Woodvine – Norton Asquith – Warner Swasey 1952 – 1976

Made from a seventy ton casting this impressive boring machine had been made by Asquith for marine diesel turbine production, The man bottom right gives an idea of the size of this Engineering giant.

The Front View of the Factory in 1956?

The Back of the Factory 1956?

Large Engine Castings were machined to high tolerances on Transfer Lines

(the man standing right gives the scale)

10 Year Service Certificate

Thanks to Carol Jones for providing this.

Carol’s grandfather Leslie worked for Sentinel originally and then moved to Rolls Royce. He then worked for Woodvines, who became William Asquith and then Norton Asquith so, as you can see, he put in rather more than 10 years. He must have been in the industry the whole of his working life. He was 62 when he was awarded the Certificate, retired in about 1968 and he died in 1971, so he didn’t have much of a retirement.

Carol also tells us that Leslie managed to get her Aunt (Jean Minshall) a job in the Office where Jean worked for about 4 years before Jean’s son was born in 1959.

HISTORY AND SOCIAL HISTORY.

R.WOODVINE AND SON [SHREWSBURY] L.T.D. 1953-1954.

Wm. ASQUITH L.T.D. 1954-1962.

NORTON-ASQUITH L.T.D. 1962-1966.

NORTON MACHINES L.T.D. 1966-1971.

WARNER AND SWASEY L.T.D. 1971-1976.

R.WOODVINE AND SON [SHREWSBURY] L.T.D. was founded by Mr. John George Reginald Woodvine [Reg Woodvine]. In 1953. He previously worked at the Sentinel Works in Shrewsbury as their Group Managing Director. Mr. Woodvines son John also joined the company as a Director; Mr. John Reginald Woodvine was born in Shrewsbury in 1923, educated at Prestfelde School then later at Shrewsbury School.[He always proudly wore the school tie] On leaving school he commenced his apprenticeship at the Sentinel Works. He completed his apprenticeship and over the years was promoted to tool room Forman, and held this position until he left the Sentinel in 1952 to join his father. Mr. Harry Gallers who was the works supervisor at the Sentinel Works joined the company as their Works Manager. The main purpose was to produce machine tools.

Mr. Reg Woodvine’s father Mr. John George Woodvine M.B.E. [Born 1877 in Madeley, Telford. In the 1891 census aged 14 years he was an “Iron Founders Assistant” and in the 1901 census he was a “Fitter of Machinery.” He had previously worked on the Simpson-Bibby steam waggon at the Horseshay Iron Works. [Telford] After the company had been taken over by Alley and McClellan’s in 1903, he migrated from Shropshire with his family and a Mr Daniel Simpson to assist in the design and construction of the very first Sentinel steam waggons at their factory based in Polmadie, Glasgow.

Mr. Daniel Simpson took out several patents with his father Mr. William Simpson and Mr. W. L. Bodman for road vehicles. His uncle, Mr H.E.Simpson, was Managing Director of the Horseshay Iron Works. Mr. George Woodvine was apprenticed at the Horseshay Iron Works and later became Mr. Daniel Simpson’s assistant.

In 1910 Mr. George Woodvine was appointed works manager of the factory in Polmadie Glasgow and came to Shropshire [Shrewsbury] in 1915 to buy a plot of land to set up the brand new “Sentinel Waggon Works,” a plot of land was found to the north of Shrewsbury, a Greenfield site that was situated between the A49 trunk road, and the railway, an area of 16 acres, this was an ideal site as they wanted a factory that was geographically in the middle of the country, with good road and rail links

He was later to become the General Manager and subsequently the Managing Director. He died in Shrewsbury on April 21st 1946 and is buried with his wife Lucy Ann who died in Shrewsbury on December 12th 1949, in Christ Church, Shelton and Oxon churchyard, Bicton Shrewsbury.

Mr. Reg. Woodvine was born on 16th of August 1900 in Horseshay Telford. When he was two years of age he was taken by his family to Polmadie Glasgow.

Having done reasonably well in his education in Glasgow he came to Shrewsbury with his parents and commenced his apprenticeship at the “Sentinel” late in the year of 1915, and continued his education at the local Technical School.[ He was later to become a governor of the school ].His very first job on coming to Shrewsbury was to find lodgings in the town for the men who shortly were to follow them south in order to train local workmen in the skills and precision needed to build the Sentinel steam waggons.

About 1919 he became extremely interested in Metallurgy and about this time the Sentinel built and equipped a Chemical and Physical Laboratory to which he transferred his affections, and after a few years of hard study he rose to become Chief Metallurgist and Chemist. In his Metallurgical career he became associated with two of the most eminent metallurgists of the time Harry Brearley who invented stainless steel and Dr. Leslie Aitchison who was the Chief Metallurgist to the Air Board, and who in later years was made Vice Chancellor of Birmingham University.

To these two outstanding men he owed a great deal for all the help and knowledge that they so freely gave to him as a young man, also for the numerous researches which he conducted, either jointly with them or with their guidance. As Chief Metallurgist to the Sentinel , they allowed him every facility to conduct research in addition to the routine work of the laboratory, and in that respect he obtained three separate Carnagie grants during the next few years, two of which were on his own, and one coupled with Dr. Aitchison.

