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T. Elvins & Sons Ltd

Hi Lyn, Yes the building was Stoneleigh Abbey and most of the guys were working for Elvins at the time. Can anyone recall the Masonic temple built by Elvins on the Hagley Road and Ken Phipps?
Notes from a Masonic site
"In October 1971 our Master Bro. N.C. Stephenson opened the Lodge in the new Provincial Temple at Clarendon Road, Edgbaston. Work began on this site in 1968 by Elvins & Sons Ltd, the company which had built the Broad Street Temple in the mid nineteen-twenties. "
 
thanks viv, i posted a reply to this thread some months ago but it seems to have dissappeared, and im sure julie replied to it. could you look into it for me?
Hi have only just seen this post..but better late than never. I've also just read the whole thread and it brings back such happy memories. It is like another world. Anyway I hope you see my reply ...Julie
 
Hi all, this has stirred up some memories! I'm Alan Stapley I was a Trainee Quantity Surveyor from 1979 until I think about 1985. Lots of names I recognise and remember, Janet (wages) and Julie (reception), Kim and Doris in costing, Julie Dauncy, John Ireland, John Whitefield, Roger Underhill, Derek Tompkins, Ken Baker, Mr Hughs, Pete Cummings, Mavis, Geoff Mobley, John Coffey and Noel Chesterman in the garage, Eddie Priddle Yard Manager, John Stedeford Paint Dept. Bill Askew, Bob Scriven and Ron Chiles. Apologies if I have missed anyone. The Main Directors were Gerry Smallwood and Don Waltho (who scared me and I'm sure many others). The Elvins had Retired before I joined and I saw very little of them.

Last but not least Les Beardon.

Les before you re-joined Elvins from making your fortune in the Middle East I had spent my time doing little work with very little direction and getting into mischief. They did nearly make me redundant at one point which I can't say I blamed them for but I was spared at 5pm on the day I was due to finish for some reason. You took me under your wing and although I was only with you about a year you set me on the right path for which I will always be grateful. I've spent the last 41 years as a Quantity Surveyor which I'm sure would not of happened without you. You based me on the Stoneleigh Abbey site until it was almost complete. I used to commute it in my first car a Blue or maybe pink (before we had it re-sprayed) Morris Minor.

I can't see myself on the Photo Les but it may have been before you based me out there or on my day at College.

I have many happy memories of Elvins and the people. I spent my lunchtimes in the Garage and was a victim of exploding kettles, chairs in the break room attached to wire that were pulled back suddenly to the wall from outside and of course George the tailors dummy. If its any consolation George used to often frighten John and Noel when they forgot where they'd put him!

The last person I haven't mentioned is Jayne Mellors who I met at Elvins and eventually married. It was our 33rd Wedding anniversary yesterday. 33 very happy years but don't tell her I said that!
 
Hi all, this has stirred up some memories! I'm Alan Stapley I was a Trainee Quantity Surveyor from 1979 until I think about 1985. Lots of names I recognise and remember, Janet (wages) and Julie (reception), Kim and Doris in costing, Julie Dauncy, John Ireland, John Whitefield, Roger Underhill, Derek Tompkins, Ken Baker, Mr Hughs, Pete Cummings, Mavis, Geoff Mobley, John Coffey and Noel Chesterman in the garage, Eddie Priddle Yard Manager, John Stedeford Paint Dept. Bill Askew, Bob Scriven and Ron Chiles. Apologies if I have missed anyone. The Main Directors were Gerry Smallwood and Don Waltho (who scared me and I'm sure many others). The Elvins had Retired before I joined and I saw very little of them.

Last but not least Les Beardon.

Les before you re-joined Elvins from making your fortune in the Middle East I had spent my time doing little work with very little direction and getting into mischief. They did nearly make me redundant at one point which I can't say I blamed them for but I was spared at 5pm on the day I was due to finish for some reason. You took me under your wing and although I was only with you about a year you set me on the right path for which I will always be grateful. I've spent the last 41 years as a Quantity Surveyor which I'm sure would not of happened without you. You based me on the Stoneleigh Abbey site until it was almost complete. I used to commute it in my first car a Blue or maybe pink (before we had it re-sprayed) Morris Minor.

I can't see myself on the Photo Les but it may have been before you based me out there or on my day at College.

I have many happy memories of Elvins and the people. I spent my lunchtimes in the Garage and was a victim of exploding kettles, chairs in the break room attached to wire that were pulled back suddenly to the wall from outside and of course George the tailors dummy. If its any consolation George used to often frighten John and Noel when they forgot where they'd put him!

