This firm was established in 1850 as Robert Gardner, Novelty Iron Works, located on Nazareth Street in Montreal. Gardner began his business making candy and biscuit making machinery, and later added steam engines, mill machinery, and lathes. Sometime during the 1870s the firm name became Robert Gardner & Son. It became Robert Gardner & Sons Co. in 1905. In 1934 the company became John Braidwood & Sons Limited. Over time the company increasing focused on gear-making machinery, and, eventually, just the gears themselves. In about 1965 the company moved from their location of 115 years on Nazareth Street to a Monreal suburb, Ville St. Pierre. The company is still in business as Braidwood Gears Ltd.

Information Sources

• Street's Indian and Colonial Mercantile Directory for 1869 lists, under Foundries, "Gardner, R., Novelty Iron Works, 48 to 54, Nazareth-street".
• Advertisement in the Railways of Canada for 1870/71.
• A history of the Scotch Presbyterian Church, St. Gabriel Street, Montreal, by Rev. Robert W. Campbell, 1887, has the following paragraph.

  Robert Gardner, owner of pew No. 21, the last of the first list of deacons ordained 22nd July 1858, is still to the fore, is the senior of the firm Rober Gardner & Son, and the founder of the "Novelty Iron Works," Nazareth Street. He was a member of the committee representing the congregation in the negotiations with the Church of Scotland committee, regarding the compromise of 1864. He and his family are still connected with Knox Church. His son, Robert, was formerly the popular Colonel of the Sixth Fusiliers.

• Annual Report of the Council of the Montreal Board of Trade for the Year 1902 lists its members, including R. Gardner of R. Gardner & Son, operating the Novelty Iron Works at 40 Nazareth street.
• February 1906 Canadian MachineryThe Robert Gardner & Sons Company has been incorporated to carry on business such as the manufacture of machinery, etc. It is composed chiefly of Montreal capitalists, with a total capital stock of one hundred and forty-five thousand dollars, and its chief place of business will be Montreal.
• The following snippet is from Issue 68 of Industrial Canada, 1957.

  John Braidwood & Sons Limited, Montreal, is the lineal descendent of Novelty Iron Works, a firm established in 1850 and known later as Robert Gardner & Son Limited. This company at first manufactured candy, biscuit and confectionery...

• A UWO Library page on this firm reproduced a history from the Canadian Manufacturers Association, from which the following paragraph is taken.

  In 1934 Robert Gardner & Son Limited was taken over by its former Vice-President and General Manager, John Braidwood, who had been connected with the Gardner firm since 1894. The new company was incorporated under Dominion Charter in 1942 as John Braidwood & Sons Limited.