On the 1st of March 1922 he married Miss Florence Mabel Evans, Later saying that it was the most important thing he had done in his life.

As the Sentinel grew rapidly over the years following the First World War , they built large foundries, heat treatment and experimental departments, all of which became Mr Reg. Woodvines responsibility and where during the next 15 years he gained a vast amount of experience.

In 1936, Alfred Herbert’s interested Sentinel to commence machine tool manufacture, and in the following years this became a reasonable portion of Sentinel’s output and this was his introduction into the machine tool business.

He learnt that that Rolls- Royce intended to build a new factory at Crewe for the manufacture of Merlin engines, so he applied for and obtained the position of Production Manager and moved to Crewe with his family to take up the appointment at the end of 1938 and remained there for the greater part of the Second World War.

During the period that he was at Rolls-Royce, the Sentinel had been sold to Metal Industries L.T.D, and his father George Woodvine continued to run the new company as their Managing Director. Unfortunately, his health began to give concern, and Metal Industries L.T.D, tempted Reg. Woodvine to leave Rolls-Royce and return to the Sentinel to understudy his father as General Manager. In March 1943, after his father retired thro ill health, he was made Managing Director with complete control of the factory. Within the next year Metal Industries L.T.D, gave him a seat on the main board as Engineering Director, they bought two other companies namely Fawcett Preston and Ferrous Light Castings and he was promoted to Group Managing Director to the three engineering concerns, a post he held until he left the Sentinel in 1951.

The building of an Engineering factory of their own was not a new idea in the Woodvine family and had been discussed by Mr.John George Woodvine and son Mr Reg. Woodvine over the previous years but due to various reasons never materialised. So after leaving the Sentinel at the end of 1951 he realised his ambition and purchased a plot of land in Featherbed Lane Shrewsbury. Planning permission was obtained and a new factory was built and commenced production in May 1953.

He started with about a dozen men. Mr. Tom Priestley a fitter was the first person to be employed and given the clock number 1. He started work on 27th April 1953. His first job was to assemble the racking for the future stores. [He was later to become a Foreman, Workshop Superintendent in charge of all fitters in both the Heavy and Small Fitting Shops. And promoted to a Director of Norton Grinding Machines LTD when they took over the company in 1966] [Mr. Bert Chidlow, clock number 54, a centre lathe turner who was later promoted to Night Shift Foreman, Workshop Superintendent of both the Small Machine shop and Heavy Machine shop was also promoted to a Director of Norton Grinding Machines LTD in 1966.]

By the end of 1953 the company progressed to approx. 60 workers [nearly all came from the Sentinel Works]. At this time they had a simple way of recruiting future employees, if a certain tradesman was required [ with the appropriate skills] an employee was sent to meet the person at clocking off time at the Sentinel Works and waited for the man to come out then offered him a job. It was not unknown to go to the mans house in the evening. This way they recruited the most highly skilled men to join the Company.

Shortly after the first building was completed and in use it proved too small, an extension was built on the end of the original building doubling the size of the factory.

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In November 1954 Mr. William Asquith LTD a well known Halifax Machine Tool Company took over the Company. Mr. Reg Woodvine and his son Mr. John Woodvine remained on the board of Directors and Mr. Harry Galliers remained as the Works Manager. The Company immediately expanded the Shrewsbury business with the building of a heavy machine and fitting shop, a welding and sheet metal workers shop and a heat treatment department. They then started to produce 10 and 7 inch Ram Type Floor Boring Machines which were at the time the biggest machines in the country and were deployed around the world. Mainly in shipyards, Turbine and other heavy industries. The first 10 inch machine weighing 300 Tons was exported to China. Other machine tools manufactured included, Aquith Drills, Portable Drills used in Shipyards, Milling Machines, Centre Lathes, refurbishing Multi-Spindle Drilling machines for Hueller L.T.D. and the first transfer machines for the New Austin Mini and others for Ford and Vauxhall, were designed in house, Vertical Auto machines for the Ryder Company, used for the complete automatic machining of brake drums were also manufactured.

In 1956/1957 further expansion of the factory took place with the building of a canteen with full kitchen facilities, [the canteen having a parquet floor], and a Directors dinning room, with a drawing office taking all the area above. The motor garage was moved to a purpose built new building. Other existing buildings were utilised to house the Works Nurse [previously the motor garage] Main Wages Office, Clerical departments and a small works engineering department. The finished parts Inspection department was moved to a new purpose built room within the small machine shop.

Asquith was founded in 1865 by William Asquith of Halifax when he was 25 years of age with 20 workers, he had spent time in the gold fields of Canada and California on his return he married Ann Bower of Bradford on 5th September 1865. The company’s factory was in the Highroad Well area of Halifax. Mr. William Asquith died in 1901 and his son Mr. John Henry Asquith became Chairman, the next Chairman was Mr J.W.S.Asquith a nephew of the founder.

