Howard & Bullough

[Tealeaf]

Here is a map of the location of Howard and Bullough's factory as most of you will never have seen before. My apologies for the quality, but the plant is that which is outlined in the red:


H & B were in Pawtucket from the 1870's to the 1920's. This area was the American answer to the Lancashire cotton industry. The irony of it all was that the yanks offered bounty money to English textile engineers to go over there in the late 1700's - England was trying to keep our inventions safe and taking manufacturing ideas out of the country was regarded as treason. By the 1870's this idea had long gone and H & B - by then the world’s largest textile machinery manufacturer -came to the conclusion it would be cheaper to build out there rather than build and ship from out here. So out they went. Early globalisation from the Globe works, so to speak.

But in the 1920's it all came to an end. A somewhat further irony is that this area is where Sacro-Lowell came from, which some would argue would partially responsible for H & B's final demise.

One final little gem, though. H & B took with them some of their English corporate philosophy, which included the creation of a works football team. "Soccer" was at the time, relatively strong in the USA - there had been massive European immigration throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the gridiron game was still relatively novel. So much so that the American football Association was directly affiliated to the English FA. They even had their own version of the FA Cup....the American Cup (not to be confused with the America's cup).

...And guess which team won it in 1913? Yep, Howard and Bulloughs!

[john conway]

I served my time at Howard & Buloughs completing it in 1965 in the Drawing Office. I only did 5 months in their own training school because I’d already done two years at the Accrington College of Further Education. However, all the apprentices went back to collage 3 nights a week or as I did three months block release to work our way up to ONC or HNC. The name on my certificate of apprenticeship of the supervisor was W. Riley. During my spell in the Research Work Shop, I did a spell out fitting, installing our new design of draughting equipment with fabricated sides and self-aligning bearings, previous to that everything was cast iron and white metal bearings that took forever to lap in. I needn’t go into details about being incredibly embarrassed as a young lad among the lasses in the Lancashire mills especially around Christmas.
I left Buloughs to go Climbing in the Apls for a few months just before the big fire and then came back to work in the drawing office after couple of years only to leave again to go climbing in the Alps again for a few more months.
I lived in Accrington just up from Buloughs on Higher Antley Street for 20 years before moving up into the Yorkshire Dales where I now live.

[Atarah]

What a gem of a photo this is! Employees of Howard and Bulloughs. Must be in the late 60's or 70's at a guess. Wonder if any of our members can recognise themselves?

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Atarah

What a gem of a photo this is! Employees of Howard and Bulloughs. Must be in the late 60's or 70's at a guess. Wonder if any of our members can recognise themselves?

It is a good photograph.

However I'd date it a bit later.

If I had to guess, judging from haircuts, and style of jacket, and width of jeans of the younger men, I'd say it was about 1982.

[cashman]

big fellow in centre.black jacket n moustache, looks like a good mate of mine.

[Bernard Dawson]

A mate of mine's on there, He worked in the drawing office. I can tell its him, he's still the same jacket.

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

Here is a map of the location of Howard and Bullough's factory as most of you will never have seen before. My apologies for the quality, but the plant is that which is outlined in the red:


H & B were in Pawtucket from the 1870's to the 1920's. This area was the American answer to the Lancashire cotton industry. The irony of it all was that the yanks offered bounty money to English textile engineers to go over there in the late 1700's - England was trying to keep our inventions safe and taking manufacturing ideas out of the country was regarded as treason. By the 1870's this idea had long gone and H & B - by then the world’s largest textile machinery manufacturer -came to the conclusion it would be cheaper to build out there rather than build and ship from out here. So out they went. Early globalisation from the Globe works, so to speak.

But in the 1920's it all came to an end. A somewhat further irony is that this area is where Sacro-Lowell came from, which some would argue would partially responsible for H & B's final demise.

One final little gem, though. H & B took with them some of their English corporate philosophy, which included the creation of a works football team. "Soccer" was at the time, relatively strong in the USA - there had been massive European immigration throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the gridiron game was still relatively novel. So much so that the American football Association was directly affiliated to the English FA. They even had their own version of the FA Cup....the American Cup (not to be confused with the America's cup).

...And guess which team won it in 1913? Yep, Howard and Bulloughs!

That has answered a question of mine, why so many men came over from Pawtucket, and enlisted in Accrington, into the British Army, one or two even served Pals.
Those that survived were given paid passage back to America.
Retlaw./

[Atarah]

I think the people who were in Accrington when Howard and Bulloughs were in there prime, forget just how HUGE the company was. I took this photo last night with my digital camera, off the original. Not brilliant, but better than nothing.

[Atarah]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Howard & Bulloughs, Accrington formed in 1851. Partners James Bullough and John Howard. Engineering firm making machinery for the cotton industry.

