• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Bill Switchgear

Astoness

Astoness

TRUE BRUMMIE MODERATOR
Staff member
does anyone know if this company still exists...it was at aston lane perry barr

lyn
 
From memory (way back !) Lyn I think it was about here - near Ellisons/Tufnols factory. But there's now a more modern building. So expect it's gone, although I think it still exists as a company. Viv.

image.jpeg
 
yes thats right viv and there should be a couple of photos of it on the forum but if anyone does know for sure that they are still in business or have maybe amalgamated with another company i need to contact them..

lyn
 
Yes they were in Aston Lane, Perry Barr. The factory had a quite distinctive logo on the side and you see on all the fuse boxes they made. My dad worked for them for a short time I assumes just before he was called up in the war.

He said that at the gate there was this old man who would sit sharpening a circular saw blade with a file. As they walked past, they would wave to him. He would wave back to show most of his fingers were missing, apparently cut off in the saw.

Apparently, Bill Switchgear would buy up old railway sleepers, all covered in tar, oil and grit. This old guy would cut them up in his circular saw, as the wood inside would quite good wood, so was used to make the wood patress on the switch box. The tar, oil and grit would wreak havoc with the saw blade, hence him sharpening it every morning.

Just hope the old guy did not run out of fingers.

Mu dad said they were paid piecework, 1d per fuse box assembled. He said once you had done so many, the foreman would start sending them back with as faulty, this click of the switch not sounding quite right etc. He thought they just did not like the idea of paying out too much money.

I think that they are still trading as Bill Switchgear, but are owned by an American company, with their office down south now near London.
 
mmm ok thanks viv...this may make things difficult then as it seems there is no actually a company bearing the name bill switchgear which is really what i was hoping to find as i am on another mission again:eek: will do a bit more research today and get back to the forum if i think its worth me proceeding..

lyn
 
Lyn,

They weren't put into liquidation as a trading company so must have been taken over. The last trading address I had for them was Crown Works, Winster Grove, Great Barr, but that was in 1981.

Maurice
 
That must have been a follow up company Alan, I recall Bill-Switchgear long before that was set up, long before I left Brum in 1965
 
They became part of Delta i believe.My dad worked for them in the 70s and 80s when they changed from Bill Switchgear.
 
There is an interesting (free) exhibition in the main hall at the Tate Britain at the moment, it is made up of old industrial machines that have been bought at auctions by the installation artist. Many of them are from Midlands factories, including the textile industry in Leicester and Nottingham.
I really love it and I know my father would have done :)

One of the machines was from H W Ward and co, Birmingham and on it was a fuse box with the Bill Switchgear logo, I recognised it immediately.
I did photograph it but unfortunately I can't resize them enough to fit onto the forum using my phone (I don't have a PC).

This is a photo from the Tate website, the machine is the one on the right.
Mike-Nelson-006.jpg
 
I
lee t said:
They became part of Delta i believe.My dad worked for them in the 70s and 80s when they changed from Bill Switchgear.
Click to expand...
worked at Bill Switchgear from 1960 to 1968 they moved to wellhead lane soon after I had left and were taken over by delta . They used a lot of asbestos not good stuff .
 
A Sparks said:
There is an interesting (free) exhibition in the main hall at the Tate Britain at the moment, it is made up of old industrial machines that have been bought at auctions by the installation artist. Many of them are from Midlands factories, including the textile industry in Leicester and Nottingham.
I really love it and I know my father would have done :)

One of the machines was from H W Ward and co, Birmingham and on it was a fuse box with the Bill Switchgear logo, I recognised it immediately.
I did photograph it but unfortunately I can't resize them enough to fit onto the forum using my phone (I don't have a PC).

This is a photo from the Tate website, the machine is the one on the right.
View attachment 135124
Click to expand...
The one on the right looks like a milking machine
 
Morturn said:
Yes they were in Aston Lane, Perry Barr. The factory had a quite distinctive logo on the side and you see on all the fuse boxes they made. My dad worked for them for a short time I assumes just before he was called up in the war.

He said that at the gate there was this old man who would sit sharpening a circular saw blade with a file. As they walked past, they would wave to him. He would wave back to show most of his fingers were missing, apparently cut off in the saw.

Apparently, Bill Switchgear would buy up old railway sleepers, all covered in tar, oil and grit. This old guy would cut them up in his circular saw, as the wood inside would quite good wood, so was used to make the wood patress on the switch box. The tar, oil and grit would wreak havoc with the saw blade, hence him sharpening it every morning.

Just hope the old guy did not run out of fingers.

Mu dad said they were paid piecework, 1d per fuse box assembled. He said once you had done so many, the foreman would start sending them back with as faulty, this click of the switch not sounding quite right etc. He thought they just did not like the idea of paying out too much money.

I think that they are still trading as Bill Switchgear, but are owned by an American company, with their office down south now near London.
Click to expand...
I worked there for 8 years Ronnie Bill was the owner at the time . Good memories 1960 1968.
 
Eric Gibson said:
I think it's a capstan lathe but looking at it from the back, on the other side will be the handles (wheels).
I think it was probably made by Wards that's what they did.
Click to expand...
Looks like a lathe with a very short bed on it and capstan turret. Most like specially made for this application which was frequently done on this type of equipment.
 
Ron Bill was related to me through my mothers side of the family . Uncle Ron as I used to call him used to visit us on holiday at Welford on Avon in the sixties " found memories "! . I have many photographs and personal items that I have which and I will put on this forum in the future .
 
billgrierson said:
Ron Bill was related to me through my mothers side of the family . Uncle Ron as I used to call him used to visit us on holiday at Welford on Avon in the sixties " found memories "! . I have many photographs and personal items that I have which and I will put on this forum in the future .
Click to expand...

welcome to the forum and thanks for your post...would love to see some of your photos when you can...thank you

lyn
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top