Crompton Lamps is one of the oldest lamp businesses in the world, founded in 1878 by the late Colonel Crompton, an entrepreneur with an interest in electricity. He designed and installed some of the earliest recorded electric lighting installations at buildings such as Windsor Castle and Holyrood Palace. In 1927 Colonel Crompton formed a partnership with Frank Parkinson and together they founded Crompton Parkinson which developed into a substantial manufacturing business producing a whole range of industrial electrical products.