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Peerless Stampings
- Thread starter zak14
- Start date
I worked at Peerless Stampings in the wages office until 1971. The company was owned by Bill and Charlie Jordan and Leslie and Alan Jones. I believe their fathers started with one machine in a small room somewhere.( Shortly before I left Charlie's son was brought into the business. I think his name was Clive). We always had to call them Mr.Lesley, Mr. Charlie, Mr. Alan but Bill was always referred to as Mr. Jordan.They all lived in large expensive houses and drove top of the range cars,unlike their own fathers, they would never roll up their sleeves and get stuck in.
There used to be a uniformed Commissionaire on the front door which I always thought was a bit pretentious considering the state of the factory and the area it was in.I think the building has now been demolished.
There was a spin off company called Peerless Plastics but I know very little about that.
Hello Ardenhall,
One of the Jordan brothers was still there in 1976, but I don't remember meeting him although I do remember he had a great big 3.5 liter Elvis car which he used to park outside the office entrance every day. I stayed there until 1979 them went to complete my apprenticeship at GEC Xpelair just up the road. The names I remember are Bill Lodder the Toolroom Foreman, Terry Thyne from the Drawing Office, Ted Roberts (i think the surname was Roberts) the Toolroom Chargehand who taught me my trade and the toolmakers Vic Ballinger, Pat Byrne and David Carter, also a Die Miller called Ben but cannot remember his surname.
I returned to Peerless Stampings in 1990 as the Quality Manager after it had been sold to Newman Tonks and one or two of the old names from my apprentice days were still there (Dave Carter, Ben, Terry Thyne and Vic Ballinger but it was not the same company and I only stayed 12 months second time around.
The building has not been knocked down and is still there but it is a Cash and Carry warehouse now !
One of the Jordan brothers was still there in 1976, but I don't remember meeting him although I do remember he had a great big 3.5 liter Elvis car which he used to park outside the office entrance every day. I stayed there until 1979 them went to complete my apprenticeship at GEC Xpelair just up the road. The names I remember are Bill Lodder the Toolroom Foreman, Terry Thyne from the Drawing Office, Ted Roberts (i think the surname was Roberts) the Toolroom Chargehand who taught me my trade and the toolmakers Vic Ballinger, Pat Byrne and David Carter, also a Die Miller called Ben but cannot remember his surname.
I returned to Peerless Stampings in 1990 as the Quality Manager after it had been sold to Newman Tonks and one or two of the old names from my apprentice days were still there (Dave Carter, Ben, Terry Thyne and Vic Ballinger but it was not the same company and I only stayed 12 months second time around.
The building has not been knocked down and is still there but it is a Cash and Carry warehouse now !
H
harley
Guest
yes i remember it i worked in priory road at consentric ,and priory castors ,in the same street. was this factory at the bottom facing the consentric controls. cos i worked at this factory for a short while also, them were the days you could walk out of a job friday, and start a knew one on monday,
H
harley
Guest
what a small world jean, i was at the concentric from 1972, in the tap shop, on the big bench drilling machines ,
I wonder if the members of this forum could help me?
I have a love of history and of cars and it therefore follows that I am a classic car enthusiast. Last year I bought a wreck as a restoration project. The car came with a document file including the original hand written vehicle registration document noting that the car was sold new to Peerless pressings Ltd in 1967. The car was a Bristol 409 painted in silver grey. I enclose a picture of the car found within the history file when it was clearly worse for wear. The car was an expensive set of wheels at the time, costing in the order of £5500.
View attachment 67564
I would be interested to learn all about Peerless pressings but have particular interest in the following:
1. Does anyone know which of the directors bought the car? Who was he. What did he do? What was he like?
2. Any stories spring to mind?
3. What about peerless? What did they make? How many people would they have employed in 1967? Was it a good firm to work for?
4. Does anyone know where I could obtain an image of the factory in its "prime".
5. Where exactly was the factory located? I have had a look on google street view. There is a building facing concentric controls which looks modest enough from the front but goes back along way albeit under a modern roof. Is the original factory with a new roof maybe?
Thank you all for your help and your memories.
I have a love of history and of cars and it therefore follows that I am a classic car enthusiast. Last year I bought a wreck as a restoration project. The car came with a document file including the original hand written vehicle registration document noting that the car was sold new to Peerless pressings Ltd in 1967. The car was a Bristol 409 painted in silver grey. I enclose a picture of the car found within the history file when it was clearly worse for wear. The car was an expensive set of wheels at the time, costing in the order of £5500.
View attachment 67564
I would be interested to learn all about Peerless pressings but have particular interest in the following:
1. Does anyone know which of the directors bought the car? Who was he. What did he do? What was he like?
2. Any stories spring to mind?
3. What about peerless? What did they make? How many people would they have employed in 1967? Was it a good firm to work for?
4. Does anyone know where I could obtain an image of the factory in its "prime".
5. Where exactly was the factory located? I have had a look on google street view. There is a building facing concentric controls which looks modest enough from the front but goes back along way albeit under a modern roof. Is the original factory with a new roof maybe?
Thank you all for your help and your memories.
