Eddyjayauk
master brummie
Anyone who worked in the toolroom about 1964 on.
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Harrisons Ltd Bradford St. Birmingham. Curtain rail Manufacturers.
- Thread starter Eddyjayauk
- Start date
Hi
I was a toolroom apprentice at Harrisons from 1966 to 1971.
Jack Downing a grinder was the first apprentice instructor in the new training school , which was the Green street side of the toolroom.
Sid Rainsford was the toolroom foreman & the other apprentices that started with me were Martin Dyer Ray Hexley & Dave Townsend.
I walked up Bradford street a few weeks ago, the buildings both sides of the street are still there looking a little sad now.
The entry to the Castaway club looks to still be there.
Regards Mike Webber
I was a toolroom apprentice at Harrisons from 1966 to 1971.
Jack Downing a grinder was the first apprentice instructor in the new training school , which was the Green street side of the toolroom.
Sid Rainsford was the toolroom foreman & the other apprentices that started with me were Martin Dyer Ray Hexley & Dave Townsend.
I walked up Bradford street a few weeks ago, the buildings both sides of the street are still there looking a little sad now.
The entry to the Castaway club looks to still be there.
Regards Mike Webber
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Eddyjayauk
master brummie
Hi, yes I remember Sid Rainsford very well, a nice guy, also Joeseph Lizowski a polish toolmaker,who I worked with on Transfer tooling, Eric Laight was another name that springs to mind, there was a full toolroom there at the time I was there, very often stray animals would break out of the slaughter house in Bradford st, and charge up the hill causing mayhem.Regards Ted J.
Well ,
You did well to remember Joeseph Lizowskis name. I remember Him as a charge hand toolmaker .
Sid used to send me out every for 10 gold leaf Ciggarets.
There was a Londoner who was wheellchair bound working on the bench at the time.I cant remember his name.
It was amazing how big the toolroom was at the time with its own heat treatment, jig boring, inspection & tool tryout.
There was plenty of skilled jobs then & skilled men to do them.
Regards
Mike.
You did well to remember Joeseph Lizowskis name. I remember Him as a charge hand toolmaker .
Sid used to send me out every for 10 gold leaf Ciggarets.
There was a Londoner who was wheellchair bound working on the bench at the time.I cant remember his name.
It was amazing how big the toolroom was at the time with its own heat treatment, jig boring, inspection & tool tryout.
There was plenty of skilled jobs then & skilled men to do them.
Regards
Mike.
Eddyjayauk
master brummie
Hi,yes it was a good place to work,but,I guess the writing was on the wall even in those days,demarkation was very strictly observed, you were not allowed to use any machines if you were on the bench, and the shop steward would watch you like a hawk if you should try too, I eventually left to take a job at British Aluminium in Redditch,where I was living at the time. Happy days, Regards Ted J.
Hi
I had a walk up Bradford Street a few months ago, all the buildings from the pub towards the city centre on that side of the street have been demolished.
By a massive coincidence I bought a copy of the Evening Mail the same day and there was a article about the redevelopment of the Harrison site. It said it had taken nearly a decade since the first proposals to develop new apartments on the vacant site.
Part of the existing building will be converted into studio flats, while three new five and six story apartment blocks will be built on the rest.
The two acre site will comprise 73 studios, 152 one-bedroom and 88 two-bedroom flats and 2,450sqft shop unit
The company had been on that site since the 19th century
Regard Mike.
I had a walk up Bradford Street a few months ago, all the buildings from the pub towards the city centre on that side of the street have been demolished.
By a massive coincidence I bought a copy of the Evening Mail the same day and there was a article about the redevelopment of the Harrison site. It said it had taken nearly a decade since the first proposals to develop new apartments on the vacant site.
Part of the existing building will be converted into studio flats, while three new five and six story apartment blocks will be built on the rest.
The two acre site will comprise 73 studios, 152 one-bedroom and 88 two-bedroom flats and 2,450sqft shop unit
The company had been on that site since the 19th century
Regard Mike.
Hi,
I had a walk up Bradford street a couple of months ago, all the buildings from the pub on the corner of Bradford street back towards the city centre have been demolished.
By a massive coincidence I bought a copy of the Birmingham Mail the same day and there was an article about the redevelopment of the Harrison site.
It said it had taken a decade since the proposals to develop new apartments on the vacant site.
Part of the existing building will be converted into studio flats, while three new five and six story apartment blocks will be built on the rest of the site.
The two-acre site will comprise 73 studios, 152 one bedroom and 88 two bedroom flats as well as a 2420sqft shop unit, parking and landscaping.
The company had been on the site since the 19th century.
I had a walk up Bradford street a couple of months ago, all the buildings from the pub on the corner of Bradford street back towards the city centre have been demolished.
By a massive coincidence I bought a copy of the Birmingham Mail the same day and there was an article about the redevelopment of the Harrison site.
It said it had taken a decade since the proposals to develop new apartments on the vacant site.
Part of the existing building will be converted into studio flats, while three new five and six story apartment blocks will be built on the rest of the site.
The two-acre site will comprise 73 studios, 152 one bedroom and 88 two bedroom flats as well as a 2420sqft shop unit, parking and landscaping.
