The Thomas Hedley Co. was a British company based in Newcastle upon Tyne manufacturing soap and candles.
In 1917 and 1918 the company expanded by acquiring the soap makers James Dyson & Co. of Elland in Yorkshire, and John Pickering & Sons Limited of Birmingham, Warwickshire.
At the time City Road was primarily a residential area, and the expansion was a slow process, as Thomas Hedley had to buy a single property at a time.
The City Road site continued after the company's acquisition, in 1930,[1] by Procter and Gamble, and Thomas Hedley's Newcastle roots prompted P&G's presence on Tyneside.
Other Hedley plants were in Trafford Park, Manchester and West Thurrock, Essex.