Underwear, Knitwear & Associated Companies


Recommended Posts

On ‎07‎/‎09‎/‎2014 at 10:11 AM, Karlton said:

I worked on the roof at Stephens and Pedlley just up from Bairnswear nottingham road basford, I believe they made socks.

 

What was you doing on the roof ? .......

 

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • Replies 128
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

Mother was a smocker (spelling) at Bairnswear bottom of Perry Road. in the same large room were the machinists. When they were going full tilt no one could hear a word said however all the ladies coul

If it was up to men to buy their own underwear all the Small sizes would remain on the shelves

Mother worked at Bairnswear on the junction of Nottingham Rd and Perry Rd as a smocker. I can remember very well going to see her at work on occasions in the 50s. One abiding memory is that the machi

On ‎07‎/‎09‎/‎2014 at 11:15 AM, DaveN said:

In the 60's I worked in the offices of a wholesalers of ladieswear, menswear and childrenswear.
It went under various names Walker Reid, Luvisca and Chaffinch.
It was part of the Courtaulds group as were Bairnswear and Meridian - both in close proximity to the bulding where I worked on Nottingham Road at New Basford.

 

My hubby's friend, Ken Basford worked at Walker Reid in the 60'70's - I had a friend called Betty Robinson who was a machinist there as well.....

We ran a shop opposite there in the 80's/90/s - the factory was closed then and it was called ELS they sold furniture.......I remember the factories on Nottingham Road in the 80s/90s, the staff came into our shop for filled rolls, pies etc at lunch time.....they were good customers and a nice crowd.....All changed in the 90's when the factories all closed down, the area was almost derelict.......Clothing Direct took over from ELS.....That's when we left........Our shop is a hairdresser's/Barbers now called 'Cutters'..........

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Sometime in the late 1960s I worked very briefly for a company called 'The United Rubber Company' in Fletcher Gate.  They made 'surgical stockings', or more properly 'surgical support hose'.

One of my most bizarre experiences ever.

All of the stockings were knitted on hand powered machines, by men. As you entered the workroom from the back you were greeted with the sight of two rows of men, standing with their backs to you and doing a sort of 'shimmy' as they pushed the carriage of the knitting machine left, right and back again.

The men were all on 'piecework' rates and so weren't too willing to stop to show me what to do.  I like to think I'm not stupid, but I never did quite grasp that job.  Basically you were just knitting a tubular 'hose', but you had to add in 'silk' and rubber thread at various points, as well as adding or removing stitches to create the shape of the calf, knee etc.  And as for trying to make a heel!!

 

I lasted about a week.

 

Col

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

P.S.  Bulwell Finishing Co. was a bleaching/dyeing works on Carey Road Bulwell.  The 17 bus terminus was right next to it, just up from thr former Adelphi cinema.

Springfields was further along Hucknall Lane between the viaduct and Moor Bridge.  Some of the old buildings and stone wall seem to be still there. Think I've posted this before.  Springfields. The girl at front left is my Mum, aged about 15-16, making this pic about 1938/9

 

Not knitwear or underwear, but I too worked on Nottm. Rd for a while at the Cheshire's of Nottingham Furniture warehouse.

Col

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...

My dad was a knitting machine mechanic at Reynolds for many years. He started there after the war and that was where he met my mother who worked as a mender. She left when I came along but my dad was there up to his death in 1969.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...

For various reasons I have haven't been logged on to this forum for quite a while. I came across this thread while  searching for a completely unrelated subject - (the mysteries of google). Made me realise what a small world it is now with the internet. 

In 1956 I stated an apprenticeship at Reynolds' hosiery factory on Watnall Road, Hucknall.  I Saw the message from Blondie saying she started work there in the cutting room. I worked in the cutting room for a while, doing all the "menial character building" jobs apprentice had to do as part of their apprenticeship. I knew Eileen Charlton well, a very nice pleasant girl.The cutting room supervisor was Doug Kale another very good guy.

My apprenticeship was as a knitting machine mechanic, so there is a good chance i knew Woody's dad. The two name I remember are the boss(Head mechanic) Harold Wood and Syd Fowkes.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Woody, Yes I know all of those names. Some other names from the knitting room: Bernard Hayes, Ron Harper,  Vin Cooper. All seems such a long time ago

 Mr Bodil was in charge of the knitters. Herbert Walker downstairs in the fabric store room. 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 8 months later...

My late husband worked at spray and burgass in the 70 s....the company had a few name changes,colwick dyers,basford dyers,Can't remember any other names but I think there was at least one more.The factory has long gone,but I think they left an old house standing as it was listed.I have a few photos of the inside of the dye house that my husband took when he knew the place was going to shut down.