They specialised in manufacturing Radial Drilling Machines and Boring Machines. During the First World War the factory produced both machine tools and Munitions and later, in the difficult inter war years, machines were exported world wide, and can be found in all engineering, ordnance, electrical, locomotive, shipbuilding and automobile works of any importance. The Asquith Company deservedly became world famous for two types of machine; the Radial Drill and the Horizontal Floor Borer. Thousands of these machines are at work in every industrialised country in the world and are testimony to the Company’s skills in both design and manufacture. In September 1920 Asquith exhibited at the Machine Tool and Engineering Exhibition at Olympia London with several new types of Radial Drilling Machines. The largest Ram Type Floor Borers weighing up to 300 tons were manufactured at their factory in Shrewsbury. The companies claim to fame was supplying 40 Drilling Machines used during the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia in 1924. The company expanded in Halifax with the addition of a new foundry on the site [Modern Foundries] it now employed 1,000 men, and became the largest Drilling Machine maker in the world. Asquith was also a short-lived car manufacturer in 1901-1902. They used the name “West End Motor Co,” The car originally had a front mounted De Dion engine and belt-drive; this was later replaced by a two speed gearbox because the belts kept slipping disastrously. Only one car was built before the firm decided to concentrate on machine tools. In 1955 they took over the machine tool makers Swift who were known for their Centre Lathes .In the early 1980s they turned their attention away from the large Ram Type Horizontal Boring Machines to smaller Vertical Machining Centres. The company is now part of Asquith -Butler with their factory in Brighthouse West Yorkshire.

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In 1962 Norton Machines L.T.D. expanded into England taking a share In Wm. Asquith L.T.D. The Companies name changed to Norton- Asquith L.T.D. Mr. Ronald. T. Nelson came over from Norton Machines in America to take up the position as a Director. Mr. Reg. Woodvine and his son Mr. John Woodvine remained on the board of directors, and Mr. Harry Galliers remained as the Works Manager. The new company continued to manufacture the same Asquith products.

In 1964 an award ceremony was introduced for 10, 15 and 20 year’s service; [The time counted from the time you started work in the factory under any name, the 1st employee who started with R. Woodvine and Son L.T.D. Mr. Tom Priestley would have had his 25 year award in 1978.] This usually took place at the Lion Hotel in Shrewsbury. and consisted of a 5 course meal, then the speeches from all the Directors who came over from America for the occasion, thanked all the employees for their continued support, presentations took place, each employee was given a certificate and a small gift [which you chose beforehand out of a selection] by the Chairman of Norton Machines in America Mr Everett. M. Hicks and Dep. Chairman, and Director of Norton Machines in Shrewsbury Mr, Ronald.T. Nelson .Then came a variety show with first class acts. The proceedings started at 7.30pm and continued till 11.00pm during these times a free bar operated were you could have what you liked and as much as you liked, there were not many employees who could remember the night. If the employee worked nights they had a night off with pay and the day people left early on the day and were allowed in late the next day or came to work after lunch, all being paid.

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In July 1965 Mr. John George Reginald Woodvine retired from the Company aged 65 years. He died in 1971 aged 71 years. Son Mr.John Reginald Woodvine also left the company, and died in 1969 aged 46 years. Johns son Mr Richard John Woodvine [Rick] born in 1952, started his apprenticeship at the Sentinel [Rolls-Royce] in 1968, he left in 1988 to pursue other business interests, Ricks son. Mr James Richard John Woodvine has now joined him in the family business, his other son; Mr. Andrew Thomas Woodvine has also joined them.

So ends four generations of the Woodvine Families involvement in the engineering industry, spanning over 100 years.

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In 1966, The Asquith name was dropped together with the Asquith Products. The company name changed to Norton Machines LTD, the factory started to manufacture all types of Grinding Machines, and exported them all over the world, to the car industry, France, Italy, Russia, Australia, Sweden, U.S.A. Germany, and many other countries. The Shrewsbury factory at this time employed approx. 450 people.

Under the new owners, Mr Ronald. T. Nelson, Dep. Chairman of Norton Machines U.S.A. Became the Managing Director. And a local board of Directors were appointed. Mr. Tom Priestley, Mr. Bert Chidlow, Mr. K.N.Cockram. And Mr. C. Giffin. Mr H, Galliers remained the Works Manager. Mr. Ronald.T.Nelson was a man who the workers had great respect for, a family man; he was very approachable and took time to look into any request made directly to him by any member of the workforce.

Great improvements were made to the employee’s conditions. Extra holidays were granted, you could now take a weeks holiday [5 days] in single days called premium days. The annual 2 weeks holiday could now be taken any time during the year, either 1 week or 2 weeks together. A collective bonus scheme was introduced on the shop floor which resulted in more money in the wage packet. A sick scheme was introduced, that if you were off sick with a doctors certificate you were paid full wages for the 2nd week you were ill. [The office staff always got paid from the first day they were sick] But this was a step forward and unknown in the engineering industry at the time.] You were now allowed to go for a Doctor or Hospital appointment without loss of pay.

In 1970 Norton Grinding Machines L.T.D. In Shrewsbury were presented with the Queens Award to Industry for its export achievements. All the employees were presented with an engraved tankard in recognition of their work in achieving the award.

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Mr. Ronald. T. Nelson is now in his 90s and lives in Cape Cod. Massachusetts. America.

Frank Norton had owned a small pottery in Worcester since about 1858. He came from a family of potters in Bennington, Vermont, and had established a partnership with Frederick Hancock, Norton employed his three sons his son-in-law, and several journeyman potters. Norton Stone Ware consisted of stoneware pots, bottles, pitchers, jars and jugs .In 1873 a depression hit the U.S. economy and several of the potters started experimenting with grinding wheels as a way to generate income. Norton had seen a silicate grinding wheel produced by a company in Detroit and bet his workers a bucket of beer that they could not duplicate it.

