Redditch, UK, July 2026 – UK-based lighting manufacturer Thorlux Lighting is marking its 90th
anniversary with a series of events in September and the opening of a refreshed visitor centre at its
Redditch, Worcestershire headquarters. The festivities will include a charity golf event and a party
day for its five hundred employees.
Founder Frederick William Thorpe first manufactured Thorlux luminaires in 1936. Based in a small
factory in Small Heath, Birmingham, the company initially made vitreous enamelled steel reflectors.
This was the beginning of a journey that would see Thorlux grow into a globally recognised
manufacturer of luminaires and lighting control systems, becoming the largest company in the FW
Thorpe Group with an annual turnover of over £90 million.
Thorlux has installed a spinning lathe used since the 1930s as the centrepiece of its refreshed
Thorlux Application Centre. Visitors to Thorlux HQ can learn about the machine’s history and how
luminaire production has evolved over nine decades. The centre also includes an improved
Emergency Lighting Experience, providing guests with a realistic, educational power failure escape
scenario.
In September, Thorlux will host two major events. The first, a charity golf day in Warwickshire, will
invite customers to raise money for MIND and Prostate Cancer UK. The second event will be a
carnivalesque fun day for employees and their families to thank them for their hard work, taking
place at the company’s Redditch site. The day will include barbeques, children’s entertainers, face
painting, live music and much more.
Mark Stevenson, Marketing Lead at Thorlux, said: “90 years is a major milestone for Thorlux, and we
are looking forward to celebrating this with our customers and our team members. As a proud UK
manufacturer, it is important to us to host events in the local area and raise money for charities that
are close to our hearts.”