and Company began in 1849 when Thomas Freeman established himself as a gas illumination engineer at 8, Little Vine Street in the West End of London. The modest ‘house and premises’ of its origin stood in a short narrow court-way that led directly onto Piccadilly opposite its parish church of St. James.

Upon his receipt of a diploma at an exhibition in Paris in 1867 for the ‘Illumination of crystal chandeliers by gas’ and his involvement with the installation of gas-lit street lamps in lower Regent Street he took additional premises in the adjacent way of Swallow Street.

​

In the decade when electricity gradually became available for lighting the average home and premises he was succeeded in 1884 by William Cumby who distributed ‘flyers’ seeking orders for ‘Installations of electric light either complete with engine and dynamo or to be supplied with current from District Central Stations’.

In 1904 he was joined by his son, Adolphus, who remained its managing proprietor until his retirement in 1951 when his office manager of twenty-five years, William Adams, purchased the business of Freeman and Company from him to initiate the present three generation involvement of his family in the continuing enterprise of Thomas Freeman.

​​

In 1961 it was enrolled as a registered electrical contractor with the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC) and four years later as a member of the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) with Terence being registered as the qualifying manager to each body which registrations continue with his son, Jeremy.

It is under the demanding requirements of the NICEIC that the work of Freeman and Company (Installations) Ltd is carried out under the ECA Conditions of Tender and Contract as registered with the Office of Fair Trading.

During the past six or so decades its regular clientele has developed by introduction and recommendation into one composed of Universities, schools, Churches, Public bodies and the offices and works of reputable commercial concerns. These works were, as currently, carried out to their own design or those specified by Consulting Engineers.

Another aspect of its work is the preparation of reports on electrical installations to the IEE Wiring Regulations BS 7671 in compliance with the Electricity at Work Regulations of 1989.

​While the present management of Freeman and Company (Installations) Limited greatly value the provenance and history of their enterprise they appreciate that its future lies in their ability to competently deal with the demands of the present day and the technical advances of tomorrow which they are qualified to discharge with an earnest desire to fulfil.