In 1873 a Swedish immigrant potter Swen Pulson mixed emery with slip clay and fired three wheels at about 2300 degrees in the Norton kiln, one of which vitrified successfully.

Frank Norton was not very enthusiastic about grinding wheels; nevertheless he patented Pulson’s process and started production of the grinding wheels in 1878. By 1882 Norton’s wheel business far surpassed their pottery sales.

In 1884. John Jeppson, Walter. L. Messer, and Charles Allen who were brought in to run the business end of the enterprise, offered Frank Norton $10,000. For the entire wheel operation. In consideration of several factors, including ill health and dept. Frank Norton was more than happy to sell. In May 1885 the Norton Emery Wheel Company was incorporated. In 1886 the partners built a new factory on the outskirts of Worcester where land was relatively cheap. The company introduced a grading system for the wheels, and distributed catalogues to customers, explaining in detail the characteristics and uses of each wheel. The permutations of 26 grades, ten faces, 15 thicknesses, 23 diameters, and 21 grits. By the 1890’ Norton stocked the largest grinding wheel inventory in the World. By 1900 Norton was the undisputed industry leader and employed 200 people, with sales of $423.000.

In March 1990 Norton became the object of an unsolicited takeover bid by the British conglomerate B.T.R. P.L.C. The company offered $1.64 billion to stockholders [$75 per share]. Norton was determined to remain independent. However in April Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, a company which it had products in common, made an offer of $1.9 billion [ $90 a share ] with certain guarantees about how the company would be run, this offer was accepted, and the acquisition was completed in August 1990. Saint-Gobain was founded in 1665 and is one of the world’s leading industrial companies; in 1991 it had sales of $75 billion.

The company still works from the same site, on Bond Street, Worcester. Mass.

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, The Cylindrical Grinder was first built in 1830s by two men working independently, Jonathan Bridges and James Wheaton, who are closely tied to the first historical appearance of the modern day tool. It took another 40 years before further improvement and refinement of the grinder occurred. Ambrose Webster of Waltham, Massachusetts, had created a small grinding machine in 1860 that contained all of the improvements Brown and Sharpe claimed to be their own original invention.

Norton (Grinding Machines) was started by Charles Hotchkiss Norton. [Born November 23rd in Plainville Connecticut]And Henry Leland, Charles Norton was the first man who demonstrated that the Grinder could be used as a heavy production metal cutting tool. Joining Brown and Sharp in 1886, he was asked to study and improve the company’s grinding machine, designed by Mr. Brown.

After extensive experiments with the newly developed synthetic grinding wheel, and the dynamically balancing of the wheels, and to dress and true the wheels correctly. He then re-designed the Brown and Sharp grinder to become a much more rigid machine. He could not get Brown and Sharp to accept all his ideas, an example was grinding wheels could be much wider than the standard ½ inch wide wheel that they used. So he left the company along with Henry Leland to found the Leland-Falkner- Norton Company in 1890. After 6 years he re-joined Brown and sharp in 1896, and then left again in 1899.

With the help of the Norton Emery Wheel Company incorporated in 1885, and founded by Frank Norton in 1858. [No relationship.] And a loan from them of $263,000, Norton Grinding Company was founded in 1899. The factory was located in Brooks Street Worcester Massachusetts U.S.A. [Now a movie theatre.]

The machine Charles Hotchkiss Norton designed in 1900 was a historic milestone in machine tool history, a massively rigid machine capable of great precision and heavy production work. It was described “As the machine from which quickly stemmed all those special purpose production grinding machines which alone made motoring for the million possible.” The Henry Ford museum has an early example of one of Norton’s grinders capable of finishing parts sixteen times faster than any previous grinder, the machine weighs 8 Tons and can finish parts “In the rough” [not previously machined]. The Ford Company was a big user of Norton Machines. In 1914 Henry Ford purchased 35 grinders at a cost of $30,000. In 1927 the automobile companies purchased about 55% of the Norton Grinding Companies output and had more than 68,000 grinding machines, becoming Norton’s biggest customer.

In the 1920s, however, Norton failed to maintain its role as an innovator in grinding machines. Its piece-by-piece construction of grinders was at odds with the needs of industry. Some products went 28 or more years without significant improvements.

Norton, like many other companies, received a tremendous boost from the First World War and the Second World War, Tanks and airplanes were among the vehicles whose parts required grinding. Another factor in Norton’s growth was the increase in the size of the machine tool industry to cope with industrial demand.

In 1919 Norton Grinding Machines merged with the Norton Company, and in 1962 the company went Public. In 1970 it was still a family Company; the third generation of Jeppsons and Higginses still ran it.

Charles Norton was acknowledged for his work and on April 18th 1925 he won The John Scott Medal and Premium for his invention of “accurate grinding devices of high power” These standards developed by Norton were the status quo until about the middle of the 20th Century. In 1920 Ford is said to have commented that “the abrasive processes are basically responsible for our ability to produce cars to sell for less than a thousand dollars. Were it not for these processes these same cars would cost at least five thousand dollars, if indeed they could be made at all.”

