Many of the major manufacturing companies in Darlaston
were founded in the 1870s and 1880s. Some of them became
the largest employers in the area, with a worldwide
reputation for quality. This happened against a
background of depression, as many people were out of
work. There were riots in Wednesbury by the unemployed,
and deaths from starvation were not uncommon.
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Read about some of the larger
companies: |
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Charles Richards and Sons Limited |
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David Etchells &
Sons Limited |
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Rubery Owen &
Company Limited |
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Guest, Keen and
Nettlefolds |
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Garringtons
Limited |
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Wilkins and
Mitchell Limited |
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The Steel Nut &
Joseph Hampton Limited |
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The
Darlaston Bolt & Nut Company |
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An advert from 1963. |
Another well known company, E. C. & J. Keay Ltd. was
founded in 1879 at New Street, Birmingham. They were
builders and ironmongers. In 1884 they moved to Cyclops
Works, West Bromwich.and began to manufacture fencing,
fittings, and steel fabrications.
In 1887 the company moved to "Bridge Yard", James Bridge where they produced many products over the years and
specialised in structural steelwork for all types of
buildings, such as schools, hospitals, factories,
offices, and warehouses. |
| They also built bridges, hoppers, bunkers, riveted
platework, welded fabrications, and railway signalling
equipment. In 1957 they became part of the Hingley
Group and were absorbed into F.H. Lloyds in 1960.
Sadly they were another victim of the
recession of the 1980s. The F.H. Lloyd group collapsed
in 1982. |
| Keay's produced
the steelwork for this 100ft clear span
warehouse. |
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| Nuts & Bolts
(Darlaston) Limited
An advert from the 1960s. |
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An advert from 1946.
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Nuts & Bolts (Darlaston( Limited was founded in
the early years of the 20th century. The company
specialised in black bolts and nuts, in all types of
steel, and high strength friction grip bolts and
nuts. The products could be plated to the
customer's specification, or galvanised in the
company's spelter galvanising plant.
'Evertite' and 'Everlok' patent locknuts were
produced in large quantities for sale at home and
abroad. There was also a branch works at Tradegar,
Monmouthshire, that produced nuts and bolts.
There were two subsidiary companies, Hartley &
Baldwin Limited, Willenhall Street, Darlaston, which
produced black bolts and nuts, and tie rods, and J.
Stanley & Company Limited, Wednesfield Road,
Willenhall, which produced drop forgings in all
steels, brass forging engineer's hammers, and small
tools. |
| W. Martin Winn Limited
W. Martin Winn Ltd. opened their factory at Heath Road
in 1907. It was a family business that started by making
wrought iron nuts and bolts. They quickly realised the
advantages of steel and produced some of the first steel
nuts and bolts in Darlaston. The business quickly grew
and many of the company's products were produced from
bright drawn steel. Between 1920 and 1930 the cold
heading process was introduced which led to the
production of high tensile steel bolts. Heat treatment
was later introduced for the production of high tensile
carbon steel bolts, and alloy steel bolts. They also
produced extra large bolts weighing two or three
hundredweights each. The works closed during the
recession in the 1970s and 80s, but a small tool making
business called Winn Tools remains in the original
office building. |
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An advert from 1946. |
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An advert from 1909. |
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The old Darlaston Nut and Bolt
works, known locally as "Bogie Wilkes".
The factory stood on the corner
of Cemetery Road and Kendricks Road. |
| A view of the rear of
Darlaston Nuts and Bolts. The factory was demolished in
2006. |
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A view of Darlaston Nuts and
Bolts from the railway bridge in Kendricks Road.
The factory, originally called the
Grand Junction Works was named after the railway
(originally the Grand Junction Railway) and located
there because of it. |
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An advert from 1902 |
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An advert from 1921. |
Some of the last buildings from
the Grand Junction Works in Cemetery Road. They were
demolished in the late 1990s. |
An advert from 1884.
The Staffordshire Bolt, Nut, and
Fencing Company's factory, London and North Western
Works, stood near Bentley Road South, in between the
Walsall Canal and the London & North Western Railway. It
was connected to the railway by a siding which also
served the nearby canal interchange goods station. The
importance of the railway to the company can be seen
from the name given to the works. This advert is from
1884. |
| Partridge & Company
Sometime before 1850 Simeon Partridge, a grocer, began
to make tallow candles for sale in his shop at 28 Pinfold
Street. He soon opened a small factory behind Slater &
Company (solicitors) in Walsall Road, not far from the
Bull Stake. Unfortunately the building burned down in
1900 and manufacturing ceased. His son Alfred soon
opened another factory on the southern side of Heath
Road next to several old flooded mine shafts, one of
which supplied the works with water. Products included
tallow candles, yellow and carbolic soap.
In 1910 Gilbert Partridge took over at the works
which were sold to ESSO Limited in 1957. Within a few
years the works closed.
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Read about a local pioneer
of the trade union movement |
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An advert from 1963. |
Comrade Cycles
Simeon Taylor had a shop at 76 Pinfold Street, where he
sold sports goods, and repaired bicycles at the back. He
suffered from hearing difficulties and so his wife
helped in the business.
The Taylor family lived upstairs above the shop and
had several children. Simeon built a workshop and
started to assemble bicycles.
Sometime later Simeon purchased an old nut and bolt
factory on The Leys, in between Alma Street and Stafford
Road, in which to manufacture bicycles and tricycles.
The factory was previously occupied by David Harper &
Sons
It became a family business. Simeon's daughter
Florence, sons Jack and Richard, grandsons John and
Philip, and granddaughter Lynda also worked at the
factory.
They became well known for their high standard of
craftsmanship. |
An advert from 1922.
| Simeon died in 1960 after a long illness. By this
time half of the company's products were exported, and
many competitors had ceased to trade because of cheap
foreign competition. Comrade went on to become the
largest independent cycle manufacturer in the country.
The company was hit by the recession in the late 1970s
and 1980s, and moved to new premises near the Bull
Stake. Unfortunately it all came to an end in 1987
because of the continuing recession, and the large
number of cheap foreign imports that flooded the market.
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