Wilmot Breeden Limited

[Astonian]

HI THERE
Doe,s Any=body Recall Wilmott Breedon Of Camden Street
Hockley Spring hill Did Any body Work There
I Used To Lve In King edwards Rd Just Up The Road By The Kirby Gang
Wilmotts and Breedon Had Afew Factory,s Around Brum
They Had One Next To The Ice Rink At Spring Hill And They Had One In Cheston Rd Aston Off Rocky Lane
I Have Got AN Invoice Addressed To R,H Burman Ltd Avon Works
Tyburn Rd Bham 24, FOR Reqeusting Payment For Materials Supplied
I Have Down Loaded The Copy On The Thread If Any-body Wants To See It
Best Wishes ASTONIAN ,;;

 

[Tom24]

Hi,
I am starting to research this Birmingham company as there is very little about it on the internet, and it was a major employer up to the 1970’s – turning out car bumpers, door locks, window winders, badges etc. for all manufacturers.

I worked there as an apprentice from 1966, based at the Kings Road Works then the Amington Road factory. I also worked for a time at the Head Office in Goodman Street (Sandpits). Other locations were a warehouse in Digbeth; Fordhouse Lane in Stirchley (later taken over by Rockwell); an R&D facility at Umberslade Hall and the former Civil Service Sports Ground at Elmdon plus the Camden Street works you mentioned.

Most of the Amington Road buildings are still there, although converted to other uses. Up until 1972, I worked in the computer dept. (ground floor front) of the 60’s-style office block, using an ICL 1902 room-size computer with a massive 8mb memory!
I swear that the window blinds in that room today are the same ones that were there in 1972.

I find it incredible that a company of that size can just disappear from public view in just a few short years and therefore want to record as much about it as possible whilst people can still remember.

 

[Astonian]

Hi tom
i think you will find that this wilmott company is mentioned by us on this forum afew years ago by variuos members past and present
even some members even worked there as well i noticed you mentioned them all , but one which i,m prety sure was the head office when you mentioned goode street well up around the block in camden street by spring hill there was that one at the same time that was operationianal
i lived between the two of them and passed and walked by them daily .
And i lived in speedwell rd as well so i am aware of that one as well
i thought i would mention camden street to you . I hope you don,t mind
it probaly slipped your mind i am still researching the burmam metal
company whom supplied some metals to good old breedon in camden street i have in my possesion some company receipts made to breedon ,s
requesting paymentsfor the materials they supplied from the fifties
and burmans received from there supplyers from ireland whom supplyed burmans hence they supplyed willmotts breedon ,
look forewarded to hearing from you again on the forum
and i am prety sure you will hear more from our older forum members whom know more than me best of luck on the research astonian ,;;

 

[OtherHalf]

Other locations were a warehouse in Digbeth; Fordhouse Lane in Stirchley (later taken over by Rockwell); Tom 24 which is now vandalisedand Astonian was that Jimmy Kirby and sons

 

[Astonian]

Hi phil again
nearly missed your thread ,yes you are quite right its jimmy and sons
i,ve known jimmy and his family for donkey years and the sister
and all of his brothers i ,ve got a picture shot of there yard in king edwards rd as well with a lorry they had just bought way back in the fifties ,when they had just bought wakeling the builders yard in king edwards rd lady wood the wakelins builders merchants office was in sprng feild stre around the cornerin the days there builder and painters and decoraters did not have a van in those days they used only
big hand carts to to take there building materils or paint and paper
with the bucket of sand swinging under neath the handles of the cart or the big bags of sand on topi,ve seen two or three guys pushing there hand cart back to the yard there was two guys i recall from wakelins
one was a builder ginger williams from inglby st and the painter called
dinkie yes getting back to the kirby s i know the family
and from when i was a kid and from stan running the old windmil pub dudley rd thanks phil speak to you soon astonian ,;

 

[OldBrummie]

Greetings all. Have just found this thread by accident. I am an ex employee. I was apprenticed at Ammington Road in 1958 - first job after school. Did the full 5 years but not all in the factory. After 9 months in the Training School I suffered an industrial accident which saw me off-work for 4 weeks.
On returning to work, I was shunted out to Umberslade Park Research and Development Facility, where I completed "my time". One of the bonuses of this move was that I went out to MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association) test track at Nuneaton on a multitude of occasions, running a test vehicle with our Door Lock and Window Winder test rigs mounted there-on.
On completion I was advised there was no possibility of a job so I took a trip - to Sydney Australia and I'm still here. Well and truly retired now though and enjoying a much more relaxed lifestyle.