James's son John joined them business in 1862 and he helped to build up the company to one of the largest employers in the Accrington area with over 2,000 workers which eventually grew to over 6,000 in its heyday. The factory, known as "Globe Works" was a huge square building covering more than 50 acres, with an open interior area like a quadrangle. It totally dominated the town. Most of the building has now been demolished but the front part remains as "The Globe Centre". There was even a link across Ormerod Street to a smaller building (now occupied by the Council as Scaitcliffe House) which was connected by overhead covered walkways.

Up to 75% of the factory's output was exported and most of the people in the town worked there, had family who worked there or knew someone who worked there. It was commonly refered to as "Bulloughs" (Poor old Mr. Howard being totally ignored)

During the second world war they turned to manufacture of armaments such as bayonets, shells, gun carriages, mine sinkers, aircraft components.

After the war they returned again to machinery manufacture. However, by the late 1980s things were in decline. The company had been taken over by Platts whose logo appeared on the front of the building. American company Saco Lowell took over Platts and the firm became Platt Saco Lowell, which finally closed down in 1993.

This posting was from Nov 2005 by WillowTheWhisp. Just seemed a nice bit of info for new members to read in connection with my last photo.

[Wynonie Harris]

Originally Posted by Atarah

I think the people who were in Accrington when Howard and Bulloughs were in there prime, forget just how HUGE the company was. I took this photo last night with my digital camera, off the original. Not brilliant, but better than nothing.

A cracking shot, Atarah...yes, it was a massive works and there were the other factories on Charter Street and Stevenson Street, too!

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Atarah

This posting was from Nov 2005 by WillowTheWhisp. Just seemed a nice bit of info for new members to read in connection with my last photo.

Bulloughs was also heavily involved in armanents in WW1, in 1917 they had near 10,000 involved, mostly shells & hand grenades.
Bulloughs had started to decline in the 1950's, when I went there in 1952, I was given a job in the pattern shop, but was told they did'nt know how long it would last, in 1957 they started to lay people off, 6 of us in the pattern shop alone, thats when I joined the Fire Brigade.
Retlaw

[walkinman221]

My dad and grandad both worked there , my dad served his time as an electrician and my grandad worked in the grinding shop his name was Wilson yates and my dad is Bryan yates.

[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

That has answered a question of mine, why so many men came over from Pawtucket, and enlisted in Accrington, into the British Army, one or two even served Pals.
Those that survived were given paid passage back to America.
Retlaw./

You may wonder, Walter, where I first picked up on the Pawtucket connection.

About 10 years ago, I was propping up a bar in London on a hot summer afternoon when an elderly, obviously Yank, tourist wondered in and ordered a pint of lager.

I asked him if this was this first time in London and when he replied in the affirmative, I informed him that lager in England was only drunk by women, children, gays and dogs and as he did not appear to fall into any of those categories, he may wish to consider revising his choice of beveredge. Which he promptly did.

Anyway, we got talking and after a while he seemed to recognise my accent; he asked, and I told him Accy, and he told me his grandad had emigrated from Accrington in the late 1890's to work for H & B in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. However, he was not one of those who returned to the town.

I asked the old gentlemen if he had any plans to visit Accy but he said no, as him & his mrs were off to Paris the next day. Accy would have been better, I replied and stated that no true Accy man would let his mrs make such a decision, but it was to no avail.

I didn't get his name.

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

You may wonder, Walter, where I first picked up on the Pawtucket connection.

About 10 years ago, I was propping up a bar in London on a hot summer afternoon when an elderly, obviously Yank, tourist wondered in and ordered a pint of lager.

I asked him if this was this first time in London and when he replied in the affirmative, I informed him that lager in England was only drunk by women, children, gays and dogs and as he did not appear to fall into any of those categories, he may wish to consider revising his choice of beveredge. Which he promptly did.

Anyway, we got talking and after a while he seemed to recognise my accent; he asked, and I told him Accy, and he told me his grandad had emigrated from Accrington in the late 1890's to work for H & B in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. However, he was not one of those who returned to the town.

I asked the old gentlemen if he had any plans to visit Accy but he said no, as him & his mrs were off to Paris the next day. Accy would have been better, I replied and stated that no true Accy man would let his mrs make such a decision, but it was to no avail.

I didn't get his name.

From Accrington?

Trying to impress, and appear cosmopolitan?

You're from Church.

Take the shame.

[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by garinda

From Accrington?

Trying to impress, and appear cosmopolitan?

You're from Church.

Take the shame.

Aye. I always say Accy when I meet tourists in the smoke. I tell 'em all about the marvellous Market Hall and the Victorian Arcade, a shopping experiance to rival that of Paris, Milan or NY.

After all, it's Accy that needs the visitors, not Church.