The last person I haven't mentioned is Jayne Mellors who I met at Elvins and eventually married. It was our 33rd Wedding anniversary yesterday. 33 very happy years but don't tell her I said that!
Hi Alan gosh I remember you and Jayne well. I was Julie Dauncey and married my boyfriend of fhe time Paul though not til after we had been engaged for 11 years lol. I still remember pulling on your tie and it coming off in my hands as it was a clip on .
I've ended up working for a chartered surveyors. Many many happy memories of Elvins.
 
Hi Alan gosh I remember you and Jayne well. I was Julie Dauncey and married my boyfriend of fhe time Paul though not til after we had been engaged for 11 years lol. I still remember pulling on your tie and it coming off in my hands as it was a clip on .
I've ended up working for a chartered surveyors. Many many happy memories of Elvins.
Hi Julie, Yes I remember you well also. I wore the clip on ties to stop hooligans like you from throttling me :).
We were all very young and I'd should of grown up my now but I'm happy to say I'm still a big kid though I do work harder than I did at Elvins. We have twins and Jayne says she feels like she has 3 kids!
 
hi les welcome to the forum...what a great photo..am i correct in thinking that it shows people who worked for elvins and the building behind is stoneleigh abbey..

thanks for sharing

lyn
Hi,
im pretty sure I was in that photo as I was an apprentice carpenter working on the stoneleigh abbey job.
I remember a man died working on that job.
 
Hi,
im pretty sure I was in that photo as I was an apprentice carpenter working on the stoneleigh abbey job.
I remember a man died working on that job.
Was there a fire? I'm sure I remember my grandpa mentioning something about a fire but it was a very long time ago.
 
Hi Jules, do I remember correctly that you had a sister Janet?working in the wages department. I was the QS on Stoneleigh Abbey and have attached the group photo which shows me as a young man on the right in the black anorak, job was run by colonel Cashmore, painters were John Stedefords new company with Arthur Grice on site
I have this picture. I’m the young apprentice carpenter 4 to the left of you. I’m chatting to Johnnie Price another apprentice chippy. Derrick cashmere & his son Lee. Very happy days indeed. Do you remember Mrs. Thatcher coming to visit by helicopter? Lord & Lady Leigh put on a ”spread” for all the guests & we were allowed to go in to the room after a drink the real ale that was left over!
Hi Jules, do I remember correctly that you had a sister Janet?working in the wages department. I was the QS on Stoneleigh Abbey and have attached the group photo which shows me as a young man on the right in the black anorak, job was run by colonel Cashmore, painters were John Stedefords new company with Arthur Grice on site
Was there a fire? I'm sure I remember my grandpa mentioning something about a fire but it was a very long time ago.
I don’t remember there being a fire & it was a lift engineer that died. The two guys were from Liverpool and there’d finished installing a lift that went up to apartments that had been formed on the top floor of the Abbey. They had stayed over one Friday after we had left to do some final checks so they could head back home. The lift failed to stop on test & crushed this poor guy. I was only 18 or so & it upset me greatly.
 
I worked for Elvins as a trainee quantity surveyor from 1960 to 1967 when I went to Bermuda. Most of the names you mentioned are familiar to me and the name that you could not recall was Lt. Col. George F. Elvins, as you say ex Indian Army, who was extremely dictatorial with his wishes for various things. He could be kind, though, and did give me some pointers about various things.

What I recall most vividly that while I was there Elvins celebrated their centenary and there was a big spread in the Birmingham Post. Among other things mentioned was that around the turn of the previous century (around 1900) Elvins built many if not all of the Ocean and Gaumont cinemas throughout Britain. Another reason I know about this is that when some of these cinemas were converted into bowling alleys or other uses I used to be sent to the attic to retrieve the original architectural drawings of these cinemas which were drawn on linen.

The quantity surveyors were divided into small works and large works, the former under Mr. Kenneth Baker, and the latter under Messrs Clissold and Askew (I think). In my final year getting my H.N.C. at South Birmingham Technical College (O.N.C. was at Brooklyn Farm) Mr. Tom Elvins was made a Board Member or Trustee of the school. When it was pointed out to him that I was currently doing night school there for five nights a week, he was shamed into changing my studies into a Day Release and one evening and that was, as you can imagine, much easier as I lived Erdington at the northern boundary of Birmingham.

I remember all the various departments: stonemasonry, joinery, scaffold, painting (Mr Brown), ready mix, etc. and also Harvey Ironworks for which I drew the plans. Will be happy to share other memories with people who were there at the same time as I was.
Hi Paul
I worked for Elvins from 1963 to 67 and started as a trainee bricklayer,Mr Askew gave me the job and sent me to Hovis to brick up large openings in the bakery on my own!. My firt wage was £7 per week at 18 years old
I was then sent to great bridge to work with a general foreman , Jack Baldwin and an irish bricklayer "Tom"
I spent the rest of my time with them and finally building a card factory in Northampton
I remember a general foreman Mr Maney who had a nickname of "Maniac"
We travelled everywhere in a yellow mini van and Mr John Elvin used to arrive on site in a rover with a driver with a peak cap! How dickensian was that!
We had to call him Mr John
I would love to know what happened to Jack Baldwin and Tom if they are still alive,they taught me my trade as a bricky and much more,Elvins set me on the road for the rest of my working life
Great Memories
 
