Engineering in Coventry

Thanks Slim. My reason for asking was my old boss at Wickmans (Derek Powell) was part of a consortium that purchased J G Bush in 1984? They were in a small unit on the Lythalls Lane estate then, with about 5 or 6 machinists. Their main customer was AP at Leamington. I remember the sale was held up due to Gordon passing away. I took redundancy from Wickman and became the works manager at JGB. They also purchased another company on the same estate called Newark Engineering that was owned by Keith Neal. They eventually moved both companies into the Radenite Battery building in Bayton Road and called it Bush Newark. The last I found out was that Gordon lived in the flats on the corner of Kenilworth Road and Northumberland Road.

Northumberland Road is not very close to Kenilworth Road

Leamington

I think Mick means the Kenilworth Road in Leamington. There are indeed flats on or near the corner with that Kenilworth Road. Northumberland Road is the very first road on the right as one drives into Leamington. Most of the residences are very upmarket detached mansions. My father's old boss used to live in one. He owned a machine tool company, an SME, and was an alderman. He appeared on television a few times in the 60s, giving his opinion on some local matter.

Hi Slim, yes, Leamington it was. Do you remember the name of the SME? Regards Mick

Hi Martin, I thought I would add the two Supercar images I have then noticed your name and realised it could be you who gave me the written addresses below on FB? Anyway, these are, Supercars in use in Holland and an interesting 'Ad', note that the motors were supplied to their spec by GEC. Cliff

Here is the Supercar Co on Stoney Stanton Road, 1937. I have posted a bit more of the page so the location can be seen.

STUART DAVIS MACHINE TOOLS LIMITED Started in a Nissen hut in Much Park Street at the end of WW2, then moved to Bayton Road, then got bigger and in the 60s moved to new premises on the A45 next door to Mother's Pride, then the biggest bakery in the country, off Rowley Drive near Coventry Airport. About 50 employees. They got the Queens' award to industry. Core business was low volume custom machines for the likes of Ford and Vauxhall, especially fine borers.

Anyone remember a factory called G A Farndon? They were on the right hand side as you went down Bayton Road. George Farndon was the owner and it was ran by a guy called Peter Kiddie.

I used to deal with George Farndon when I was at Morris Engines. His speciality was crankshaft grinding and he bought machines from there when it closed down. He lived at Crackley.

I never remember petrol bumping cars, weren't they too dangerous so they stopped making them, petrol swilling about? Neither do I remember a rink with an island. The ones I do remember are the pole at the back where the attendant jumped on, grabbed the pole to take the money, the blue flashing light at the top of the pole where the electric flashed on and off, the squeals of delight by young ladies, the loud music, dodge cars to gain one, kind of like musical chairs. Yes, good fairground fun.

Really interesting reading here

Brilliant find Mick.

My grandfather retired from Herberts in 1962 after working there all his life, his framed long service certificate is hanging in my workshop

Recently dug this bronze plate up in my eldest sons garden. Anyone know anything about Modern Machine Tools as a company, or was it a consortium of machine tool companies?