The Norton factory in 1964 was also producing Gould and Eberhardt gear hobbers. The Company continued to build all types of grinding machines through out the following years at the same site.

Norton’s also had a formula one race car named “THE NORTON SPIRIT” In the 1970s Driven by Tom Sneva.

[The Charles. H. Norton House, also known as Sharpenhoe His Georgian revival house where he lived until his death in 1942, was built in 1922 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.]

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The factory was taken over by another American company in 1971 called The Warner and Swasey Company. Directors from America were appointed, with all the original local directors staying on the board. The same range of Grinding Machines were produced just the name had changed.

The Warner and Swasey Company was started by Mr.Worcester Reed Warner [Born May 16th 1846 in Cummington, Massachusetts. Died June 25th 1929 in Eisenach Germany and laid to rest in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery New York].and Mr Ambrose Swasey [Born December 19th 1846 in Exeter New Hampshire and Died June 15th 1937 in Exeter New Hampshire] who formed a partnership in Chicago in 1880 but moved to Cleveland, Ohio, opening a machine tool building business in August 1881, and where the company stayed for the next century.

In 1866, Warner and Swasey met as fellow apprentices at the Exeter Machine Works New Hampshire. Within a few years they went together to Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut, they were one of the leading machine tool builders of the era. Here they both rose through the ranks Warner rising to be in charge of an assembly floor and Swasey rising to be foreman of the gear-cutting department. There Swasey invented the Epicycloidal Milling Machine for cutting true theoretical curves for the milling cutters used for cutting gears. In 1880 both resigned from Pratt & Whitney to form Warner and Swasey building various models of lathes, milling machines and instruments.

From the beginning, the partners built both machine tools and telescopes which reflected their interests in tool making, instrument-making, and astronomy. After nearly 20 years of successful growth in 1900 they reorganised it under the official name of “The Warner and Swasey Company” [Warner served as president and Chairman of the Board, but retired in 1911.] By 1928 they became the world’s leading manufacturer of turret lathes. During world war two [WW2] the company employed 7,000 people and produced half of the turret lathes manufactured in the U.S.A. During the peak decades 1900-1970 the company was well known in American history. Its products, both heavy turret lathes and instruments, played very prominent roles in the war efforts for both world wars. Instruments produced include, astronomical telescopes Range finders, Gun-sight telescopes, battery commanders telescopes, telescopic musket sights, prism binoculars and Navel gun sights.

By 1965 Warner and Swasey employed 2,000 people and began to move several operations to Salon and relocated its headquarters to University Circle in 1968.The Warner and Swasey Company took part in the transition to NC and CNC machine tools during the 1950s through to the 1970s but like many machine tool builders during those decades, it ultimately was affected by the prevailing winds of merger and acquisition in the industry. It was acquired by Bendix Corporation in 1980; during the business recession in the early 1980’s Bendix Corp. closed several of its plants in Cleveland area and implemented large-scale layoffs. In1983 Bendix was taken over by the Allied Corp. Of New Jersey, which sold The Warner and Swasey Company to Cross & Treker, a Michigan machinery firm, in 1984.Cross & Treker was absorbed by Giddings & Lewis, a Wisconsin machinery firm which shut down The Warner and Swasey Companies only remaining plant in Solon in January 1992 closing out 110 years of operation in the Cleveland area.

The original Warner and Swasey Company factory in Cleveland Ohio. was closed down in 1985. Although it is now in [2010] derelict, it is going to be redeveloped.

Warner was a Charter member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and from 1897 to 1898 he served as the 16th president. Ambrose Swasey was also the president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1904 to 1905.

Both Warner and Swasey were amateur astronomers.

In 1920 they made a joint donation to the Case Western Reserve University to fund the construction of an observatory. This was named the Warner and Swasey Observatory in their honour. It is still known by this name today, and was dedicated in 1920.

Other donations made by Swasey include the Swasey chapel in Cleveland [1924], a bandstand in Exeter by architect Henry Bacon [1916], and the endowment of a chair for a professor of Physics at Case School of Applied Sciences. The chimes in the chapel were included as a memorial to his wife, Lavinia Marston Swasey.

The close friends Warner and Swasey built their homes next to each other on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, a street that was known as “Millionaire’s Row. So interested were the two men in the study of the stars that they built and housed a 9.5 inch refracting telescope in a small observatory built in the garden between their houses.

Swasey has a small lunar crater that lies along the eastern limb of the Moon named after him, and the Asteroid 992 Swasey.

The Worcester Reed Warner Medal is awarded to an individual for outstanding contribution to the permanent literature of engineering, and awarded annually. Worcester Reed Warner, Charter Member and Sixteenth President of the society, established the Medal by bequest in 1930. The Warner building on Case Western Reserve University houses the Worcester Reed Warner Laboratory, named after him, the construction of this building was partly funded by Worcester Warner.

The crater Warner on the Moon is named after him…

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In the 23 Years that the Factory was in production it had just the one strike by the workforce lasting approx. 6 weeks in the early 1970s. It was called off after a request from Mr. Tom Priestley a [Director] so as negotiations could begin with the management. [While the strike was on, it was normal in the industry for the two sides not to talk after the original walk out] The workforce had a great respect for Mr. Tom Priestley as he had worked his way up from the bottom to become a Director of the Company, and was considered one of them.