OldBrummie.

 

[gibbo2005]

hi Astonion my first wife lived in King Edwards road in the 50s her name was Dorothy Clements then i am sure she live at 135 i worked for a market firm and i am sure i delivered fruit and veg to Willmot Breden about the same time

 

[Astonian]

hi gibbo
as you know thee was afew branches around; we had one in king edwards rd andif my calculations are correct her house was
more or less facing the king edwards rd branch
there main exit was where all the personnel would come and go
and delivery,s in and out the main gates which would have been
on the king edwards rd we lived at 243 kingedwards rd
duringthe fifties next to the chimney sweet house
and facing the kirbys yard
i also can remember the clements family
andalso the half of wilmotts was down and around the back of the libary in camden street and then there was the houses and then the grotto pub a cracking pub great food and and beer witha warm a welcoming by the gather and is wife a friend of mine remembers the clements family as well wholly watkings from around the corner in spring field street
some other names close was the wrights the laundy shop
chatwins , the ellis .the vernons of king edwards rd
i am just trying to remember the fruit and veg supplyers
i use to see them most days of the week and an old friend of mine also worked for the same company delivering fruit and veg there
i do not what you to tell me just let me think of it
and then you can tell me if i am right or wrong ,
at this precise moment i have got alot of things flashing thriugh my mind but i will remember it
have a good day gibbospeak again soon best wishes astonian ;;;

 

[Tom24]

Hi All,
Just got back to this thread. I remember the two brothers who ran the place during the sixties. Miles Breeden and David Breeden. Whilst working at Goodman Street in 1967, I was told to take a very important document down to David's London flat for signature. I was given my train and taxi fare (about £10) if I remember correctly! David had a flat in a very posh Edwardian block behind the Albert Hall. When I arrived there, he was out, so I had to leave the document with his secretary. She invited me to stay to lunch (smoked salmon) as the Harrods van was just about to deliver. How the other half lived! I declined and made do with a Wimpy back at Euston station.
Every year, the apprentice association organised a coach trip to the Motor Show at Earls Court. My main memory of this is spending the day on the Wilmot Breeden stand - upstairs in the hospitality area. Free alcohol and nibbles all day until they threw us out! Then spending the evening wandering around London (didn't have any money to spend...) before getting back at midnight to the coach pickup at Marble Arch.
One other memory to share with you. During the seventies when the miners were on strike and we had the power blackouts, it was a great time to be a computer operator. Although we tried to work around the scheduled power outtages, there were lots of unscheduled ones. This caused havoc with the computer system and meant that we often had to re-run a lot of fairly lengthy processing. This meant lots of lovely overtime! We were fully in support of the miners.
Heady days indeed!

 

[Jack's Grandson]

My late grandfather, John "Jack" Lewis, worked as a time and motion engineer for Wilmot's virtually all of his working life (40 years as I understand). For school, he had attended King Edward's at Aston.

Jack retired either in 1970 or 1971 but lived only briefly for a short time thereafter.

I remember him as a very intelligent, highly resourceful, firm-handed and fair-minded man.

I can still see him now, in my memory as a young child, working on his Ford (Poplar?) car, registration number 'WON 752' and setting up my Matchbox electric racing car track at Christmas in 1970.

Are there any ex-Wilmot folks out there who remember my grandfather?

Dave Gray,
ex-Sheldon, now Canada

 

[Dave P]

Anyone remember any of the Moore or Probyn family members that worked at both Ammington Rd and Fordhouse Lane?

 

[OldBrummie]

Hi Dave Gray.
I don't recall the name Lewis from Wilmots but the name does ring bells in Sheldon. I'd be interested to know what the address was in Sheldon. I spent my first 23 years in Lyndon Road - just up from the Sheldon Cinema - before moving to Aus at the end of my apprenticeship.

Old Brummie.

 

[Jack's Grandson]

Hi Dave Gray.
I don't recall the name Lewis from Wilmots but the name does ring bells in Sheldon. I'd be interested to know what the address was in Sheldon. I spent my first 23 years in Lyndon Road - just up from the Sheldon Cinema - before moving to Aus at the end of my apprenticeship.

