Basildon manufacturing history

 The new town of Basildon was only eight miles from Tilbury Docks with good road links to the east of London. This location clearly attracted the Ford Motor Company, which was outgrowing its Dagenham site, to move its tractor manufacture to Basildon. The proximity to the docks also attracted cigarette makers, Carreras. In 1964 New Holland completed their first tractor factory in the town, followed by Standard Telephones, MK Electric and Yardley.

The development corporation produced a promotional brochure encouraging other businesses to the town. Highlighted were the availability of good housing and community facilities for employees and their families. The businesses mentioned in the brochure were not only the big names although Marconi was highlighted a building a factory for the ‘meticulously accurate construction of delicate precisions equipment’ for radio, radar and other electronics.

Albert Mann’s Engineering Company manufactured rolling mills, Nufloor manufactured floor sanders and polishers and Teleflex of Shadwell Heath built a new factory manufacturing conveyors and remote controls. The new town also attracted old skills such as Engineers Patternmaking and Thompson & Foster cardboard boxes and corrugated paper.

Further reading

Industrial Development in Basildon New Town (Basildon Development Corporation)

Harlow manufacturing history

 Harlow was a village to the north of the industrial areas of east London and on the London to Cambridge railway. It was chosen as one of the new towns designed to relieve the pressure on greater London.

As with other new towns, it sought a spread of industry to avoid the concentration that caused problems in Corby. Although it was not thought suitable for heavy industry, two of its early arrivals were on the heavy side : Johnson Matthey the precious metals company and United Glass manufacturer of bottles.

They were followed by Revertex resins, and Schreiber furniture founded by a Polish immigrant, which would compete with Lebus and Hille and become part of GEC Domestic appliances before moving to MFI and finally Sainsbury.

Shenval Press were an early arrival joined in time by book binders Dorstel Press. Publishing later received a major boost when Longman Green arrived in the late sixties.

Standard Telephones became the largest employer in the town with 3,000 at one time. They were joined by the Standard Telecommunications Laboratory. Another electronics business came to the town by default after de Havilland had to cancel a new factory as a result of cuts in defence spending. Cossor was moving out of valves into radar and so needed new premises; they later became a subsidiary of the American Raytheon Corporation. The AEI research division was based in the town but moved to Manchester when AEI joined with GEC.

American office equipment manufacturer Pitney Bowes moved their manufacturing in 1962 and head office a year later. They were joined by Minnesota 3M Research and educational suppliers ESA.

In the sixties, Gilbey's Gin built a striking new factory moving its production from London. The family had a long connection with the former village. Gilbey became part of International Vintners which was bought by Grand Metropolitan. The Gilbey brand is now within Diageo. Rank Hovis McDougal built an administrative headquarters. GSK has a research facility in the town.

Further reading:

Frederick Gibberd, Ben Hyde Harvey, Len White Harlow: The Story of a New Town (Stevenage: Publications for Companies, 1980)

Stevenage manufacturing history

 This agricultural community on the Great North Road just outside London became prosperous from the business generated by coaches stopping for refreshment. The mid nineteenth century saw the arrival of the Great Northern Railway which encouraged the building of homes for those working in London. The late nineteenth century witnessed the arrival of an organisation very much of its time. The time was marked by the spread of education to the population as a whole and this demanded resource in the form of furniture, books, laboratory equipment and the general supplies a school needs in order to function. It was the Educational Supply Association and would remain the town’s most significant employer until after the Second World War. Another old town company was Hertfordshire Knitting known for its provision for the employment of women. Yet another was Vincent HRD Motorcycles.

Stevenage was perfectly placed to become one of the New Towns to be designated under the 1946 Act. The first employer to be tempted to the new town was Geo. W. King from Hitchin. They manufactured cranes and hoists and would later become part of TI plc. Kings were followed in 1952 by Hawker Siddeley Dynamics, ICI and Pye Ether a manufacturer of controls and owned by Pye Radio. Next was a longer term resident of old Stevenage W.H. Saunders an electronics company which later became part of Marconi. There followed ICL, Kodak, Bowater Packaging, English Electric aircraft and Mentmore Manufacturing which came from Hackney and would become Platignum makers of writing implements. English Electric became part of the British Aircraft Corporation which would merge with Hawker Siddeley aircraft to become British Aerospace.

This aviation capability has now become MBDA manufacturer of complex weapon systems and Airbus Defence and Space which manufactures space vehicles, satellites and related equipment giving Stevenage the nickname Space City. The science credentials of the town are underling by GSK R&D Hub, one of only two worldwide.

Further reading :

• Margaret Ashby, Stevenage: History and Guide (Dover: Alan Sutton, 1994)
• Margaret Ashby, Stevenage Past (Chichester: Phillimore, 1995)