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On Wednesday April 14th.1976. The entire Shrewsbury workforces at the factory were called into the canteen to be told that the factory was to close.

The factory finally closed in December 1976, when all the contents of the factory were auctioned off.

Since the companies beginning in 1953 till its closure 1976 it was always a family firm with, father-son. Father-daughter. Man-wife, brothers-sisters, in-laws all working together. And Directors, Managers, Foreman who were all approachable. If any individual wanted to see any of the Directors all he had to do was ask when the person was available, and they were never refused access to them

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Norton Surface Grinders have been manufactured by Chas.G.Allen Co., Inc. At their plant in Barre Massachusetts U.S.A. Since they acquired them in 1983.

Chas. G.Allen Co. was founded in 1874 by Dr. Chas. G. Allen who made the “yankee” hay rake and other horse drawn farm equipment.

The range of Norton, Warner/ Swasey Cylindrical grinders that were built in Shrewsbury, are not currently being manufactured by any company in the world.

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The gardens in the front of the factory were the creation of the Gardner Mr Alf Jones, who done the impossible and created them out of a building site. The gardens won the Award of Merit in the Industrial Premises Class of the Town of Flowers Competition, in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969. He also maintained the private gardens of the Directors of the company, at their homes, [Mr.Reg Woodvines hobby was horticulture] Alf studied at the Harper Adams College Newport, in the late 1920s early 1930s on leaving he became a Gardener for Major Clapham at Bowbrook House Shrewsbury, where he stayed for 35 years. Growing all types of exotic fruits from around the world in the greenhouses. He retired from Norton Machines in June 1970. Age 65 years. Alf was born on 18th June 1905 and died on 17th September 1991.

The new works canteen was used for many social actives. Meetings, Dances, and at the end of the year the Annual Dinner and Dance was usually held, and was always well attended. The catering was done by the ladies who worked in the canteen and a grand job of it they made on many occasions under the supervision of the Manageress, Miss Nora Meddings and later Mrs Olive Clift.

In 1957 the standard working week for the engineering workers was 44 hours. The start time in the morning was 7.50 am [as most of the employees came from the sentinel works and there the start time was 7.45 am, the extra 5 mins was given because you had to travel that much further] In the morning you were allowed 2 minutes, to be late i.e. 7.52 if your clocking in card was stamped 7.53 you were stopped 15 minutes pay. At 10 .00 the ladies from the canteen came around with the tea urn and a cup of tea with your own mug was 2 pence [1p] [the Office staff got theirs free with cups and saucers and biscuits.]You had to continue working whilst you drank your tea as it was not an official break. Dinner time was from 12.20. To 1.05. When the ladies came out with the tea urn or you could have a cooked meal in the canteen at a cost of approx. 1shilling and 6 pence. [7.5p] tea came around again at 3 pm, and you finished at 5.35.pm. with an hour less 4.35 pm on a Friday.

. Before the Company became Norton Machines L.T.D, If you had a appointment at the Doctors or Hospital or other places, you had to get a Pass out ticket signed by your foreman to allow you to leave the factory, you had to clock out when you left and clock in when you returned and the money deducted from your next week wages.

The official holiday entitlement in 1957 was Christmas day, Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whit Monday and August Bank Holiday Monday. The 2 weeks annual holiday were voted on and the 2 weeks that had the most votes Is what the whole factory had to take as their holiday. This enabled the maintenance department to do urgent work. The standard working week for the engineering industry over the years was as follows. 1919-1946, 47hrs. 1947-1959, 44hrs. 1960-1964, 42hrs. 1965-1968, 40hrs. Then from 1969 down to 39hrs, in 2010 it is 37hrs.

Mr. Reginald Woodvine was a great believer in a good apprenticeship, together with time for study; He considered the old fashion way was the best, for the apprentice to work beside one of his highly skilled men for a few months then work with another, this continued throughout their five year apprenticeship. He believed this was the best way for an individual to end up with all the necessary skills required to become one of his highly skilled men.

On leaving school at the age of 15 years The Apprentices started at their chosen trades, the first year they were on probation, on successfully completing this year they then signed their apprenticeship papers, a member of their family and a representative of the company completed the process. Your apprenticeship was to last 5 years, From their 16th birthday .The apprentice then enrolled at the local technical college where they attended for 1 full day usually from 9.00am to 5.00pm which they were paid for ,then from 7.00pm to 9.00pm in the evening in their own time. This was to gain a Technical Qualification. either a Intermediate City and Guilds then a Final City and Guilds or a Ordinary National Certificate then a Higher National Certificate . Both these qualifications took 5 years to achieve, depending what examinations they had passed around their 18 th birthday, if they had done well in their Ordinary National Certificate course they could apply to transfer to the drawing office to become a Draughtsman. Apprentices started at either machining, fitting, electrician, tin smith, welder or pipe fitter. The machinist started in the inspection department under Mr. Don Lear, where you were taught how to read drawings, and the various measuring devices, before going on to a machine. You were then put with skilled machinists and learnt the trade from them. The fitting apprentices started on the dressing bench under Mr. Bill Garbett were you learnt to read drawings and use files, scrapers, saws, and do small fitting assemblies, and then you worked with skilled fitters to learn the trade from them. This was the same for the apprentices in the other trades.

