A FAMILY business that has survived and flourished through decades of upheaval in the agricultural industry is celebrating its centenary.

J Parlour and Son, an agricultural engineering company based at South Otterington, near Northallerton, has traded throughout the mechanisation of farming in the early 20th Century, two world wars and the recent economic problems in the sector.

The company was founded by John Parlour senior, who was born into a farming family at Diamond Hill Farm, Patrick Brompton, near Bedale, in 1883.

He took an apprenticeship with William Britton, a blacksmith, farrier and engineer.

In 1907, John took over the Forge, at South Otterington, and supplied horse implements to dealers throughout the First World War.

When the conflict was over, he was able to buy Austin and Ford tractors, but the recession of the late Twenties finished off tractor farming for a time as most of the farmers went back to horses.

By the early Thirties, John was well-known as a master farrier, and won a gold medal when the amalgamated Royal Show and Yorkshire Show was held at Harrogate.

In 1938, he was joined in the business by his son, Jack. At that time, the company had a contract with Thornton Stud, at Thornton le Street, near Thirsk, and shod the famous racehorse Hyperion.

In 1950, the company was contracted to make two pairs of wrought iron gates for Northallerton Grammar School as a memorial for former students who died in the Second World War. The gates cost £295 to make and used a ton of iron.

The business now hires out machinery to farmers across North Yorkshire.

Jack said: "When I left school in 1938, people were saying blacksmiths had no future, but I just kept going.

"Now we are looking forward to new technology coming into farming in the way of organics, biodiesel, ethanol petrol and the population using home-produced food, saving thousands of food miles.

"Farmers are once again able to obtain their power from fuel grown on their own farms."

John Parlour served the business for 62 years until his death in 1969.

Jack and his wife, Eileen, retired in 2003-4 with a total of 128 years' work between them.

The business is now run by Jack and Eileen's son, John S Parlour, their son-in-law Nigel Harker, and grandson, Sven.