Old Brummie.

Hi Old Brummie,

We lived at 47 Cranes Park. In the 1960s and 1970s the Fowlers lived to one side of us and the Mathers to the other.

Some of the many characters who also lived in the area were Percy Jinks (corner of Cranes Park and Forest Hill) and his very gracious wife and Charlie Wall who remained as fit as a fiddle most of his life and lived a way up Forest Hill.

My mother Margaret still lives at the Cranes Park address.

There were other Lewis relatives on Church Road near to the Radleys and my aunt lived in Ivydale Avenue.

I remember the old Sheldon Cinema as well. The last film that I remember seeing there was something like "Herbie the Love Bug" (the VW Beetle car that could think like a person). Now there is an NCR building on the site.

I also remember that the old Three Horse Shoes pub was just about still standing at that time. Why they didn't preserve that building I don't know.

 

[Mossy]

There used to be a Wilmot Breedon place in Ladywood opposite Goodman St rec where we used to play when we were kids

Mossy

 

[Jack's Grandson]

Thinking about it, my recollection is that my grandfather Jack may have worked at the Castle Vale/Castle Bromwich Wilmot Breeden location(s).

Some of his retirement gifts included (pewter?) ashtrays specially milled for his pipestand, a carriage clock and some other things.

 

[OldBrummie]

Hi again Dave.
Looks like another Lewis family. They lived in Lyndon Road a couple of doors from home and although I knew who they were, I didn't "know" them that well. Thanks for responding anyway.
Regards, OldBrummie.

 

[lencops]

Wilmot Breedon Ltd Factory, Amington Rd, Tyseley. Len,
Lost photo replaced

 

[pipmk]

Wilmott Breedon, yet another Birmingham company that failed to move with the times. My father was in the tool design section in the late 60,s and he took some German visitors round the press shop.They actually laughed when they saw men sitting at presses. They hadn't done that for over 10 years. He went to Germany to look at tape contolled machines. In the end WB bought one or two instead of the 40 they needed. The machines were never used properly because they wouldn't pay for training.
Just like so much of Birmingham Industry, when times were good they said they didn't need to invest, when times were hard they said they couldn't afford it. The families lived off the dividends and the sale of the business and the workers joined the dole queue. They couldn't run a fish and chip shop.

 

[john]

Your so right pipmk, when i worked for a Power Press repair firm in Birmingham we used to repair some of the power presses at Wilmot Breedon. Now we've got kids
leaving school who don't now HOW Cars, Washing Machines, Vacuum Cleaners and umpteen other appliances that were manufactured in Birmingham/ West Midlands.
I think we must blame ourselves for buying foreign imports as they were cheaper. Little realising we we putting our own manufacturing industry in jeopardy. Now all we've left them with is a degree in shelf stacking.

 

[daverock]

Hi
A lad i was at school with bought out the lock side of Wilmot Breeden, he started a company called Weston Body Hardware in Redditch, they are still in existence & may have old info on Wilmot Breeden. I think that Peter Weston has retired or got out of the business but they featured on a local TV news programme a few weeks ago.
Cheers
Dave Rock

 

[pipmk]

Your so right pipmk, when i worked for a Power Press repair firm in Birmingham we used to repair some of the power presses at Wilmot Breedon. Now we've got kids
leaving school who don't now HOW Cars, Washing Machines, Vacuum Cleaners and umpteen other appliances that were manufactured in Birmingham/ West Midlands.
I think we must blame ourselves for buying foreign imports as they were cheaper. Little realising we we putting our own manufacturing industry in jeopardy. Now all we've left them with is a degree in shelf stacking.

Don't fall into the trap of saying it was our own fault. By the time we were buying inports the boat had sailed, the Germans and Japanese factory owners had been investing in new plant for years, the Germans at least enjoyed higher wages and less hours than us. Birmingham had been the workshop of the world,engineering skill was in our DNA. It was the 7% who still own 84% of the wealth in this country who shat on us. Being born and brought up in Sutton Coldfield I would hear my friends fathers say to their sons "You'll start at the bottom and at lunch time we'll make you a Director" The first generation made it, the second consolidated it and the third wasted it because by then they thought it was their birthright. I know, I lived and worked with these people as they laid waste to British Industry and peoples lives.