The take home pay for an apprentice in 1957 was £1.15.0d [£1.75p] for a 44 hour working week , when you reached the age of 16 years you were allowed to work 4 hours overtime, and on reaching 18 years you could work as many hours a you liked. You had a birthday rise every year on your birthday and usually a national pay rise. On completing your apprenticeship at the age of 21 years in 1963, the rate of pay was 6 shillings 1 pence per hour .approx £12.6.0d [£12.30p] per week, the working week had been reduced to 42 hrs. The apprentice was then put on 2 years probation, after this period at the age of 23 years they received the skilled mans rate. A fully skilled man could earn £15.10.00. [£15.50.]. Per week in 1965 for a 40 hour week. The top skilled rate in November 1969 had gone up to 8s 11p three farthings per hour. £18.00 per week for a 39 hr working week, you could double this with working the night shift and doing overtime. A machine apprentice worked in all machining departments. At the age of 18 you started to work on the night shift you usually did two weeks on nights and two weeks on days. You worked 4 nights at 10 hrs per night, Monday- Thursday and in the early days you also came in for 4 hours on a Friday after the day shift finished to complete your week. When your apprenticeship was completed you were expected to help out in other departments e.g. If one section was busy, or through Illness and holidays.

All apprentices had the chance to open a savings account with Barclays Bank with all the paperwork being done by the company; you just had to sign on the dotted line. Most of the apprentices saved about 5 shillings [25p] out of their wages each week, going strait in their account. We all received our wages on a Thursday dinner time. [Paid 1 week behind, the staff white collar works received them the week they worked]. This was often followed by a trip up to the bank to draw it out on a Friday. The bank was in a spare room in one of the bungalows at the top of featherbed lane by the traffic lights. [This was before the banks by Tesco were built.]

In 1958 Asquith exhibited various Machine Tools at the Machine Tool and Engineering Exhibition at Olympia London, all the employees in the factory were given the opportunity to attend on a Saturday, with the company paying for a train ticket and a free pass to enter the exhibition, if you were a member of the Sports and Social Club they gave everybody £1 towards their day out. As the majority of the apprentices had never been to London it was a very nice gesture by the company to give them a chance to see the capital, there was not many who refused the offer.

On the dressing bench there was an apprentice who was known to borrow money, when he received his wages on a Thursday dinner time he had to go around and pay back the money he owed ,this usually meant he had not much left , so next day he started borrowing all over again. MR. Bill Owen who was the Superintendent at the time had hands like shovels and had a heart of gold, said to him once, Mosser [nick name.] what is the trouble with you; you can treat me like a father. Mossers reply was OK dad lend me half a crown. [12.5p] To get from the small shop to the heavy shop you had to go down an alley, it had been snowing and as I opened the outside door a snowball just missed me I quickly closed the door only to hear a voice behind me say” What are you doing boy,” it was the Works Manager MR. Harry Galliers, I turned around and passed him, and said sorry. He went and opened the door to be meet by a snowball crashing against the wall, I then heard to usual sound of” boy come here” and the culprit had a telling off. The culprits name MR. Colin Wainwrite. [Then an apprentice fitter.] Another person on the dressing bench used to rush out at 5.35pm when the bell sounded at the end of the day, get on his bike and was always the first one out of the gate going flat out up the road ,one day MR. Reg. Woodvine MD. Seen this from his office, turned to his secretary and said “remind me to have a word with his foreman If he can go up the road like that he is not working him hard enough” The culprits name MR. Mick Cherry. [Then an apprentice fitter.]

As an individual looking back, all the apprentices had the best training available from a highly skilled workforce and after the companies closure all were readily accepted at other factories in and outside Shrewsbury, Also Australia, South Africa, Tasmania. Canada. North and South America and in other Countries around the World. This is testimony to the Skills they were taught at the factory during their apprenticeship and the remaining time spent at the factory up to its closure in 1976

The men on the shop floor started a voluntary sick scheme in the early years of the company with Malcolm Gibbons [milling bay.] and Fred Woodnorth [time office] on the committee and Mrs Joan Judson [wages dept.] who audited the end of year accounts. For a weekly sum of 1 shilling and six pence [7.5p] it entitled you to £2.00 per week if you were sick, if anybody was off sick for 10 weeks a lump sum of £10.00 was paid out.{ Shop floor workers did not get paid any wages if they were off sick }

