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W.J: Whittall & Son Builders. Any info please

C

christopher short

Birmingham Post
My father served his apprentiship with the above between 1930 to 1935 and worked for them well into the early 1960's. Whittalls had a major contract with GEC Witton pre and post WW2 where my Grandfather,Father and 2 uncles were also employed in the construction of I think the turbo bays and during the war repairing bomb damage.
My Father's apprentiship certificate still hangs in my study. Were Whittalls a Birmingham based company?
My Father also worked for them on contracts in London and Burnley.
 
W. J. Whittalls were indeed a Birmingham building contractor, with a last address of 74 Newtown Row, Birmingham 6. They were incorporated in December 1928 and appear to have closed over a period from 1976 (liquidation) to 1994 (last accounts recieved by company house).
 
After they ceased trading the company name continued for a few year under the name of Maurice Whittall who I believe was a son of the founder. Dek
 
I may be wrong but think they were a major contractor to J Lucas Electrical. Seem to recall them having an office within Lucas Gt Hampton Street.
 
Whittals had building tradesmen on the Lucas, Shaftmoor Lane permanately, some changed jobs to work for Lucas , BW3, 4, 5 & 8 also Marston Green. Len.
 
They was one of the two main contenders for the birmingham contracts to be carried out by the city
there opponeants was bryants the building contractors from whitmore street small heath then there was elvins and sapcotes
then come along the london firm which put them out of the lime ligh of contracts whom became the heavy weights of building contract for the city
in and around the city centre and of course the changinging of aston six ways road ways through to the city centre
and later on divis the builders got the contract for the city birmingham contract for the council houses repairs in and around the city side of brum camp hill st lukes rd mosely st and rd belgrave rd end they later became the civil rd enginerrwhat stated to be from wrentham street little yard became a big bussiness in the following years to come they left wrentham st and went down to watson rd down by the cannal at aston church rd nechells during the sixtyies just before tarionies scrap yard and the rail way oppersite side to old postmans paint factory
may i just add went that way the other day down aston church rd seen what appears to be a asioan school or mosque being built
and i also noticed that valspar paints are now inthe old postmans paint factory does any body recall a little cafe next door to the old postmans paint
have a good day everybody best wishes astonian
 
I was an apprentice bricklayer with Whittalls in the 1960s and worked on a number of large projects including 3 new blocks at Cadburys, Newtown shopping centre, Lewis department store and Warwick University. Their office was in Lancaster Street and they owned a number of other companies including W. Webb who did smaller and high class projects, Whitlor plant hire and a precast concrete firm.The M.D at the time was a Mr Taylor and rumour at the time was that the founders grandson had little interest in the company and more interested in farming.
 
does any body recall a little cafe next door to the old postmans paint
Click to expand...


Hi



I do vaguely remember the little café, but it wasovershadowed by the postans paint factory, with its tins of paint on top of thegate posts.



The company logo was ‘postans paint I trust’; I used gallonsof it as an apprentice.
 
THANKS TO EVERYONE. I'm really much obliged.

Sistersue61. My father Frank Short and his younger brother John, together with their best friend Charlie Kyte all both apprenticed as carpenters. My Grandfather was William Short.
 
Christopher,
Dad is sure he remembers your dad, Frank,he says id either he or Bill work as yard foreman? Also, he thinks it was Frank who organised a footie team which trained in Pype Hayes park. He remembers Charlie Kyte too, but not John -he says was John known as something else?
He is trying to remember other names and events, but as he is nearly 80, takes him a bit longer now!!
Will post if he comes up with anything else.
Sue
 
sistersue61 said:
My dad served his apprenticeship at Whittalls as a carpenter, would have been 1947 I think, but will ask him tomorrow - what was your dads name?
Sue
Click to expand...

Hi sistersue,
I most probably know your Dad. I also was with WJ at the same time. It was a new scheme for apprentice Carpenters and Bricklayers. The war was not long passed and wj decided to get ready, while waiting for men to be demobilised from the war. One Fred Ayles (spelling may be wrong) become our instructor. There were 16 of us altogether. 8 Carpenters and 8 Bricklayers. I actally have a group photograph of us all. Like your Dad I am very close to 80. I was the youngest one of the 8 and at the end of 2 years they had decided they were only going to Indenture 6 so the 2 youngest were dismissed. The other boy was Les Ascot. They nicknamed me 'Barney'. David Macer-Wright.
Les Ascot and I met up at Chris Bryants. Les was chief QS and I was General Foreman at Stephenson Tower on top of New Street Station. That was in 1964. When we spoke of the old days he reckoned we were the only ones in the trade. Maybe they got rid of the wrong 2.

