Spherax was far from a laboratory publicity gimmick - in fact the switch was first put into production as a horn push on a Jaguar.

In 1860, he founded the firm that would become Lucas Industries.

At first it made general pressed metal merchandise, including plant pot holders, scoops and buckets, and later in 1875 lamps for ships.

Joseph Lucas Son was based in Little King Street from 1882 and later Great King Street Birmingham.

In 1902, what had by then become Joseph Lucas Ltd, incorporated in 1898, started making automotive electrical components such as magnetos, alternators, windscreen wipers, horns, lighting, wiring and starter motors.

This name would come to be associated with the manufactured products of Lucas Companies, into the present day.

However, Lucas did not use the King of the Road epithet for every lamp manufactured.

They used this name on only their most prestigious and usually highest priced lamps and goods.

This naming format would last until the 1920s when the King of the Road wording was pressed into the outer edge of the small lion and torch button motifs that frequently decorated the tops of both bicycle and motor-car lamps.

The public were encouraged by Lucas to refer to every Lucas lamp as a King of the Road, but strictly speaking, this is quite wrong, as most lamps throughout the 20th century possessed either a name, a number, or both.

Joseph and Harry Lucas formed a joint stock corporation with the New Departure Bell Co., of America in 1896, so that Lucas designed bicycle lamps could be manufactured in America to avoid import duties.

During the First World War Lucas made shells and fuses, as well as electrical equipment for military vehicles.

Up until the early 1970s, Lucas was the principal supplier to British manufacturers (such as BSA, Norton and Triumph) of magnetos, dynamos, alternators, switches and other electrical components.

After the First World War the firm expanded rapidly, branching out into products such as braking systems and diesel systems for the automotive industry and hydraulic actuators and electronic engine control systems for the aerospace industry.

Around 1930, Lucas and Smiths established a trading agreement to avoid competition in each others markets.

By the mid-1930s Lucas had a virtual monopoly of automotive electrical equipment in Great Britain.

With a monopoly in place, Lucas proceeded to supply electrical equipment that was commonly cited as the best reason not to buy a British car.

During the 1920s and 1930s Lucas grew rapidly by taking over a number of their competitors such as Rotax and C.A.Vandervell (CAV).

During World War Two Lucas were engaged by Rover to work on the combustion and fuel systems for the Whittle jet engine project making the burners.

This came about because of their experience of sheet metal manufacture and CAV for the pumps and injectors.

In the 1950s (exact dates needed) they started a semiconductor manufacturing plant to make rectifiers and transistors.

Spherax.

The product was called Spherax - and it looked just like an ordinary piece of rubber.

The material was what the scientists called a conductive elastomer - in other words it carried an arrangement of small metal fragments in suspension in the rubber sponge that acted as a conductor when compressed.

The new material was suitable for use in all automotive switchgear and, by 1974, Lucas had thoroughly tested the product for use in touch switches, panel switches, direction indicator switches, gear lever and steering column lock switches, oil temperature and pressure switches, and brake warning light switches.

Lucas Distributor Parts Catalogue