History of Laycocks

[Heeley tyke 10]

I remember quite a lot of these people. I worked in the overdrive division on Little London from 1957 to 1962.

The ones I remember mostly were Jack Foreshaw, Ray Morris, (*** a priest!)

Mick Dolan, John Wood, Lol Grant, etc.

I knew some of those who worked at the Archer Rd site; Ray Swinnerton, who built caravans and Don Rollitt.

[purdyamos 10]

Are you certain that the family that you refer to are the,'Laycocks Engineering Family'? Another Laycock string had, and may still have, a painting business down near Granville Road. I would be pleased if you could clarify this as in the roundness of time I may well write my memories of working at Laycocks. They still pay me my pension.

 

 

I'm pretty certain, but I'll check with the folks next time I'm there, which will be very soon.

 

I know it's confusing with names, it can sometimes be misleading to spot a famous local name, and the people at the cemetery are usually quite good at specifying when a tomb really is *that* family, and not a namesake.

[Albert T Smith 10]

Thank you Purdyamos:- I'm pretty certain, but I'll check with the folks next time I'm there, which will be very soon.

 

Heeley_Tyke

I remember quite a lot of these people. I worked in the overdrive division on Little London from 1957 to 1962.

The ones I remember mostly were Jack Foreshaw, Ray Morris, (*** a priest!)

Mick Dolan, John Wood, Lol Grant, etc. I knew some of those who worked at the Archer Rd site; Ray Swinnerton, who built caravans and Don Rollitt.

 

Anymore that you remember especially along with their nick names are welcome.

What did you do on the overdrive?

[bryan1943 10]

owdlad I remember them both, Keith Hilton also worked at Jacobs Manufacturing up until it closed in 2002

 

was jacobs part of frank guylees on archer rd.my farther worked at guylees

1958 his name was frank else.i also worked their as a apprentice sparky.

[bryan1943 10]

Going back a long time now.

Does anybody remember the internal works railway at Laycocks at the Archer Road site?

I recall seeing the steam tank locomotive which was used, running in the early 1950s. It was clearly visible from the gate on Archer Road.

 

Anybody got a photograph?

 

sorry dont have any photoes only memories.i lived on rydal rd as a boy used to go to train sheds to collect old rags to burn in my clay burner i think they was called torch burners

[Albert T Smith 10]

was jacobs part of frank guylees on archer rd.my farther worked at guylees

1958 his name was frank else.i also worked their as a apprentice sparky.

 

Jacobs made Drills and Drill Cutches. They were part of GuyLees but never a part of Laycock Engineering. I would suggest that you start another completely new thread regarding GuyLees. A great number of people worked their and some will be part of the Forum. It is all history and someone some day will be pleased that it was written.

[Heeley tyke 10]

sorry dont have any photoes only memories.i lived on rydal rd as a boy used to go to train sheds to collect old rags to burn in my clay burner i think they was called torch burners

 

I think you mean 'Touch-burner'

[Heeley tyke 10]

Thank you Purdyamos:- I'm pretty certain, but I'll check with the folks next time I'm there, which will be very soon.

 

Heeley_Tyke

I remember quite a lot of these people. I worked in the overdrive division on Little London from 1957 to 1962.

The ones I remember mostly were Jack Foreshaw, Ray Morris, (*** a priest!)

Mick Dolan, John Wood, Lol Grant, etc. I knew some of those who worked at the Archer Rd site; Ray Swinnerton, who built caravans and Don Rollitt.

 

Anymore that you remember especially along with their nick names are welcome.

What did you do on the overdrive?

 

Buying mostly. Boss was Lawrence Hobson and his deputy was Percy Jennings. I heard Percy topped himself in the 60s.

[Stenner 10]

Tell Dennis that Harry worked in the Maag House and on the Gear Section.

I'm almost certain that he lived on Greenhill.

