• 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

John Rabone & Sons of Hockley rulers tapes and tools

Re: raybones rulers and tapes and tools ;of hockley ;

Did Rabones leave Hockley in 1990? Is this where Bow Works was located? Found this tape measure among some old stuff of my brothers
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    234.9 KB · Views: 12
Re: raybones rulers and tapes and tools ;of hockley ;

They moved to Camden Street in 1984 then I think it was sold in 1989 to Stanley .. my photograph was taken at Camden Street around 1988
 
animal7uk said:
Re: raybones rulers and tapes and tools ;of hockley ;

My Uncle Alan Layton worked at Rabone Chesterman he was a tool setter/foreman from 1970 till they closed when they were bought out by Stanley Tools, they moved everything up to Sheffield and Alan Layton helped them with all the tools for a few weeks, he actually stayed up there hoping they would take him on but they just picked his brains for all his knowledge then said thanks and and goodbye
Click to expand...
My Aunt rememberers your Uncle Alan well
 
My future wife lived at 45 Whitmore St and at the back up the yard lived there family friends Winn & Harry Phelps.Many year later her mother got a job making the rulers and finished up Marrying Jim Day who was the Forman for many many years at Rabones before retiring in the 70s
 
An interesting catalogue of John Rabone & Sons, Whitmore street, they did measuring equipment, spirit levels etc. The catalogue is 83 pages. Their factory was quite big, I wonder what replaced it


hock.jpgrabone.jpg
 
Last edited:
Hi all, my late brother Ron Jones worked at Rabones as an electrical fitter in the mid 50s he often spoke about his time there, he emigrated to Australia in the 60s,and would always remember with great affection some of the people he new and worked with at Rabones, as they say you can take the man out of Brum but you can never take Brum out of the man. RIP, Ron.
 
A few snippets of info from the internet:

1963 John Rabone and Sons, of Whitmore Street, Birmingham, merged with James Chesterman and Co, toolmakers of Sheffield, and the name was changed to Rabone Chesterman.

1970 they acquired another tool maker, Fry's (London).

1989, Stanley Tools, one of the Great White sharks of tool empires, purchased the assets of Rabone Chesterman from Bardsey PLC (now dissolved). Since then, the name has disappeared from their product lines.
 
I still have an old Rabone 2ft. Folding, boxwood rule. Superbly made.






This must be several decades old, but the original quality still shines through.


Steve.
 
The Rabone wooden ruler was an essential part of every builder’s tool kit, we even had a special pocket in the leg of our overalls to keep one in.
 
Sorry to revive this old thread, my names Joe...Rabone, I'm currently looking for some old John Rabone & Sons Catalogs (Physical or digital) for something I'm trying to put together, but cant seem to find any anywhere, the odd one pops up on eBay but once in a blue moon, does anyone have anything they could share?
 
My wife had a year between Drama School (Birmingham school of speech training and dramatic art) and starting her nurse training and worked in the cost office there in Hockley. She's often said it was the best job she ever had in many ways, the staff were wonderful and the woman who ran the office took my young wife to be under her wing.

RC 1 (Large).jpg
 
My dad, Cyril Woodfield worked at Rabones, as did some of his brothers, including Ray, and Norman Woodfield. Dad worked in steel rules first, then the packing department - I have several photos of him packing 'Collico' Cases for British rail, and several of him with staff and at works do's. I worked once in the summer holidays for six weeks in an office. I can remember Works Christmas parties for the kids, and annual trips to Blackpool Illuminations in November, where my mum and dad moved in 1970, to run a guest house. Cyril also played in the works football team.
Should I try to to post these photos here?
 
Welcome to the forum.
We always like photos so please do post them. You might need to reduce their size. If you need help then there are some instructions here

Uploading Pictures

I want to and have tried to upload a few newspaper cutting from 1968 & 1992 that will be of interest to you all but it just keeps telling me that they are too big and I don't know how to make them smaller, any help would be appreciated :))
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
Thanks for jogging my memory. I know that when I get to sorting out my late Dad's tool box I will find two rulers just like those. However, I have already come across these two. The one on the right is feet and inches and the other is metric.
 

Attachments

  • rabone rulers.jpg
    rabone rulers.jpg
    280.6 KB · Views: 2
My daughter and son-in-law have just spent Sunday turning out my garage for me and have come across an old spirit level made by John Rabone & Sons (Warranty corrected) in its old soft metal storage tube (cap missing). It's a lovely piece of work, if old and dirty and much better workmanship than anything made today:
 

Attachments

  • DSC02727 (3).JPG
    DSC02727 (3).JPG
    493.1 KB · Views: 10
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top