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Big spanner

C

col h

master brummie
Does anybody have a picture of the big spanner - T.W.Williams or King Dick advertisment I think - That used to be at the top of the hill in Cattell Rd, next to the entrance to the Blues ground ?

No one seems to remember it, but I's sure it was there, I used to see it every day.
 
Thanks, but what I'm looking for is a picture of what looked like an actual spanner about 20 feet long, attached to an advertising hoarding. it was there in the late 50s and early 60s.
 
col h said:
Thanks, but what I'm looking for is a picture of what looked like an actual spanner about 20 feet long, attached to an advertising hoarding. it was there in the late 50s and early 60s.
Click to expand...

I have a vague recollection of this, - my guess is that it would have been Williams, as their spanner factory was just round the corner in Tilton Road

Kind regards

Dave
 
the king dick big spanners company moved to kings rd tysely many years ago and they had that big spanner fixture above there premises there
i don,t know were they are now
best wishes astonian ,;;;
 
yes i remember the big spanner at T.W Williams.I lived in Tilton Road as a child.I think we still have some of their spanners!They made one heck of a noise stamping them out.
 
T.W.Williams Spanner factory was above the Tilton Rd terraces & in 1947 when i first became a Blues supporter they were drop stamping spanners all day long and there was a large window ( no glass) and the workers would stand in it and watch the match. Len.
 
i worked at the blues ground between 1968 and1974.You got so used to the noise of the drop forgers all day the only time you noticed it was when it stopped at lunchtimes.the workers were allways shouting out during training sessions,all the players running up and down the terraces,wears me out just thinking about it these days !!
 
keegs said:
yes i remember the big spanner at T.W Williams.I lived in Tilton Road as a child.I think we still have some of their spanners!They made one heck of a noise stamping them out.
Click to expand...
i remember t williams, i worked there for a while in the 60's enamelling the spanners; i used to put them into racks and then bake the enamel onto them. i also remember the window onto the blues ground,only trouble was if i remember rightly it opened onto the back of the tilton rd end stand. i was only 17 at the time so my memory may be a bit vague
 
keegs said:
yes i remember the big spanner at T.W Williams.I lived in Tilton Road as a child.I think we still have some of their spanners!They made one heck of a noise stamping them out.
Click to expand...

You might like this, although your house wont be on it.

It came from this site, but I cant find the thread, hope the member who posted it wont mind...
 
Thanks for that col h,it certainly takes me back a bit ! Those floodlights lit the street up like daylight when the evening matches were on.
 
bit noisy when paul jones made that film as well, went on all night playing bolero one time, IIRC.
 
Yes I remember it well.They managed to burn the football pitch with a big flaming cross they built !! The film was "privilege"staring Paul Jones and the model Jean Shrimpton.I got to meet both of them during the filming.They used loads of locals from Tilton Rd and the surrounding area as extras in the film.
 
i worked on the gate at the st andrews rd end when they made that film, do you remember the nights in the club after filming each night, and do you remember the d.j that called himself barmy barry?; thre where some good nights there.
 
It was around 1965 or 66, I was only about 12 or 13, so I dont remember it well, although I do remember hearing about it at the time, Was Barmy Barry a ginger haired tall kid from Little Green La, or was that a different Barmy Barry ?

Watched the film once to see if I recognised any of the extras, but I didnt, film was rubbish. Paul Jones is a nice guy though.
 
i really can't remember what he looked like, he just stuck in my mind because was a bit of a comedian and very loud . ithink he was late twenties or early thirties,it was a long time ago wasn't it; they where good times though.
 
There you go lads,this is Barmy Barry,we hired him on the occasion of my daughters engagment party,about 25 years ago.
At that time he was living in Leicestershire,and very hard to find.
 
Ray Barrett said:
There you go lads,this is Barmy Barry,we hired him on the occasion of my daughters engagment party,about 25 years ago.
At that time he was living in Leicestershire,and very hard to find.
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nice one, i still don't recognise him, terrible thing memory it fades with age,all i could remember was his name.
 
These tools king dick,does anybody remember the bulldog that advertised them made from some sort of heavy metal.it belonged
to my husbands grandfather,i think perhaps he made it does anybody know anything about it
 
The big spanner was on a huge advertising board in front of the bomb site, advertising T Williams.. We lived behind it - 7/29 (7 back of 29) It was a row of 7 terraced houses - there was a yard that had the coal houses and toilets -all shared between the families. We left there in 1967, I think they were knocked down not long after.
The site has brought back great memories especially about the noise from T Williams - our house was right next door!
Sorry I haven't any photos - I'll ask me mom!
 
Found these old tools whilst tidying up today. They belonged to my Dad. The name was intriguing and I wondered if they were made in Brum?
 

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The ground shook when the drop hammer was used.
 

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col h said:
Does anybody have a picture of the big spanner - T.W.Williams or King Dick advertisment I think - That used to be at the top of the hill in Cattell Rd, next to the entrance to the Blues ground ?

No one seems to remember it, but I's sure it was there, I used to see it every day.
Click to expand...
I seem to recall Google Earth mapping system had a slider bar that went all the way back to 1945, with various pictures at different years. Anyone know of this ‘history picture barometer’ ?
 
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