A Sports and Social club was also formed, with anybody in the company could join at a cost of one shilling a week. [5p]. in 1962 a plot of ground was purchased at Sundorne and a club house built and was officially opened by Mrs Mabel Woodvine.It was run by Harry Brown [pipe fitter], Fred Jones. [Transport manager] and Dick Goodchild [planning office], and other employees who formed a committee. Football pitches were also marked out. The Club was used for a number of social events, with committees formed to run, Swimming / football / fishing / motoring / darts / dominoes, and in November a Firework display attracted large crowds. Mr and Mrs Tom Priestley [A Director in the Company] organized a number of treasure hunts for the motoring section with many people unable to follow the clues got lost, to the usual noises coming from the back shouting “you have gone the wrong way dad” But everybody always found the Club House or Pub at the end. Joining the motor section entitled you to get 2 pence [1P] off a gallon of petrol at Kennings at the top of Featherbed Lane [now the B/Q site.] after being paid on a Thursday there was a steady flow of cars going up the road to take advantage of the money off. [Approx price of petrol was 4 Shillings and Six pence per gallon in 1960. [22p]. at this time about 10% of the factory owned cars.] The swimming section shared the pool with the Silhouette Ladies Swimming Club on a Wednesday night for one hour, and a new swimming star was discovered in the name of Mr. Ray Winters, [Small Machine Shop Foreman] who “Shot up the pool like a torpedo”. The fishing club had the fishing rights to a stretch of the River Roden where in the season; weekly competitions on a Sunday morning were held under the watchful eyes of the organiser Dave Griffiths [Inspector.] The football club had a team in the local league who were trained by Pat Laverty, [a fitter] an ex professional footballer who had played football for Sheffield United, Southend United and part time for Telford. There was also a good following in the darts and domino teams who played in the local leagues. At the end of the year all the different sections held their prize giving Dinner and Dance, with some members going to all of them. During December there was a Christmas party for all the employees’ children which they all enjoyed. Such was the family spirit in the Company.

Throughout the year Mr. Alf John [tool stores] ran a Christmas club were any member could join. Members paid in what they liked weekly, then at the end of October they had a list of all the wines, spirits, beer, soft drinks, etc. obtainable from Tanners in Shrewsbury all at wholesale prices, they then put their order in, and in the middle of December it was delivered to the Club House, where Mr. Alf John and Mr. Harry Brown. [Pipe fitter.]. Slept at night to deter anybody from breaking in before it was collected by the individual members.

After Warner Swasey closed, the club house and land were sold for approx £40.000. And the money distributed to the members, a share for every year they were members. So the more years you were a member the more money you received.

.I have interviewed many people during my research into the history of the Companies involved and have been told many stores from my colleges, with who I had the pleasure of working with at the factory. The past employees some of them now are in their mid 80s have fond memories of the first years of the factory under Reg. Woodvine, and held him in high esteem. Typical examples being, coming up to the annual summer holidays and Christmas, Reg Woodvine always said to the foremen “ give them a Sunday” which meant that anybody who wanted could come to work on a Sunday and get double time, this was much appreciated by the workforce as it meant more money for the holidays and Christmas.

Mr. Reg Woodvine was looking out over the car park from the back offices he turned to Bill Garbett the fitting shop apprentice foreman who was in the office at the time, and said “Bill when the car park is full of cars I will know that I have done a good job with the Factory”, this was typical of the man.

The younger one’s who were the first apprentices, now in their 70s, also have fond memories of the factory and thanks to Reg. Woodvine, and his old ways of a proper apprenticeship, the skills they learnt set them up for life.

Finally one story I was told typifies the early days of when Mr. R.Woodvine started the company.

When the factory first opened Mrs Mable Woodvine used to go to the factory in the day and make the tea for “her men” she used to bring it out on trays, when they had cold weather she continued to bring the tea out for most of the day, and according to a few of the men the supply of tea interfered with their work with the resultant trips to the toilet. During the evening she used to get Mr. Reg. Woodvine to drive her up to the factory with her speciality which was Irish Stew made at home in a very large container, the men on the night shift were very appreciative of the gesture, apparently this happened quite frequently expressly in cold weather.

Finally. One of Mr. Reg Woodvines sayings was; “Nothing Is Impossible in Engineering”.!!!!!!!

I started my apprenticeship as a 15 year old straight from St Marys R.C. School on Town Walls, Shrewsbury, on the 23rd April 1957 [after leaving school at Easter] there were four other apprentices starting that day, myself J.R.Jones and J.L.Jones started as fitters [I changed over to the machining side later on] P.Bowering, B.Allport and J.Parry who went on the machining side, and B.Lloyd who was going to be a pipe fitter. And I left when the factory closed in 1976.

JOHN JONES.

(JUMPY) CLOCK NUMBER 283.

MARCH 2011.

jumpyjones@talktalk.net

My apologies for all the names that I may have missed out. But as the years go by the mind tends to forget as it is 35 years ago this year that the factory closed.

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Special thanks to Mr. Rick Woodvine, the great grandson of Mr. George Woodvine and grandson of the founder of the company Mr, Reginald Woodvine, , for sharing his family memories with me and allowing me into his home to copy Documents and family Photographs. They have been invaluable to me in my research, without his help I would not have been able to complete the Woodvine story.

Special thanks to Mr. Tom Priestley and Mrs. Margaret Priestley in allowing me into their home and giving me access to their family Photograph Album, and Documents.

Also thanks to Mr. Bill Cochran and Mrs. Stella Cochran who gave me access to Mrs Cochran’s late fathers Photographs and documents. [Mr. Alf Jones. Gardener]

Also thanks to Mr Fred Woodnorth and Mrs. Cath Woodnorth who regularly allowed me into there home to furnish me with, names, dates, employees clock numbers, that otherwise would be forgotten.

Also thanks to Terry Brooks and Les Fowles for supplying the names of our workmates.

Also thanks to John L Jones for allowing me to copy his personal apprenticeship papers together with his photographs.