The company had been on the site since the 19th century.
Sorrento Dave
New Member
I also served my apprenticeship at Harrisons in the toolroom Sid Rainsford was the foreman in my days 1960-1965.He use to send me out for is fags to the pub on the corners use to sneak a quick half in the summer.i remember frank and George in the stores also the apprentice supervisor was a ex football referee.Happy days
I served my time under Sid rainsford l remember you Mike and your baggies mate martin dyer Dave Townsend started the year after you with myself Tony Malloy Niall coffee les Sadler l was assigned to the fitting section with Dave Tomlin l think his uncle Sean was my chargehand
Hello l started my time in 1967 until the end of my apprenticeship and it’s great to see all your interests ,l remember most of the names my name is Tony Malloy, what is your name?. I remember Joe the bench chargehand ,Eric Holmes’s bench,Bill ford shaper Jack Downing, Dave Anderson apprentice instructor,Sean fitter chargehand,Jimmy Wisheart fitting Trevor Burr fitting ,Dave Tomlin fitting Robin Campbell apprentice And many others cheers Tony Malloy
Kaitlynn
proper brummie kid
Whereabouts on Bradford St was Harrisons situated?
One of my great uncles, William Allen, was shown as working there in the 1921 census (as a Fitter's Labourer).
I've found the attached aerial photo from 1936 that claims to be Harrisons, but I can't work out its orientation in relation to a modern map.
One of my great uncles, William Allen, was shown as working there in the 1921 census (as a Fitter's Labourer).
I've found the attached aerial photo from 1936 that claims to be Harrisons, but I can't work out its orientation in relation to a modern map.
Attachments
Kaitlynn
proper brummie kid
Thank you, Mike, took me a few mins to get my head around it. What was throwing me off was the curve of Chapel House Street, I got it into my head that the photo was taken from the west and not the north.
One side of Harrisons main building was situated on the corner of Bradford St and Birchall St and the other side was on the corner of Bradford St and Lombard St. The building extended back to Cheapside.
The main building has been converted to luxury apartments.
In a building on the opposite side of Bradford St was the Drawing office, Tool room, Press shop Maintenance shop and some production processes.
This building was demolished and a block of luxury apartments have been built.
hi kaitlynn i dont know if you are aware of this map site but its marvelous..you can go all over the country with it...what it does is show you the old street maps and then if you move the blue dot the map fades out to show you what is there now...i have spent hours using it...click on link below i have set it up for bradford st for youThank you, Mike, took me a few mins to get my head around it. What was throwing me off was the curve of Chapel House Street, I got it into my head that the photo was taken from the west and not the north.
lyn
On the map, what’s named the Globe Works belonged to Thomas Haddon and Stokes when I worked at Harrisons from 1966- 1971.
The area named Brass works and the Basket works became Harrisons toolroom, design office, maintenance shop.
I wonder if that area was part of Harrisons when the map was drawn?
The area outlined in red on the photograph is Harrison’s main works, the area on the opposite side of Bradford street must have been redeveloped by Harrisons sometime before or just after the war.
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Below is a map from the late 1880s. Nos 71 , 72 can be identified from the later map, and therefore no 66 must be the house in red (which sits in front of court 11). Cannot be certain which is house I in the court, but would guess the most likely is that immediately behind no 66
Keith R
master brummie
WOW...thanks for this.......amazing there was at least 2 adults and 6 children there at one stage......and hoping Wifes Mother could be found to have lived there as well in her infancy as she seems to have been abandoned for a period of time and then living with her Nan ( the head of this house) but in Quinton in 39...
Thank again.
Thank again.
Hi all, just reading some of the posts on the forum jogged memories of Harrison’s in the early 70s, I remember Dave Anderson in the apprentice toolroom training area, Steve Frost, Robert Stack known as Elliot, Steve Johnson, Robin Campbell (pre UB40) and several others, I remember some of the older toolroom lads one of whom had an orange bondbug parked up in green st, I spent most of my time as an apprentice electrician under the watchful eye of Tom Pemberton, other sparks were Bill Whitlock,Peter Wear, Johnny Bosz who came over on the Hungarian uprising, Alf Sheward the union man, and someone they called Pongo,I believe was called Tony Poree, good times were had I believe, and I remember the awful stench coming from George Masons opposite our time office on a Saturday morning, I used to be given a pound note on Saturday morning and told to get four pints of bitter lined up in the White Swan pub opposite and still had about 10s 6d change, I’m sure the white swan did marvels for the rolling mill lads who used to go over on their lunch and sink several pints just to replace the sweat they lost, the top floor of Harrison’s was the warehouse where hundreds of women worked and it was a frightening thing for a 16 year old to go through without having your trousers ripped off, anyone else remember there time at Harrison’s on the early 70s?
Keith R
master brummie
Worked in Alcester St during 80's and early on parked car in Green St by a place dealing in tyres (probably a garage) and they didnt like me being there but its a free world so sod 'em...anyway after we had left spotted Dog one lunchtime the garage had put loads of cones all over my car.......WRONG....one by one I chucked them all over their workshop.......I only need a sniff of Beer to get going as they found out...they never did it again....LOL