Hello Stuart,
The car would I guess have been owned by one of the Jordan brothers who were still involved with the company in 1976 when I started there as an apprentice toolmaker, They used to park a large expensive car outside when I worked their but I thought it was an Elvis but my memory could be failing me as the photograph above does look like the car I remember ?. Tell me does this Bristol have a panel on the side of the car that the spare wheel was stored behind because I seem to remember that the car parked outside in the late 70's did. If it does and it is the same car parked outside in the late 1970's then I think it belonged to Clive Jordan,
The building was directly opposite Concentric Pumps at the botttom of a dead end called Priory Road and is still their today and I think it is the building you are looking at on Google.
Peerless Stampings made brass and aluminium stampings and also machined them to very accurate tolerances and these were used in gas fittings, gas turn off valves etc, the releases valve on top of fire extinguishers, Calor Gas cylinders and also simple decorative brass items such as three brass monkeys "see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil" but one of their biggest products were brass sink wastes which we possibly all had at least one of in our homes. These were made by the hundreds of thousands when I was there. Another big product for them were the nice polished brass electric switch covers seen in pubs, hotels etc and these were made for M K Electrical in London.
If you go onto "Google Maps" and type Priory Road, Aston, Birmingham into the search bar it will take you to the map of Priory Road and if you then grab the little man and drag him to the end of the cul de sac of Priory Road the street view photograph will show you the Peerless Stampings building as it looks today, a blue and white Cash and Carry (JB Foods) and if you manover the picture and look at the office entrance door that is where your car used to be parked every week day.
Hope this helps, I worked their from 1976 to 1979 as an apprentice and then went back in 1990 as the Quality Manager but only stayed for 12 months.
They were bought out in the late 1980's by the Newman Tonks group to make brass and aluminium stampings for thier architectutal hardware products.
The car would I guess have been owned by one of the Jordan brothers who were still involved with the company in 1976 when I started there as an apprentice toolmaker, They used to park a large expensive car outside when I worked their but I thought it was an Elvis but my memory could be failing me as the photograph above does look like the car I remember ?. Tell me does this Bristol have a panel on the side of the car that the spare wheel was stored behind because I seem to remember that the car parked outside in the late 70's did. If it does and it is the same car parked outside in the late 1970's then I think it belonged to Clive Jordan,
The building was directly opposite Concentric Pumps at the botttom of a dead end called Priory Road and is still their today and I think it is the building you are looking at on Google.
Peerless Stampings made brass and aluminium stampings and also machined them to very accurate tolerances and these were used in gas fittings, gas turn off valves etc, the releases valve on top of fire extinguishers, Calor Gas cylinders and also simple decorative brass items such as three brass monkeys "see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil" but one of their biggest products were brass sink wastes which we possibly all had at least one of in our homes. These were made by the hundreds of thousands when I was there. Another big product for them were the nice polished brass electric switch covers seen in pubs, hotels etc and these were made for M K Electrical in London.
If you go onto "Google Maps" and type Priory Road, Aston, Birmingham into the search bar it will take you to the map of Priory Road and if you then grab the little man and drag him to the end of the cul de sac of Priory Road the street view photograph will show you the Peerless Stampings building as it looks today, a blue and white Cash and Carry (JB Foods) and if you manover the picture and look at the office entrance door that is where your car used to be parked every week day.
Hope this helps, I worked their from 1976 to 1979 as an apprentice and then went back in 1990 as the Quality Manager but only stayed for 12 months.
They were bought out in the late 1980's by the Newman Tonks group to make brass and aluminium stampings for thier architectutal hardware products.
Thank you for taking the time to post.
The Bristol 409 looks quite similar to an Alvis TD21 which was also a 1960's car and therefore. It would be easy to mistake one for the other especially as there were many more TD21's produced. Only 74 Bristol 409's were made.
However. Bristol were unique in that both front wings have doors on them to access cubbies. One side houses the spare wheel whilst the other houses the battery, electrics and servos. It seems that you have a sharpe memory and that it was indeed my Bristol 409 that was parked up outside the factory.
If anyone knows more about the ownership of the car or knwledge of the car itself I would love to here more.
Also, thank you for confirming the premises location. If anyone knows where I might find any pictures of the period please do get in touch.
Kind regards
Stuart
The Bristol 409 looks quite similar to an Alvis TD21 which was also a 1960's car and therefore. It would be easy to mistake one for the other especially as there were many more TD21's produced. Only 74 Bristol 409's were made.
However. Bristol were unique in that both front wings have doors on them to access cubbies. One side houses the spare wheel whilst the other houses the battery, electrics and servos. It seems that you have a sharpe memory and that it was indeed my Bristol 409 that was parked up outside the factory.
If anyone knows more about the ownership of the car or knwledge of the car itself I would love to here more.
Also, thank you for confirming the premises location. If anyone knows where I might find any pictures of the period please do get in touch.
