Would anyone have any information regarding this company? ie what it produced etc. My Great Aunt worked there as a PA/Secretary until just before her death in 1986. Her name was Marjorie Renouf and I know very little about her other than she lived in Keddleston Road. Many thanks in anticipation. Sally B
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Newey Goodman Ltd Robin Hood Lane
- Thread starter sally B
- Start date
anthea
master brummie
Hello Sally B, This company made hairgrips which were handy when making a pincurl in the hair. The top end of the grip turned up so that it was easy to slide into the pincurl (didn't need to open the grip with one's teeth!). They also made nappy safety pins which had a piece of metal which slid over the closed top of the pin to prevent it opening. There were metal buttons which could be covered in material which was held in place at the back with a stud. I cannot remember any other items it's been a long time since I worked there in 1962 as PA/ Secretary to the Director.
Anthea.
Anthea.
Many thanks Anthea. Would you by any chance have known of Marjorie. She apparently was a Secretary / PA I really have a family history mystery. Her mother was Irene and may also have worked there. Their family name was Renouf at that time or could have been Honey. Thanks for your help. Sally B
anthea
master brummie
Sally, I didn't know your Aunt at all. I shared a small office with the Cost Clerk. The Director I worked for was in charge of the Works Department, so we were separate from other offices at the front of the building. I seem to recall (it's been a very long time ago ie 1962), that the company was then known as George Goodman & Company or George Goodman & Sons. The name was later changed to Newey Goodman.
Anthea
Anthea
Hello --Yes I know this company , actually worked there and knew Majorie Renouf or Miss Renouf as I remember her,think that she was the Secretary to the Sales Director David Jackson or certainly one of the Directors.
The Robin Hood Lane site housed the Sales , Purchasing , Marketing and the computer section as well as making the Hairgrips and Pins by the million plus Safety Pins etc etc.The company also had other sites in George Street B'ham and Tipton.
At the time the company had two types of business , one was the Haircare based on the Hairgrips and the other was Haberdashery based on pins ,hook and eyes etc.
During 1978-79 the shares in Newey Goodman were sold to a German company William Prym a family owned company of some 400 years who were basically in the same business,over the next few months new senior management were introduced to the company.In 1982 the Haircare side of the business was sold to Laughtons and the money raised paid for the whole site to be relocated to Tipton,Robin Hood Lane was then sold to developers for housing.
I cannot remember if Miss Renouf worked at the Tipton site or not , if she did I dont think that it was for long as it was a fair way to travel every day.
Not sure if there is anything else I can help you with,but please just ask.
Paul
Many thanks Paul. I am really grateful. I dont suppose you can remember what she looked like or anything about her. Until recently I did not know she existed and to cut a long story short she and her mum have become a bit of a family mystery for me which I would really like to solve. Any information would be fantastic. It's one of those family history situations where you keep hitting brick walls! Many thanks Sally B
malcolmdee
New Member
My father, Sidney Drew, worked at George Goodman Ltd. during the war. He was classified as reserved occupation as I believe they may have been manufacturing munitions. He served in the local Home Guard. I worked there, briefly, in the early 1970's when it was Newey Goodman Ltd. Douglas Hammond also worked there and, coincidentally, when I worked there Douglas' son John was also employed there. We have a few pieces of bomb shrapnel from the war years and I am trying to establish if any bombs got close to the factory, particularly in 1942 - the year I was born!
Radiorails
master brummie
I wonder if this company had outworkers?
The mother of a school chum, who's father had deserted his mother for a , presumably, younger woman did in, her spare time, the job of affixing ladies hair grips to cards which were for resale to shops and stores. From memory I believe that other small objects, such as safety pins or similar, were also part of the inventory she used.
This, I guess, supplemented her income and 'kept the wolf from the door''.
The mother of a school chum, who's father had deserted his mother for a , presumably, younger woman did in, her spare time, the job of affixing ladies hair grips to cards which were for resale to shops and stores. From memory I believe that other small objects, such as safety pins or similar, were also part of the inventory she used.
This, I guess, supplemented her income and 'kept the wolf from the door''.
Bishopsmate
master brummie
There used to be a lot of outworkers, working with grips etc.
My father was one of the Gatemen from about 1957ish until he retired in 1967ish.
My Mother also worked there but during the war producing 'munitions', she didn't like it but with Dad away the money helped.
We used to have some great day trips (works outings) from there, mostly to Blackpool, the whole place with families seemed to turn out.
Radiorails
master brummie
Thank you for the reply. I forgot to mention that the time period for my previous post would be 1948 - 1952.
sheldontony
master brummie
Just noticed this thread. Did anyone know my uncle, Frank Harris who I believed worked there during WW2 and later.
Only just found this thread. I can remember my mom doing 'outwork' for Goodmans in the very late 50's and I used to have to help her. From what I can remember it was a lot of work for not much money! Later on in 1966 I started an engineering apprenticeship with Newey Goodman as it was then and the first year was done at the training school in George Street. When I finished at the training school I was transferred to the press shop at Robin Hood Lane and worked there for a while . I can remember the name of Renouf but can not recall anything about except she was supposed to be a very nice person. I enjoyed my time there and worked with some characters and have many stories to tell. If any one is interested my name is Malcolm Cashmore and my email address is [email protected]
sheldontony
master brummie
Did anyone come across my Uncle, Frank Harris? Worked at Neweys for years even during WW2 I believe.