 

 

Yes, that's right Albert, around 53/54 we lived at Hackenthorpe for a short time but then we moved onto Lowedges Road and later onto Gervase Place, not far from the house on Lowedges Road. Mum stayed at Gervase place for quite a while after dad had passed on, but eventually moved up to Stannington where she had a flat for a few years before she also passed on.

 

At Hackenthorpe, I can remember him doing two jobs but it may not have been at the same time - I am not sure as I wasn't that old. I know he had been doing some door to door selling - children's encyclopedia (and I still have mine in it's original box as it was posted!!).

 

I also know he worked at Laycocks because I went to Ridgeway school by bus and when he'd been on nights, he used to take me to the bus stop still in his working clothes and that smell from the factory (which I recall from going to the parties ) was still with him. I seem to remember being teased by someone about it once, but my dad soon put them right the next day - they got a right telling off!!! I did seem to think he worked at Archer Road at that time and only went to Little London after he'd had the heart attack and been told he had to have an 'easier' job.

[owdlad 10]

was jacobs part of frank guylees on archer rd.my farther worked at guylees

1958 his name was frank else.i also worked their as a apprentice sparky.

 

Did your Father move on to work at Tempered Spring Co?

[Albert T Smith 10]

Yes, that's right Albert, around 53/54 we lived at Hackenthorpe for a short time but then we moved onto Lowedges Road and later onto Gervase Place, not far from the house on Lowedges Road. Mum stayed at Gervase place for quite a while after dad had passed on, but eventually moved up to Stannington where she had a flat for a few years before she also passed on.

 

At Hackenthorpe, I can remember him doing two jobs but it may not have been at the same time - I am not sure as I wasn't that old. I know he had been doing some door to door selling - children's encyclopedia (and I still have mine in it's original box as it was posted!!).

 

I also know he worked at Laycocks because I went to Ridgeway school by bus and when he'd been on nights, he used to take me to the bus stop still in his working clothes and that smell from the factory (which I recall from going to the parties ) was still with him. I seem to remember being teased by someone about it once, but my dad soon put them right the next day - they got a right telling off!!! I did seem to think he worked at Archer Road at that time and only went to Little London after he'd had the heart attack and been told he had to have an 'easier' job.

 

Cynthia's husband will recall Harry. On a few occasions (Daily or Nightly) I would act has referee, regarding the up holding of the Queens Language.

I've many happy memories of Harry. Though we must have had a row sometime, I can not recall one, The pressure of the job created argument's over next to nothing. I can see him now, clocking the Helix Angle, finishes and hardness of the gears and splines. The MAAG calculated and created a precision chart of all the gears measurements and Harry would stick to them like he was reading the 'Times Newspaper'. (They were always correct)

Looking back. How we constantly worked to such fine tolerance's is hardly believable. Having arguments about half a thousand part of a inch or a finish about five micros too rough were common!! We all must have been nutty!

The smell of the mistic oil on all our working clothes was a better identification than a finger print. I've walked past people who I did not know, but knew, that they were wearing the clothes of someone who worked at the Overdrive Division.

One thing was that no-one ever bothered to steal anyones clothes!!

[Cynthia 10]

Of course Dennis remembers Harry. Regarding the smell of Mistic oil, Dennis never came home in his smock and he always changed his trousers at work, never the less I could always smell the oil and the first thing that he did when he came home was to go and have a shower before we had our evening meal.

He could not work to a thousandth of an inch now as I am sorry to say that he is legally blind. He had his eyes tested each year and had glasses to read, he had a test in December 2005 and his vision had not changed, in February 2006 he had a triple bi-pass and was prescribed blood pressure medication, one of the side effects was that they could , for a short time, cause blurred vision, in May 2006 he complained he was having problems with his eyes but we thought that it was the medication, however, when he asked to see the opthamologist at the beginning of August he had extensive tests and the outcome was that he has a hole in each retina. What a blow that was as he now cannot drive and I never learned to drive on the 'wrong side of the road' when we came here. Fortunately we have a big screen television and he (we) can still watch the three football games on each saturday

I should add that it had nothing to do with the tablets.

 

Cheers, Cynthia.