 

[terrym]

Hi, I have found the various contributions and reminiscences in this thread very interesting; I am so glad this company and its people are not forgotten as they were one of many firms that lead the UK with innovation. I wrote a book a couple of years back on The Ferrograph Company , who were owned for a while by Wilmot Breedon , back in the 1960s & 1970s and I made a small mention of the firm in that. The Breedons were not solely confined to car parts and had interests elsewhere, mainly though in electronics. This first collimated in an interest in a firm called Wayne Kerr back in the late 1940s with David Breedon installed as a director. Wayne Kerr made high quality test and measurement equipment. Both brothers also invested in Ferrograph, as mentioned above, (High quality tape Recorders, Tape Decks and wireless components ) in the 1950s, eventually buying the firm outright (along with Rendar Components) in the late 1960s. It would appear that while the companies concerned all remained largely autonomous, there was an occasional cross over. For example there has been the odd story of small production runs of Wilmot Breedon car components undertaken in the Ferrograph factory (unconfirmed) and development work carried out for Wilmot Breedon by Wayne Kerr (confirmed). Does anyone remember this connection between the various concerns or have any stories to tell about the brothers? Wilmot Breedon finally sold off all these firms back in 1977 after heavy losses. None of the mentioned names now survive in British hands Accept Ferrograph whose name lives on in signage!
Terry Martini

 

[rowan]

I am sure there was a Wilmot Breeden in Cheltenham.
A firm called Telehoist was a branch of Wilmot Breeden.

am I right?

 

[terrym]

Hi Rowan

Yes you are. I believe Telehoist were involved in hydraulics. Also Wilmot Breedon had an office in Slough "Wilmot Breedon Electronics" along with the factory they had setup at Tewkesbury that made the professional tape recorders for Ferrograph. David Breedon seemed to be the one that had the most foresight with electronics and a lot of the buy ups happened during the 1960s as a result of his interests.




regards

Terry

 

[jim s-w]

Hi Everyone

Does anyone know any more details on these images. The owner knows they were fitted to a 1958 Denzel coachbuilt car and is looking for replacements. Could anyone tell us what the mainstream vehicle these would have been fitted too was?

Best regards

Jim

 

[sdw1363]

Hello

I work for the successors of Wilmot Breeden, however the manufacture/supply of these type of parts moved to Weston Body Hardware Ltd
I have had a look through their catalogue and they don't appear to list that reference (1/42319) but they do make some similar looking parts (eg 1/23805) and one may fit and function as a suitable replacement
You had best contact them direct, they are:-

Weston Body Hardware Ltd
Crossgate Rd
Park Farm
Redditch
B98 7SN
Ph 01527 516060
Fx 01527 526060

Hope this helps, I have not been able to identify the original fitment but I will add this if I come across it

 

[BernardR]

They seem a lot like the one's fitted to my Dad's [later my] old Rover 75 (P4) of 1950 vintage and the P3 before. In those days a lot of the hardware like this was common across a number of cars with just for example the mounting being unique - by this I refer to the small part shown. I cannot put my hands on the manual just now but it is around so will take a look. I would also suggest looking at old Humber and Big Austins (Sheerline for instance).

 

[Astonian]

hi other half
sorry i missed your previuos question in regarding jimmy kirby on the thread
yes it was indeed gentle jimmy kirby nice man nice family ive known them for donkeys years personallly sons and brothers and sister
i hope you and maggs are fine i am abit at the moment struggleing with one complaint or another but being a true grit brummy
and a kid from the old school io will pull through by the way when you was down working in dog pool lane stirchley
do you remember the kid whom lived across the rd down about 100 yards on the oppersite side whom worked in the yard
his mrs i forget her name i think she was a dark haired girl or auburn long has i recall i have not seen them in years
tom mary christmas to you both and a happy and prosperous and healthy new year to you both best wishes astonion

 

[christopher short]

There was a Wilmot Breeden Truflo Ltd in Westwood Road Witton, who manufactured valves and pipes for the process and petrochemical industries together with fans for the motor industry and parts for aero engines. They also had factories in Bentham Gloucestershire and Liege Belgium.

 

[maggs]

Astonian, I remember Wilmot Breedon very well indeed. I used to walk by it going to Camden St school. We also had a school visit there to see how they made the car key's.