It must be a very old place as I remember my granny saying she once worked there,at a guess I'd say that must have been the 1930s-40s .

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 1 October 2016 at 10:45 AM, DJ360 said:

Sometime in the late 1960s I worked very briefly for a company called 'The United Rubber Company' in Fletcher Gate.  They made 'surgical stockings', or more properly 'surgical support hose'.

One of my most bizarre experiences ever.

All of the stockings were knitted on hand powered machines, by men. As you entered the workroom from the back you were greeted with the sight of two rows of men, standing with their backs to you and doing a sort of 'shimmy' as they pushed the carriage of the knitting machine left, right and back again.

The men were all on 'piecework' rates and so weren't too willing to stop to show me what to do.  I like to think I'm not stupid, but I never did quite grasp that job.  Basically you were just knitting a tubular 'hose', but you had to add in 'silk' and rubber thread at various points, as well as adding or removing stitches to create the shape of the calf, knee etc.  And as for trying to make a heel!!

 

I lasted about a week.

 

Col

I had a job in the late 60s doing the very same job ,it was very hard work,and piecwork, it was at a factory in Carlton called Thomas Glover.,now long gone.My Mam sent me to work there cos it was near home,i hated it soon left and got a job in town.

Link to post
Share on other sites

:)  It seems we are both very wise Cranky.... 

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...

I worked at hatra* (Hosiery & Allied Trades Research Association) from 1964 to 1974 doing research into all the kinds of things mentioned previously in this thread. I remember the names of (almost) all the knitwear companies and the dyers & finishers and had contact with them all.

The premises are now used by Page & Kirk (accountants) but I can't imagine why an accountancy firm would need such a large workspace.

 

*the lower case is deliberate.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Thorn Bendix manufactured a whole range of industrial electronic equipment, including machinery for the sugar industry, wired tv (assume that was the very early forerunner of Virgin Media), Textiles and there was a Defence Dept.  I was the Chief Engineer’s Secretary and worked for all of the design/development engineers in those departments.  

This is a very young me supposedly demonstrating some sort of textile measuring equipment ........ hadn’t got a clue what I was doing, but was told to hold that and that and sit still.   The article was in the Thorn Bendix News in 1970.  

3080_F9_A9-4915-4_BC2-9188-5_EB410_F0763

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I think most large companies had such rags. We had the Piessey News each month, and everyone would search through it enthusiastically, eagerly looking for any news or pictures applicable to themselves.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 year later...

My first job in my new career as a Work Study Engineer (Time & Motion to some of you...) was at Marathon Knitwear.  Our tutor was ex Meridian and our college visits were invariably to clothing factories, so I was happy to get the job at Marathon.

 

Loved working there for all sorts of reasons.   Five minutes after being promoted, was made redundant, along with 900 others, early 1980. 

 

On then to Richard Stumps in Haydn Rd (Sherwood end) and was eventually Production Manager of the basement, pre-assembly department.  However, the writing was already on the wall for the local trade, despite its efficiency.

 

Accepted a Management Services job in NZ but as in the UK, most companies (though only half as efficient as the Brits anyway) gave in and shifted production off shore.

 

Sad - "Bly Blitish" ain't so easy, so if Brexit goes through,  could the UK industry rise again or has too much expertise now been lost for good?      

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Probably been too long that the experts no longer available,as in all industry,experience and expertise no longer count,how many workers these days manage to work their way up through the company,not many I should think,instead the companys prefere to employ some one with no knowledge of that industry (and certainly no man management skills) but the have some sort of academic qualification that look good on paper but are of no use in the real world, as an example, some years ago now we had a new electrician start in the quarry,had more papers than you could wave a stick at,brilliant, one of his first jobs was to fit a new plug to our kettle (most important bit of kit) he blew it up, sent the live wire down through the earth pin,clueless clown

 

Rog

Link to post
Share on other sites

When I started at Plessey in August 62, the managing director at the time, had began his career when it was Ericsson's as a machine cleaner. Impossible today, as you probably need an NVQ even to pull the toilet chain ! 

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Excuse ignorance Fly.  Whats an NVQ?   I know I never had one.  At the time I left the UK they were starting all this, Electrician, Approved electrician stuff.  I never did any of that.   Came out of my apprenticeship at 21 an electrician, that was it.  Had to do an exam in Toronto and that certified you as a first class electrician.  That was it unless you wanted to study for a master's after some years of experience.  Much simpler to deal with.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...