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Penfold Golf ball factory. Bromford Lane

I have no contact to the Penfold Factory other than driving past it on Bromford Lane many times. Today, I have been on a tour of the building that replaced the factory. It's now a nursing home, it's been open about 12 months. The wife of a friend of mine is to go there for a few weeks respite care. It looks a very nice facility.
 
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I have no contact to the Penfold Factory other than driving past it on Bromford Lane many times. Today, I have been on a tour of the building that replaced the factory. It's now a nursing home, it's been open about 12 months. The wife of a friend of mine is to go there for a few weeks respite care. It looks a very nice facility.
/QUOTE

I think the nursing home is on the site of where Walter Smith the Butcher was. The Penfold factory was next door which is still a empty boarded up plot.
 
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I think the nursing home is on the site of where Walter Smith the Butcher was. The Penfold factory was next door which is still a empty boarded up plot.

You may well be right Frothblower. I asked the manager what was on the site before the nursing home and she replied, "a golf ball factory". Next time I go past I will check what's there.
 
penball.jpg


I know I've put penball but I do mean penfold. As you see the nursing home is not on the Golf ball ( Penfold) factory site
 
my late mom worked there way back in the fifties her name was dorothy maiden name jackson.
she came from st'margarets road.it did have the golf balls at the main entrance.
 
Yes the nursing home is on the old Walter Smith plot. Plans for the Penfold plot have been submitted again, lets see if they do build this time!
 
Looking at Frothblowers pic, I would respectfully suggest that the Penfold was where the "Walter Smith" is shown. My wife worked there briefly in the late 60's

I remember when the site of the Police Station just up the road from this pic was a brick factory, with sloping-wall kilns and a huge claypit at the back, where there is now an open space. My mates from Ingleton Road often climbed down into the clay pit . It was opposite the clay factory that a dray horse dropped dead in its harnesses , causing most of the older kids from Ingleton Road school to go and have a look at it as it lay there dead.
 
Looking at Frothblowers pic, I would respectfully suggest that the Penfold was where the "Walter Smith" is shown. My wife worked there briefly in the late 60's


Hi Ingleton, Frothblowers picture is correct, and I know for sure as I have lived opposite for 40 years, if you remember Penfold was right on the corner.
 
Here is a close shot, the left is walter Smiths now demolished ready for old peoples home, and on the right the penfold with part building still standing.
2007September569.jpg
 
Orlroight, you got me - I didn't think that the brick building that went up as far as Fairholme Road was actually Penfolds

But what then was Walter Smith's ?
 
I'm resurrecting this thread in the hope that someone has some photographs of the Penfold Factory on Bromford Lane. The ones that have evidently been posted when the thread started, were deleted some time ago. We are refreshing our Outer Circle Talks for Local History Groups etc and looking for new material. Thanks for your memories.
 
It's alright you lot talking about Penfolds golf balls.I live opposite the 2 nd hole of a golf course and every weekend end up with a couple of differently named golf balls in my garden.Then give them to my S/in law so he doesn't have to buy any:p:p
 
I remember driving past the factory on many occasions. I don't have any pictures of it but I do have a china replica of it's famous advertising figure...................
P1000409.JPG
 
When I was an apprentice a fellow apprentice and friend of mines father was Jack Hargraves a Ryder Cup player and professional at Sutton Coldfield. He would take us to Penfold sometimes on a Friday afternoon. Unfortunately we were too young to appreciate what we saw.
 
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