Docker Bros

[mikejee]

Examining the excavations from my attic, in a couple of copies of "The Aeroplane" from 1945-55, I came across these adverts for the firm.



The firm was formed in 1877 at 135 High St Bordesley as William docker & Co to manufactue varnish for blacking stoves,and soon also opened a factory in nearby Allcock St.. In the mid 1880s they opened a factory in Rotton Park St, and for a few years maintained both sites but, but soon concentrated on the Rotten Park St site. They soon expanded into paint, varnish & cellulose lacquer manufacturer, and, as can be seen from the c1950 map, by then occupied quite a large factory, and remained there , changing its name around 1968 to Pinchin Johnson, International Paingts and then PPG, the factory being closed in 2003



The Oldladywood site has a number of photographs relating to the firm at http://www.oldladywood.co.uk/dockers.htm and a film of paint being manufactured in 1949 at the factory is at

 

[Arnold Mason]

A good friend of our family worked at Dockers for all his working life. His name was Sidney Collins and he is in one of the photos linked above. My dad knew him from before the 2nd world war through playing cricket. the club they belonged to was called Clifton Cricket Club which played on a pitch which they rented just off Lordswood Rd. near the Kings Head Bearwood. The land was requisitioned during the war and the club never revived and was dissolved in the 50's.
Sidney came to live a few doors down the road from our house in Quinton in 1940. He died in 2002.