Hi Paul
I worked for Elvins from 1954 to 55 and started as a trainee bricklayer,Mr Askew gave me the job and sent me to Hovis to brick up large openings in the bakery on my own!. My firt wage was £7 per week at 18 years old
I was then sent to great bridge to work with a general foreman , Jack Baldwin and an irish bricklayer "Tom"
I spent the rest of my time with them and finally building a card factory in Northampton
I remember a general foreman Mr Maney who had a nickname of "Maniac"
We travelled everywhere in a yellow mini van and Mr John Elvin used to arrive on site in a rover with a driver with a peak cap! How dickensian was that!
We had to call him Mr John
I would love to know what happened to Jack Baldwin and Tom if they are still alive,they taught me my trade as a bricky and much more,Elvins set me on the road for the rest of my working life
Great Memories
When I worked at Elvins 1954/5 as office boy and skivvy there were Mr Tom, Mr John, Mr George and Mr Frank each with their own Departments and specialties. Mr John had a tape to tape recorder installed in the boot of his car so he could dictate notes whilst travelling an thus save time.
My desk was in the reception office alongside Mrs Blundell the telephone operator/receptionist and apart from my various duties I relieved her for meal breaks etc.
Mr John would have workers turn up to see him about site matters and Mrs B would phone him and say in a loud voice " Mr John, a person is asking to see you ", I would shudder at this as "The Person " could clearly hear her superior tone of voice.
One day when relieving a caller came for Mr John and he was filthy and dressed in little more than rags. I asked him to wait whilst I contacted Mr John , I closed the reception flap door, phoned Mr John and used the " Person" word. To this day I feel rotten for using that term for a fellow human being.
 
Hi Lyn, Yes the building was Stoneleigh Abbey and most of the guys were working for Elvins at the time. Can anyone recall the Masonic temple built by Elvins on the Hagley Road and Ken Phipps?
I remember ken phipps len page ron chiles rons son name escapes me . I remember ron having a microlight . Julie dauncey john davis pete collins john Hughes he emigrated to australia . Harry birch frankie ball roger nicholls
 
I remember ken phipps len page ron chiles rons son name escapes me . I remember ron having a microlight . Julie dauncey john davis pete collins john Hughes he emigrated to australia . Harry birch frankie Bali
I remember ken phipps len page ron chiles rons son name escapes me . I remember ron having a microlight . Julie dauncey john davis pete collins john Hughes he emigrated to australia . Harry birch frankie ball roger nicholls
I remember ken phipps len page ron chiles rons son name escapes me . I remember ron having a microlight . Julie dauncey john davis pete collins john Hughes he emigrated to australia . Harry birch frankie ball roger nicholls
Leslie. Ron Chiles here Colin my eldest runs multimillion £jobs. I gave up flying as it got very expensive started with elvins in1952 and finished when they went bump worked on my own till was 80 now 84 think am the oldest surviving longest serving person of elvins I hope some can correct me hope this note brings lots off response
 
I worked on the first masonic temple opposite the hall of memory in broad st about 1953 repairing some oak paneling it had been used to issue ration books in ww2 I think with Len Page , Ron
 
I worked for Elvins as a trainee quantity surveyor from 1960 to 1967 when I went to Bermuda. Most of the names you mentioned are familiar to me and the name that you could not recall was Lt. Col. George F. Elvins, as you say ex Indian Army, who was extremely dictatorial with his wishes for various things. He could be kind, though, and did give me some pointers about various things.

What I recall most vividly that while I was there Elvins celebrated their centenary and there was a big spread in the Birmingham Post. Among other things mentioned was that around the turn of the previous century (around 1900) Elvins built many if not all of the Ocean and Gaumont cinemas throughout Britain. Another reason I know about this is that when some of these cinemas were converted into bowling alleys or other uses I used to be sent to the attic to retrieve the original architectural drawings of these cinemas which were drawn on linen.

The quantity surveyors were divided into small works and large works, the former under Mr. Kenneth Baker, and the latter under Messrs Clissold and Askew (I think). In my final year getting my H.N.C. at South Birmingham Technical College (O.N.C. was at Brooklyn Farm) Mr. Tom Elvins was made a Board Member or Trustee of the school. When it was pointed out to him that I was currently doing night school there for five nights a week, he was shamed into changing my studies into a Day Release and one evening and that was, as you can imagine, much easier as I lived Erdington at the northern boundary of Birmingham.

