Churchills and Richards Engineering Cos. Broadheath, Altrincham.

[ev2210]

My father, Francis William (Bill) Cottrill, worked at these engineering companies from the 1940s to the 1960s.  I have childhood memories of Atlantic Street, Broadheath with streams of men on bicycles going to and from work and the sound of the buzzer in the morning and evening.  Does anyone remember my father from that time, he was a pattern maker.

[littlej]

My father was at Richards too, I remember it as George Richards, and also as Richards & Tilghmans. He worked there all through my childhood in the late forties and the fifties, right through into the sixties. He was made redundant in 1967, and following an accident at his next job, died in 1969.
One of my most vivid memories is of him coming to meet me from school and giving me a ride on his bicycle crossbar on his way home for dinner. If you know Altrincham now, you will know that there is a road named George Richards Way which runs parallel to Atlantic Street.

[NickT]

My dad was there too.  I think it was called Kearns when he served his apprenticeship there, and later became Kearns Richards.  He also worked at Churchill Machine Tools later in the 1960's.

I remember hearing the lunctime hooter when I was a child playing in the garden of my Uncle's house in Heyes Lane Timperley.  It sounded like a WWII air raid siren from what I can remember.

Nick

[littlej]

Yes, you're right, there was a hooter, my Mum used it to work out when Dad would be home for dinner. We lived just off Barrington Road, and I went to Navigation Road School, luckily for me it was on his way home.  J

PS. You answered my query about the smithy as well, you must know Altrincham and the area very well!

[NickT]

Yes, I am familiar with the area since childhood and still live and work nearby.  I am still a regular visitor to Atlantic Street, however, this is now so that I can take my young son to ToysRus and McDonalds. How times have changed.  My Uncle's house in Heyes Lane, Timperley (where my Hollingworth Grandparents had lived) was sold some years ago to pay for his Care Home fees when he was no longer able to look after himself properly.  Sadly he has now died and he was the last living Hollingworth connected to my family that I personally knew.  I know for sure that there is a Davenport family connection to my tree, and so we are probably distant rellies.

Nick

[bodger]

The company made horizontal boring machines, and like many engineering companies before"thatcher" were world renowned, unfortunately the lead that England had in producing machines, engineers to build, & use them has long gone. bodger

[NickT]

Exactly. My father was a Horizontal Borer having served his time at Kearns.  He and my grandfather signed Indentures c1933 and my grandfather handed over a sum of money that was then returned to my father in weekly amounts for his wage whilst he was apprenticed.  I still have a lovely Brass money box fashioned by my father as one of his apprentice pieces.  When War later broke out my mother went to work at Kearns who were by then on war production.  They met each other... the rest is history.

Incidentally, I would be pleased if anyone knows if a copy of such Indentures may still exist in an archive anywhere?

Nick

[littlej]

My Dad was a Maintenance Electrician at Richards, having got the job after leaving the Merchant Navy in 1947. He remained there until the late 60's when he was made redundant. This I suppose was the beginning of the end for the company, because when I returned to live in Sale in 1975, everything had changed.  J

[NickT]

I have discovered an interesting source for anyone who wants to find out more about a relative who worked at Broadheath.

My father was a member of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering. 

Some records still exist with regard to the members of this Union and who were employed at Broadheath.

Contribution books 1937-1967 and some other documents such as Union Sickness benefit records can be found for Broadheath 2nd and 4th Branch at the Greater Manchester Records Office.

Try http://www.gmcro.co.uk/catalogues/userguide/guide.htm

I'm certainly going to be looking into it.

There is also quite a lot of other interesting archive material on this site.

Nick