Alfred Herbert Ltd

I know where Herberts was, they had a factory at Edgwick in Cross Roads which had an entrance also from the little park o/p the Navi.

That's 1 up to you then Bernie.

I also remember Alfred Herbert's in Edgwick Rd. An apprenticeship with Herbert's was considered the next best thing to a university place in those days. The park was next to the canal and on the other side of the canal the road became Bell Green Rd. Harrabins coal yard was between the cut and the railway. Behind Harrabins there were fields, known locally as "The Stars". Then after the railway bridge, opposite the Morris main gate, was a tiny shoemender called Buggins. I'm afraid that we kids made his life a misery, always banging on his shop window. Then was Maslin's decorating supplies. Over the road was a builders merchants. On the odd occasion that I see that monstrous roundabout and retail park I feel that some idiot councillor has bulldozed my childhood. Someone with a sense of humour named the area around the Navi "Paradise". There was Eden St. and the Adam and Eve pub etc. Has anyone else noticed that any area called Paradise or Mount Pleasant is usually anything but?! Happy days.

I remember all you are saying walrus and Georgie Buggins in particular, he was about 4ft 6in and always wore a flat cap. Remember the shops too, Majors the butchers, Malins the grocer, and the two sets of gates for the Morris, one leading to the clubhouse and sports fields and one to the factory. You also mentioned Eden Street, do you remember the little woman who lived in the cottages, Sally Carter, a right old witch.

I have a 1930s Alfred Herbert Small Tools catalogue - a hard cover book of over 600 pages, and that's without the machine tool catalogue itself. They made a phenomenal range of machine-tool related products then, and I doubt there is any firm in the world today that could get anywhere near matching it. Hard to believe that such a company could so easily wither and die.

Does anyone on the forum this evening know exactly when Herberts closed down. I know it was going strong in the 60's.

Hi Dreamtime, apparently it closed for good in 1983.

Thank you scrutiny, the reason I asked was it was the only place I ever worked after leaving school at 15. Great place to work, treated you well and the apprenticeship scheme was highly regarded as were the secretarial courses. I was even taught to operate the switchboard, all part and parcel. Do you know what is now in its place ?

As far as I know nothing except for a large roundabout and road system. Its all part of the new road. But there again I have not explored that part of Cov much since returning to the area. I live in Rugby. Try Google earth, a lot of changes have taken place since I left Cov 43yrs ago, I find it helpful. ATB

Thanks again scrutiny, will look in the morning, I am off to bed. Incidentally, we left Coventry 38yrs ago but never left in mind and spirit, you are lucky you can jump on a bus or drive into the old town whenever. Goodnight

Hi Dreamtime, I started Alfred Herbert's at Red Lane in 1966. About 12 months after I started it split into several companies. I worked in Herbert Associates; this was be beginning of the end and was when things started to go downhill. At this point I think there were 11 directors! Redundancies started and it began to feel as though we were working in a morgue. I think it was circa 1968 when Red Lane Works started to close down and we moved to Lutterworth. Things didn't get any better so 18 months later we were moved to Edgwick. When I started in Red Lane there were approximately 30 or more working in Corres, plus Edgwick and Lutterworth had there own Corres staff; when we moved to Edgwick there were only eight of us doing the work that had been done on three sites! I left in 1974 when I was pregnant. Herbert's was acquired by Tooling Investments in 1980, went into receivership in 1982 and closed in 1983. RIP

My dad was the final inspector at Alfred Herbert. During the war he tried three times to enlist and each time Herbert's refused to release him, claiming his work was vital to the war effort. I started an apprenticeship there in 1956, it wasn't the life for me - cooped up in a factory - so I left after 3 months to train as an electrician.

Hi Tricia, Thank you for the info. At least I know a bit of its history now and not so ignorant about AH. So whilst you were 'left holding the baby' so to speak, we were on our way taking my two downunder.

Morning scrutiny, just been into Google and found the old AH site. At least the canal is still there. So many changes.

Morning Dreamtime, I have just had a look on Google, seems to be an industrial estate there. It was a shock to me when I started to explore Cov after being away so long. All my old stamping grounds gone. The area around Red Lane was a big part of it. My son took me along the canal on his boat last year down to the old Courtaulds, amazing the changes.