I remember all the various departments: stonemasonry, joinery, scaffold, painting (Mr Brown), ready mix, etc. and also Harvey Ironworks for which I drew the plans. Will be happy to share other memories with people who were there at the same time as I was.
I started work at Elvins in 1962 Immediately after leaving Summer Lane School at the age of 14. I was in the costing office and my boss was Mr. Bertie alongside with his lady assistant who I was terrified of. I also had to make tea when the tea lady was off and take it around the offices and to Mr. Tom and Mr. John, the best was taking it to the wages office as it was full of girls (although I was terribly nervous at the time) I was paid £2.50 a week but got an extra 50p for helping out on the switchboard. Colin.
 
Notes from a Masonic site
"In October 1971 our Master Bro. N.C. Stephenson opened the Lodge in the new Provincial Temple at Clarendon Road, Edgbaston. Work began on this site in 1968 by Elvins & Sons Ltd, the company which had built the Broad Street Temple in the mid nineteen-twenties. "
I worked on the broad st temple repairing oak paneling in early 1950s with Len page it had been used issue ration books inww2 think George Harvey was there as well Walter Hogarth was the supervisor all three long gon
 
I worked for Elvins in the early 60`s as an apprentice bricklayer with a general forman named Jack Baldwin and a bricklayer named Tommy,an Irishman who left to work for the generating board,We built an office block at great bridge in the black country and a factory at Northampton .
I also worked on Barclays bank at Perry bar and Hovis Bakery
Could anyone who worked for Elvins at that time remember Jack Baldwin,I would love to know if he is still alive or any recollections anyone may have of that period
Great memories of times gone by!
 
jack retired 20 plus years ago last I herd he lived in inchacape ave handsworth wood one of his naberours said he had died
 
jack retired 20 plus years ago last I herd he lived in inchacape ave handsworth wood one of his naberours said he had died
Hi Bigles
Sorry to hear Jack Baldwin has passed away,I thought he had moved to the bewdley area as he was a very keen fisherman but he must have moved back to b`ham,he used to live in hampstead originally and went to work at greatbridge on his bike! We had a little mini van after that and travelled every day to northhampton,He gave me driving lessons in it. Don`t think elvins knew about that!
I can`t remember the name of the foreman on Barclays Bank at perry barr but he was a carpenter and always wore bib and brace overalls,made me riddle concrete sand to lay bricks with!
 
Hi all, this has stirred up some memories! I'm Alan Stapley I was a Trainee Quantity Surveyor from 1979 until I think about 1985. Lots of names I recognise and remember, Janet (wages) and Julie (reception), Kim and Doris in costing, Julie Dauncy, John Ireland, John Whitefield, Roger Underhill, Derek Tompkins, Ken Baker, Mr Hughs, Pete Cummings, Mavis, Geoff Mobley, John Coffey and Noel Chesterman in the garage, Eddie Priddle Yard Manager, John Stedeford Paint Dept. Bill Askew, Bob Scriven and Ron Chiles. Apologies if I have missed anyone. The Main Directors were Gerry Smallwood and Don Waltho (who scared me and I'm sure many others). The Elvins had Retired before I joined and I saw very little of them.

Last but not least Les Beardon.

Les before you re-joined Elvins from making your fortune in the Middle East I had spent my time doing little work with very little direction and getting into mischief. They did nearly make me redundant at one point which I can't say I blamed them for but I was spared at 5pm on the day I was due to finish for some reason. You took me under your wing and although I was only with you about a year you set me on the right path for which I will always be grateful. I've spent the last 41 years as a Quantity Surveyor which I'm sure would not of happened without you. You based me on the Stoneleigh Abbey site until it was almost complete. I used to commute it in my first car a Blue or maybe pink (before we had it re-sprayed) Morris Minor.

I can't see myself on the Photo Les but it may have been before you based me out there or on my day at College.

I have many happy memories of Elvins and the people. I spent my lunchtimes in the Garage and was a victim of exploding kettles, chairs in the break room attached to wire that were pulled back suddenly to the wall from outside and of course George the tailors dummy. If its any consolation George used to often frighten John and Noel when they forgot where they'd put him!

The last person I haven't mentioned is Jayne Mellors who I met at Elvins and eventually married. It was our 33rd Wedding anniversary yesterday. 33 very happy years but don't tell her I said that!
Hi Alan, it seems like a lifetime ago since Stoneleigh Abbey, was pleased to read that you stayed on course and carried on as a QS. I recall visiting them on me leave from Abu Dhabi and taking you all down the pub in those days I drove a Jensen. When i applied to re-join Elvins Donald Waltho was MD ? and he took over Mr Toms front office but he refused to let me come to work in the Jensen! . However, going back was not the same everything had changed and eventually I ended up overseas again this time in the Far East and then the USA. Now I am retired and living near Cannock still keep my hand in doing QS work. Take care everyone and please stay iin touch
 
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