Your Dad will remember the 'Grotto' in the grounds of Perry Pont where we used to go, light a fire in the middle and have a sing song until chased out by Frank Stephenson who was in charge of us all. Also Jack Philpot. I can go on but will wait for your reply.
What is your Dads name? I remember a few of the guys names.

My wife and I are in Cape Town South Africa.

All the best
Dave Macer-Wright (Barney)
 
hi mort;
i do beleive whittles was more or less oppersite the picture house the palace in newtown and later became the palace
bingo hall ;there big offices and yard was facing the hall in the later years before there liquidation
and about 90 yards from henry corbetts the whole sale paint and deco merchants ware house and shop; in new town row ;
and the little cafe you are referring to was in aston church lane from nechels park rd and the baths of nechells
right next door to postmans paint and now is valspar paints today [ thats an old name ] as i recall
and yes i used to go in there and i had a couple of friends living oppersite the paint factory the nottingham family from upper sutton street aston is where they moved from to live in aston church lane and old man divis the contractor from wrentham st off the bristol street next to the old
picture house moved from there to come to watson rd just down the side of the cut ;now divis is a big civil rd engineers
by the way the food was great along with a good brew astonian ;
 
Barney, Dad is out tonight, so will talk to him tomorrow and let you know. He carried on in carpentry when he had done his National Service and worked on a lot of the new building work in Tamworth, the reason we moved here in 1964. He still does some odd jobs, with a chap who was in moms cub pack, who now has his own building business. He also had a spell fitting double glazing and a lot of people recognise him now. He worked for the Coleshill builders Walkers in the early 90s too.
Sue
 
Hi Barney,
My dad is Peter Payne and he remembers you well - he says you lived in Oxford Road and can recall coming to your house, something to bo with bikes he thinks?
The names of the other apprentices were Les Ascot, who you mentioned
Tommy Dent - dad says he was mad!
John Cashmore
Ray Phillips
Burper Brown
Alan May
He thinks Les lived in either Millhouse Road or Wash Lane.
Dad left Whittalls in 1950 to do his National Service , then worked for a small builders for a couple of years before also working for C Bryants - he was the carpentry foreman on the Elms Farm school in Sheldon and then at the Churchills building on the Coventry Road around 1956.He became disillusioned with the company when they did all the time and motion bit, as he felt he got paid most when he was doing least!, so he worked for a few smaller companies as a self-employed chippie and was sub-contracted to Bryants again in Dorridge in the early 60's, with his mates, Ron Smith and Ben Groombridge.
Would you be able to post a copy of the pic onto the forum, or e-mail it to me if I IM you my e-mail address please, dad would love to see it.
If you look on the Two Tower brewery visit thread, post 28, the first pic is one Frothy took from one of his photos of Dad - this was a few weeks ago, mom and dad love coming to the forum meets, just need to get them computer literate now!!
Sue
He never knew what happened to the other apprentices, but
 
sistersue61 said:
Hi Barney,
My dad is Peter Payne and he remembers you well - he says you lived in Oxford Road and can recall coming to your house, something to bo with bikes he thinks?
The names of the other apprentices were Les Ascot, who you mentioned
Tommy Dent - dad says he was mad!
John Cashmore
Ray Phillips
Burper Brown
Alan May
He thinks Les lived in either Millhouse Road or Wash Lane.
Dad left Whittalls in 1950 to do his National Service , then worked for a small builders for a couple of years before also working for C Bryants - he was the carpentry foreman on the Elms Farm school in Sheldon and then at the Churchills building on the Coventry Road around 1956.He became disillusioned with the company when they did all the time and motion bit, as he felt he got paid most when he was doing least!, so he worked for a few smaller companies as a self-employed chippie and was sub-contracted to Bryants again in Dorridge in the early 60's, with his mates, Ron Smith and Ben Groombridge.
Would you be able to post a copy of the pic onto the forum, or e-mail it to me if I IM you my e-mail address please, dad would love to see it.
If you look on the Two Tower brewery visit thread, post 28, the first pic is one Frothy took from one of his photos of Dad - this was a few weeks ago, mom and dad love coming to the forum meets, just need to get them computer literate now!!
Sue
He never knew what happened to the other apprentices, but
Click to expand...

