Anyone remember/work at Wilks hardware store in the 70's?

I worked at Wilks for three years in the late sixties/early seventies when I was in my late teens, but was made redundant when it shut down around 1972/3..

The store (now a Central health clinic) was located on the corner of Norfolk Street / Mulberry Street opposite the Crucible Theatre.

I have great memories of that store, it was full of knowledgeable and character-able staff who I remember fondly.

Their was Mr Harris the manager, Mr Harvey Pratt the assistant manager, a great guy and always had time for you, Mike Turner the kitchen furniture manager who I worked with, Jim Shaw, Bernard Wilkinson, Charlie the dispatch manager ( always popping into the Mulberry Tavern for a quickie) Mr Goddard the gardening manager,(always first to clock out!) Mr Millie the buyer, The lovely Sue Burkin, Denise (mad on Marc Bolan) in accounts, Brian and Mick in transport, Eric Pierson the office manager, Horace Parkin the hardware genius, Ginger haired Georgina, David Peckett on decorating, Bill Robinson,( lovely bloke) Barbara the odd job lady, and lastly a great lady who was in charge of the canteen, Mrs Beal, very proud of her new Hillman Avenger!

I,m sixty three now and most of the above were older than me so sadly may no longer be with us. Love to hear from anyone associated with above.

I believe that was the ironmongers/hardware store when you could buy 4 candles (fork hanldles) and 0.s (garden hose)--beats the likes of B and Q

Ah, Wilks... As the OP wrote it was full of knowledgeable people - staff who were interested in their job and did their best to help. I can compare it with another, smaller hardware shop (Lingard's on Langsett Road) in the sense that they always had what you wanted. And Wilks (which closed early in 1972) is where I learned the technical term for a cabin hook. You remember these things - or at least, I do!.

I used to know Les Beevers at Wilks.

Lingard's had a tinsmith's workshop out the back. I once had a customer who needed a made to measure coal bunker. I got Lingard's to make one.

I worked at Wilks for three years in the late sixties/early seventies when I was in my late teens, but was made redundant when it shut down around 1972/3..

The store (now a Central health clinic) was located on the corner of Norfolk Street / Mulberry Street opposite the Crucible Theatre.

I have great memories of that store, it was full of knowledgeable and character-able staff who I remember fondly.

Their was Mr Harris the manager, Mr Harvey Pratt the assistant manager, a great guy and always had time for you, Mike Turner the kitchen furniture manager who I worked with, Jim Shaw, Bernard Wilkinson, Charlie the dispatch manager ( always popping into the Mulberry Tavern for a quickie) Mr Goddard the gardening manager,(always first to clock out!) Mr Millie the buyer, The lovely Sue Burkin, Denise (mad on Marc Bolan) in accounts, Brian and Mick in transport, Eric Pierson the office manager, Horace Parkin the hardware genius, Ginger haired Georgina, David Peckett on decorating, Bill Robinson,( lovely bloke) Barbara the odd job lady, and lastly a great lady who was in charge of the canteen, Mrs Beal, very proud of her new Hillman Avenger!

I,m sixty three now and most of the above were older than me so sadly may no longer be with us. Love to hear from anyone associated with above.

My Father was Ernest Pearson the office manager who sadly passed away 8 years ago aged 80 , he lived a full and happy life right up to the end.

is this the same "wilks" that used to sell/repair lawnmowers and later changed company name to something like peter woods ?

My Father was Ernest Pearson the office manager who sadly passed away 8 years ago aged 80 , he lived a full and happy life right up to the end.

Hi Dun working, I remember your father well, always cheerful, never short of a smile...nice to know he had a long and happy life....sorry I got his name wrong, thought it was Eric,he must have been in his mid forties when I new him......Where did he work after Wilks closed down?

---------- Post added 07-07-2015 at 22:07 ----------

is this the same "wilks" that used to sell/repair lawnmowers and later changed company name to something like peter woods ?

Don't think this is the same Wilks, they use to sell lawn mowers, they might have repaired them at one time but I don't remember them doing so......Wilks did get taken over by a company called Mercian Builders Merchants, they were the company that shut Wilks down when it stated to lose money...Great shame.

Sorry for the late contribution only just come across this thread. I worked for Wilks in the late 60's in the travel department and knew Ernest Pearson well. He worked for Redhead Travel  when Wilks closed down and the travel shop was sold to Ted Redhead. That in turn was sold to Pickfords travel and shortly afterwards the company I worked for was also sold to Pickfords and I ended up with Ernest as my boss again  when they briefly made him an area a manager. He was not best suited for that and later became the auditor for Pickfords Travel  in the north of England. He held that post until he retired 

 Hi I m looking with interest at this forum, my dad was mr Millie the buyer for wilks, I remember he and my mum going to Austria  when wilks had the travel agency

i worked on Saturdays both on Union street and when they moved  onto the shop opposite the crucible

On 11/10/2019 at 13:58, Travel Agent said:

Sorry for the late contribution only just come across this thread. I worked for Wilks in the late 60's in the travel department and knew Ernest Pearson well. He worked for Redhead Travel  when Wilks closed down and the travel shop was sold to Ted Redhead. That in turn was sold to Pickfords travel and shortly afterwards the company I worked for was also sold to Pickfords and I ended up with Ernest as my boss again  when they briefly made him an area a manager. He was not best suited for that and later became the auditor for Pickfords Travel  in the north of England. He held that post until he retired 

I also worked with Ernest Pearson, when he was the accountant at Redhead Travel Universal Limited on Carver Street his assistant was a lady called Mavis Percey and Trevor Wood was the Branch Manager.