Kind regards
Stuart
Hi, I have just found this thread after google search for Peerless Stampings of Priory Road, Aston. My father worked there for nearly 30 years in the tool room. His name is Bernard Stringer. He had to do a lot of precision work. He talks abt it a lot now and asked if it was still there., hence my research. Dad is now 88 years old and has developed dementia but I like to talk with him about what he calls " the old days" I will pass on some of names in these threads and see if he remembers them. If anyone has pictures I would be interested in seeing them. lynda
simply red
proper brummie kid
I started work as an apprentice toolmaker at Peerless Stampings in August 1959.
I certainly remember names such as Ted Roberts; Ben , the miller; Terry Thynne. In addition, Alan Smith and Doug on the lathes and many others. My closest friend, however, was Norman Nelson, who was from St. Kitts and lived with his sister in Erdington. In fact, I tried visiting him at Peerless Stampings a few years after I'd left but was told he'd left a few months earlier. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten his home address, having been invited there a few years earlier.
I certainly remember names such as Ted Roberts; Ben , the miller; Terry Thynne. In addition, Alan Smith and Doug on the lathes and many others. My closest friend, however, was Norman Nelson, who was from St. Kitts and lived with his sister in Erdington. In fact, I tried visiting him at Peerless Stampings a few years after I'd left but was told he'd left a few months earlier. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten his home address, having been invited there a few years earlier.
geoffrey richards
New Member
hello
my mother is the sister to the jordan brothers.Charlie jordan had a number of bristols ,i remember him in one when he came to visit us.
Only my mother and william(tiny) jordan are still around although tiny is very poorly ,he is about 91 years of age.I remember charlie quite well ,i worked for a short time for charlie and clive(his son) when they had regon clips in witney.
my mother is the sister to the jordan brothers.Charlie jordan had a number of bristols ,i remember him in one when he came to visit us.
Only my mother and william(tiny) jordan are still around although tiny is very poorly ,he is about 91 years of age.I remember charlie quite well ,i worked for a short time for charlie and clive(his son) when they had regon clips in witney.
simply red
proper brummie kid
Hi
Thank you for replying.I'd given up posting notes on B'ham History Forum because people did not reply! So thank you again.
I could never work out why William was nicknamed 'Tiny' because he didn't seem particularly short.I rememember Clive -he trained in the office above the toolroom.
I must admit,it never occurred to me that the Jordan brothers had a sister.
I also recall,and found it amusing at the time,when I was working as an apprentice toolmaker,but doing a couple of months training in the drawing office,that 'Tiny' asked the then foreman(John Carter) who the lad in the suit was.The reason being that I was not only wearing a suit but quite an expensive silk tie and shoes.I was told by John Carter that Tiny was surprised to see one of the youths working there to be dressed so fashionably.I must admit,I much preferred the drawing office,finding the work more interesting.In the end though,I moved to Northumberland with my parents and later trained as a teacher - a job which has taken me to various parts of the world,although I'm now back in the UK.
Aren't I right in thinking that Peerless Stampings was started by the Jordan brothers' father? At least,that's what I was told.
Well,that's all for now.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Simply Red (Roy)
B
BernardR
Guest
Hoping someone can answer this Roy but folk can only reply if they have the knowledge.
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk
simply red
proper brummie kid
Thank you for your reply Jean.Incidentally I worked there from August 1959 to March 1963
simply red
proper brummie kid
Hi Lynda I remember a very kind and friendly man called Bernard who worked on a milling machine. Is it possible heis your father?
Roger Hughes
New Member
Hello Geoffrey
I am a school friend of Clive Jordan. We were very good friends but I lost touch with him around 1975/1976 and I am trying to re establish contact but so far have been unsuccessful. Can you help me at all with regard to his current contact details for which I would be very grateful. I also new his brother Tony and sister Gillian
I am sorry to hear about Tiny who I met on a few occasions but I never met your mother. I also met Tiny's son but I cannot remember his name.
For the record Charlie did have a Bristol which was his pride and joy and in which he would give me lifts on occasion.
Roger Hughes
New Member
Dear Geoffrey
I was at Solihull school with Clive Jordan and although we were good friends then and afterwards I lost touch with him after 1976. As I have been unable to track him down recently could you help me at all with his current contact details as I would very much like to see him again. I also new his brother Tony and sister Gillian.
I am sorry to hear about Tiny as I met him a few times and also his son but I cannot remember his name. I never met your mother. Charlie as you know was a larger than life character and I had quite a few lifts in his Bristol.
Roger Hughes
Jaffa
master brummie
I know this is an old thread but.... My father worked for "The Peerless" (as he called it), I think he worked there in the 1950's and 1960's (possibly earlier too?) as a toolmaker, his name was George Jeffcott... Here is a photo I found of him working at his lathe, I'm pretty sure it was taken in the 1950's, so it must have been at The Peerless... He left The Peerless to work for Mansill Booth in Great Tindal Street, Ladywood at some point in the 1960's... It would be nice to know if someone recognised his face, his name or even the building in the background.
Attachments
Jaffa
master brummie
Three Wise Monkeys.... Oh yes!... My Dad worked for the Peerless... I think this must have fallen into his 'cow gown' in the 1960's.... They've been in my possession since I was a nipper.
They are almost impossible to photograph as they are very small, measuring only 0.75 of an inch tall and 1.25 inches wide.... Are these how you remember them Zak?
