Factory whistles and hooters


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When I thought about it recently, it surprised me that I can remember hearing factory hooters and whistles as 'recently' as the late 1960s. Surely everybody had clocks and watches by then?

 

Living at Clifton, the one I'd hear was at Wilford (Clifton) Colliery near Wilford Toll Bridge. But I also remember being at my grandmas in Radford and hearing several hooters and whistles - which I guess would have been from Radford Colliery and the various Players' factories

 

 

But at my other grandparents in Lenton, I don't recall any noises from Raleigh, although I presume they had one…or was Lenton more sophisticated?

 

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The Village of Pentwater (where I live) still has a noon "whistle" - actually, it is a siren, but it is a throw-back to when the local factories had noon steam whistles! It is sort-of "quaint", and all the locals are used to it, but it is interesting to see the reaction of the tourists - and we have LOTS of them!

I do remember the factory whistles in Long Eaton back in the '60's!

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In all the time I worked at Clifton, 1964 to closure in 1968, I never once heard either No1 or No2 winder whistle being blown.

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Hmmm what caused that smilie to appear?? Should have read "number2"

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Sovex Marshall on Cavendish Drive in Carlton had one IMMSC, I only recall hearing it once a day though.

I can only assume that with Raleigh having so many different shift start/finish times that there wasn't a loud general one, I'm pretty sure we had a bell to start finish shifts.

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Hmmm what caused that smilie to appear?? Should have read "number2"

Emoticon shortcut word now updated, it was 'No2' and displayed the emoticon.

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The sheet stores at Trent had a siren - sounded a short blast (I think) at 7.25, and a full wail at 7.30. There would be dozens of folk walking or cycling along the black path that ran along the bottom of the railway embankment from Long Eaton (Sawley Junction) station to the bridge over the Erewash Canal.

The carriage and wagon works at Derby also had a siren - always called "the bull".

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Going across the border with this one but I remember the Ordnance Depot in West Hallam near Ilkeston used to sound a all clear from a WW2/Cold War siren everyday at noon. I lived a couple of miles away and being a little kid it always used to scare me. They must have stopped sounding it in the early 80's.

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The factory behind (ish) my house still use a whistle, every so often you'll here the whistle and someone shout 'get back to work!'

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  • 2 weeks later...

Whatho all,

We moved to Penarth Rise up at Mapperly in 1964 and the brick factory on top of the hill had a steam whistle. When the place closed, I had a squint round and found the steam equipment; a cylinder and very large wheel. Unfortunately, at 14 I was too young to realise at what I was looking. Now I write about steam things and wish I had read the manufacturer's name.

Cheers, Mark

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I have just had a memory of a siren wailing when I lived on the Bells Lane estate as a kid. Most likely left over from the war, but still going strong in the 50's I reckon. I wonder where it was? Mam called it Big Bertha.

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Welcome on board picapica .
Got to admit to liking a lot of your interests matey.

Hope we can discuss a few over the coming years.

Ian

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