Hi Sue, I am so pleased it is Peter, and yes I do remember him very well also his visit to my home and yes it was in connection with a bike. I may have purchased it from him, not sure. It was a Dawes with straight handlebars. It became my pride and joy. Think I paid about £6.00 for it. I rode from Acocks Green to Perry Pont and back home every day, hail ain or shine. Much better than the bus and train.

Your memories good Peter. You got em all 100% I have put the photograph on my laptop and I think it best I send it to your email Sue. Use this one for me: [email protected]

When you send me a mail I will load the picture straight away and send off. You can post it on the form if you would like to. We can chat later.

All the best for now
David (Barney)

Hi Sue,
 
Hi Sue,
was that the Whittall the Building Firm one time in Aldridge Rd,?
My grandfather was also a forman carpenter,
wore a bowler hat in those day. his name was of Lewis Williams
 
Hi boro keith - Whittalls were main contractor for the Lucas Group Research buuilding that was built from about 1962 to 1965 on the Stratford Road in Shirley - would you have worked on this building ?
 
Hi i am new to this site i worked for whitthall as apprentice painter & decorater based at a different yard but my boss bill wigget took me down to lancaster street by the bridge over the canal he told me to go through the front doors as i got to the doors joe whitthall appeared beside me he said hello son, tall man cromley type coat big cigar pleasant man. My dad and his brother both worked for whitthall around 1939 my dad was probaly a bricklayer or labourer his brother was a plasterer jack and tommy mitchellPic.jpg both would have had strong galway acsent as it was their first time out of ireland. Have picture of my uncle on building site with four other men will try to post this picture.
 
W.J.Whitall the builders were an old family company located just off Lancaster circus in Birmingham before the flyover was built. Michael Whittall became managing director taking over from his father and he ran the company for several years. I joined them whilst at Hall Green Tech 1966. After two years I got my OND and was looking for a job when Michael Whittall called me into the office and offered to send me to Aston for an HNC. I turned it down as I did not want to live at home and wanted to try for a university course not an HNC. He asked me why and I said, “ You did a degree course so why should I to do an HNC” He was furious and walked out of the room. I was rung the following day by the training officer who said I must have made an impact as Michael Whittall, had changed his mind, and wanted to see me again. I went in and he said the company would sponsor me at university provided I worked for them through all holidays. So I went to Salford university with a salary, one of the only people who could afford an old car. The company had family history with lots of big companies and picked up work for Lucas, Cadbury, Dunlop, British Rail. When R.M Douglas won the contract for the National Exhibition Centre near Elmdon airport they merged by selling partly as I think Michael Whittall was a cousin and became married to one of their family. I could have joined R.M.Douglas Ltd but as Whittalls were liable for redundancy payments for my 4 years at university I decided to leave, take the cash, and look elsewhere. They were excellent tradesmen and I learned a hell of a lot about practical building. My first job with them at 17 was to join a gang of labourers at Bordesley railway goods yard breaking up the concrete slab covering what must have been at least an acre over the whole site. Just picking up a pneumatic - jack hammer – the vibrating hammer was an effort in itself as it came up to the top of my legs powered by an air hose and weighed a hundred weight. If I stopped the ganger shouted at me and I had to start smoking as the only way to stop the shouting was to have a fag which was allowed.
 
I do believe my brother who unfortunately cannot ask did his apprenticeship for bricklaying with Whittall’s must have been very early 50’s. For some reason I do believe he delayed Army call up until he finished the apprenticeship mostly because Dad insisted on it.
However, being 14 years younger then things are hazy regarding that, not sure if that was possible putting off being called up.
The winter of 1963 finished my brother in the building trade. I do believe the building sites were all frozen for 3 months.
 
Also my Father worked at Perry Barr pont .
Which was in someway connected to Whittall’s, because I know he moved several times later with Douglas.
He was a mechanical fitter, and worked full time until he was 69,and then part time until 74, he died 18 months later 1982.
My brother said he was so strong when he was younger that he could screw blots up as tight physically as a spanner, yet he was only ever ten, and a half stone.
 
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