just found this thread,my very first job on leaving school was at george goodmans in robin hood lane in 1956. i must say i have only the fondest memories of the company and all the people that worked there. as a fresh faced young 15 year old direct from yardley wood sec. mod. all boys school i walked into the hand press section where about 50 teenage girls were working i could not beleive my luck, my lower jaw must have hit the ground. joking apart it represented the very best in
care for its workforce.there were two resident nurses to look after your ills, ray farley to look after the young workers, a subsdised canteen with very cheap food, regular trips to the seaside for all the younger workforce both male and female, onsite there was a social club,bowling club,cricket and football all of which could be enjoyed during lunch break and after working hours. i think siviter smith a director, used to organise our trips out. they did make hair grips, safety pins,hat pins.hair slides e.t.c. and most of the machines were invented and hand built there, they also had a prescision engineering shop where i worked and we made various small precision parts.i really loved working there. boff
care for its workforce.there were two resident nurses to look after your ills, ray farley to look after the young workers, a subsdised canteen with very cheap food, regular trips to the seaside for all the younger workforce both male and female, onsite there was a social club,bowling club,cricket and football all of which could be enjoyed during lunch break and after working hours. i think siviter smith a director, used to organise our trips out. they did make hair grips, safety pins,hat pins.hair slides e.t.c. and most of the machines were invented and hand built there, they also had a prescision engineering shop where i worked and we made various small precision parts.i really loved working there. boff
I don't know whether this thread is still active. I remember the name Miss Renouf and I am sure I met her as she came round to our house in Solihull from time to time. I think she was the secretary for my father Frank Lane who was Export Sales Director for Newey Goodman in Robin Hood Lane. He died in 1972 so unfortunately I can'f confirm this. However I do remember that Miss Renouf was a legendary secretary - one of those good souls who was totally dependable. Indeed her name was always mentioned with an aura. I do have some photographs and she may be on them but I am not sure. I used to visit the factory on some Saturday mornings in the 1960s when my father had to go in to catch up. It was an Alladins cave running round all the pin presses - Health and Safety would have a fit now. The factory has now disappeared and the roads on the housing estate are named after the previous owners (Goodman, Newey). I kept in contact with David Jackson until he died a few years ago and Martin Newey was at the funeral.
Thanks for replying. I would really love to see photos of Miss Renouf as she would be my 2nd cousin and we know nothing much about her or what she looks like. She and her Mum are really family mysteries and we would dearly love to know more about them but keep hitting the inevitable wall! It is a mystery why her mum changed their names to Renouf as Marjorie was born and christened Honey, her mum being the wife of my Great Uncle Stewart Honey and as far as we can find out never re-married. Any information you have and photos would be gratefully received. Many thanks Sally
Paul Walton
master brummie
I believe my grandmother, Ada Walton, worked for that company from wartime until her retirement around 1958 or 59. I never knew what she did but I gather she must have liked working there, just for the sake of it, as she apparently never opened her wage packets until there was a change in the banknotes in the early 1960's and she needed them exchanged for new notes
scarlett13uk
Brummie babby
Hi any chance you could repost the picture please
I worked for Newey at the time of their takeover of George Goodman and was therefore part of the office staff that moved to Goodman's office block in Robin Hood Lane . At that time Graham Goodman was managing director , David Jackson was sales director , and I am almost certain that Frank Lane was company secretary . Newey's company secretary , Brian Whitehouse , took over as company secretary of the new company , Newey Goodman , and at this stage Frank Lane became export sales director . I worked for a while under Mr Lane , as I called him , and he was a really wonderful man . A perfect English gentleman , he had a fine sense of humour and endless patience . Marjorie Renouf was certainly Graham Goodman's secretary but she was also secretary to Messrs Jackson and Lane prior to the takeover . Miss Renouf was a tall elegant woman , very laid back , very efficient , with a fine sense of humour and a permanent pleasant smile . Her voice was very distinctive , having no trace of accent and being pitched a little lower than an average woman's voice .
Welcome to the forum Mal and thanks for posting the details of Newey staff. Hopefully Sally B will pick up on your post as I'm sure she'd be interested in you memories of Miss Renouf. Enjoy the forum. Viv.
Hello is anyone interested
I worked at newey Bros Hall green
Started at Summer lane as a apprentice for a year then 1970 was sent to Hall green and worked in the tool room making machine parts the factory made safety pins hair grips and press studs .the grounds had a cricket pitch out building contained snoker table and dart board. Happy memories of this time..
I worked at newey Bros Hall green
Started at Summer lane as a apprentice for a year then 1970 was sent to Hall green and worked in the tool room making machine parts the factory made safety pins hair grips and press studs .the grounds had a cricket pitch out building contained snoker table and dart board. Happy memories of this time..
Hello Sally B, I may be 9 years too late, but I've just been searching to find out what happened to Newey Goodman Ltd and saw the message you wrote in 2011. I worked at Newey Goodman's from 1969 to 1971 as secretary to Mr Frank Lane, who at that time was a Director and General Sales Manager. I do remember Margorie Renouf, but unfortunately I can't remember which Director she worked for. Someone suggested it might be David Jackson, but his secretary was Mrs Edna Smith, who I shared an office with. As I was only 23 at the time and Margorie Renouf was considerably older than me, I did not know her well, but I can still remember what she looked like. If Mr Lane's son Ian did pass any photos to you I would almost certainly be able to identify her if she is in them. She was very tall and upright, with brown, slightly curly hair and I visualise her smiling gently with an air of calmness and efficiency. Our offices were on the first floor overlooking the road and were very quiet, apart from the sound of our typewriters. We sometimes had to go down to the factory, which was situated behind the offices, to get samples of various haberdashery items to send off with our letters and I still remember how chaotic/busy it was there and how extremely noisey all the machines were. Happy days.
Kind regards, Julia