The Valve Shop/ Prototype Video Recorders


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Have had to start new topic as if I try to respond to existing I get pc fault message! The Valve Shop was started by present owner's late father in the late 1950's, I believe originally in a workshop back of his house on Egypt Road New Basford (we got loads of tv cabinets as bonfire rubbish every november) As far as I know his first shop (nothing like the modern one just sold s/h TV's) was other side of Radford Rd where the police station now stands and next door to jackie clayton's bike shop. The reel to reel video recorder was "invented" (or worked on, developed etc) on the top floor of Wycliffe Mills, corner of Wycliffe Street and High Church St. New Basford, it's still there! but in 1964 not by The Nottingham Valve Company or any company with valve in it's name as my father worked making pipeline valves, I cannot for life of me recall the name of the company, I should as I worked there on the circuits and saw it working but many moons ago! I later saw an article on such in Ravellie magazine in "Slasher" Banham,s barbers shop, heard later still owner sold out to japanese but not sure if true?

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Ayup Ashley.

I passed on your P.M. to the powers that be . Hope your problem can be resolved

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Do I assume Ashley you lived near to the Valve Shop?

Coincidentally, I am mates with the boys there (the original owners grandsons) Simon, Mark etc, in fact they all used to visit me at The Love Shack regularly (especially Simon) plus, my first new bike came from Jack Claytons next door!

As for the factory you mention, I have no idea about it at all, but it was just across the road from where I used to live (Northgate) as a kid.

Where was the barbers you mention, cos on Northgate there was Dixons (dickos) and Rogers further down on the same side, just down from Breffits the butchers.

I lived opposite Sadie and Bobs beer off on Northgate, and Simpsons grocery shop was opposite the top of our garden on Cairo street.

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Yes craig, I knew your house, remember I phoned you when one next door was empty? Slasher Banham's was on corner of Zulu Rd opp gasworks gates, his son played for forest though think reserves etc, remember when all the stored bonfire rubbish at fern terrace went up in flames?

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You're not Ashley Durose are you? Hes the only Asley I remember from around the area............... I do remember when the bonfire went up, when we were kids we built a big one on the site where the houses around Palm st had been pulled down, guarding it with great care.....but someone managed to torch it when we werent around!

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You're not Ashley Durose are you? Hes the only Asley I remember from around the area............... I do remember when the bonfire went up, when we were kids we built a big one on the site where the houses around Palm st had been pulled down, guarding it with great care.....but someone managed to torch it when we werent around!

The one and only!

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Blimey Ashley, after all these years! where abouts are you living now?

you can get me onXXXXXXXXXX what got you into this nostalgia thing? I finished up having to pack up work, as monsewer alfonse would say "dicky ticker" and started exploring all my old haunts inc railways, wrote a book on them, yet to make any money though!

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  • 1 year later...

NEV(Nottingham Electronic Valve Company) operated out of East Bridgeford - my husband worked there as Chief Engineer and designed most of the tooling for the mechanics of the world's first home video tape recorder. NEV became the property of the Cinerama Corporation - the old NEV staff then started up in Basford manufacturing the Wesgrove recorder. My husband personally made the recording heads for the machine. If anybody needs a recording head set, let us know!

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leatherland, assume you saw my opening post? would have been about 1964? can't remember much about working there, highlight of the day was watching Tom & Jerry on tv mid afternoons! oh yes and a factory fire just up the road one dinnertime.

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leatherland, assume you saw my opening post? would have been about 1964? can't remember much about working there, highlight of the day was watching Tom & Jerry on tv mid afternoons! oh yes and a factory fire just up the road one dinnertime.

Ashley: It was more like 1965. Some of the employees would go swimming at Carrington Lido at dinnertime, in the "summer".

There is news article, dated June 29, 1985, in the Evening Post re: one of the owners of NEV - Norman Rutherford, entitled "Norman and the missed millions" by John Brunton.

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Re the date, long time ago, knew it was about that era though, Was I correct in my statement that there was no mention of "valve" in the firm's title when at Basford? I certainly don't remember such, I knew nothing of it's earlier location etc, was going to say I was recently in Wycliffe Mill not long ago when I was looking for premises for a music studio, but thinking about it, must be 20 years!

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Ashley: WSB (Precision Components) was formed at the same time that Nottingham Electronic Valve was voluntarily liquidated. So, it just a case of switching one name for another - everything else remained the same. The Wycliffe Mills site was so filthy the employees had to clean and paint it all. To the rear was a tee-shirt and underwear garment manufacturer. On the floor below was a building supply? business.

Re: the video tape recorder - the prototype was developed and built in East Bridgeford.

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Funny you should mention the name "Clark" my mate at junior school was a "Chris Clark" and his dad worked or ran (IMMSC) Rutherfords shop in Carlton !!

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IMMSC There were connections to Rutherfords electrical shop in Carlton Square

Beefsteak: Norman was one of the sons, Alan was another. Apparently, when Norman & Mike (his business partner) were rebuilding TV picture tubes (hence the "Electronic Valve" part of the business name), they would sleep next to the equipment all night - to keep it running.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Came across this picture of Wycliffe Mill, WSB was on the top floor, was always told windows thus including those in lots of 3 storey houses that used to be in the area bordered by Gregory Boulevard/Radford Rd/Noel St/Archer St of which examples can still be seen on Alfreton Rd a few doors up from the Alma pub were to give good light light for Lace Examination. WycliffMillext.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Came across this picture of Wycliffe Mill, WSB was on the top floor, was always told windows thus including those in lots of 3 storey houses that used to be in the area bordered by Gregory Boulevard/Radford Rd/Noel St/Archer St of which examples can still be seen on Alfreton Rd a few doors up from the Alma pub were to give good light light for Lace Examination. WycliffMillext.jpg

Ashley: I had almost forgotten what the place looked like. The window closest to the middle of the building i.e.the top floor, was where I worked. When NEV dissolved and WSB came into being, we had to clean the place. I wore whitewash for weeks! We partitioned the top floor into office and workspaces. The new owners of WSB Precision Components were: Doug Woods, Graham Straw and Gordon Brown. Perhaps WSB came from their surnames.

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