General Chat

I was chatting yesterday to my partner about the decline of factories in our local area . In years gone by Birds Eye was the biggest employer in our area , in Gt.Yarmouth there was a massive factory that employed hundreds of folk ( this is long gone ) Birds Eye still have a foot hold down the road in Lowestoft, where I believe they produce Waffles and frozen peas .

There used to several clothing factories , shoe factories ,electric factories , canning factories in this area as well . All have gone now . We have "Pasta Foods" and I think it is the last remaining factory in this area .

Even in Norwich I am hard pressed to think of any big employers , Rowntrees folded as did Colemans Mustard.....which I think re-located .

What factories are in your area and producing what ? I am curious to know where all the stuff we consume is produced.

We have loads of t'mills round here, but none working as they was, now they house golf shops and tearooms or are mostly second out let shops... I dont even think are going now, Christies hat factory closed down in the early 90's and Salfakay which was also big and Slimtrue and John Moores when these factories closed my sister then had a pub nearby did a roaring trade she sold the pub and even the bookies closed down..

In our immediate area that I can think of are, Matthew Walker's Christmas Puddings, and Warburtons Bakery. We used to have Aristoc Stockings, I & R Morley, knitwear and tights, and Wolsey bespoke knitwear. These were the mainstay employers of this area in the past, along with the iron works and coal mines. Sadly all now gone.
Julia in Derbyshire

What's a factory?

We are situated in an area where the road links are dreadful and there are NO rail links so it's not viable to manufacture here.

There was one clothing manufacturer who used to make jeans for M & S. They relocated some years ago to the Far East and dumped hundreds on the jobless market.

Sue x

This thread is shaping up as I expected it to . I had tried googerling " Factories in G.B. " and it wasn't giving me much to go on .

I used to work in a clothing factoy that made overalls for workers.........lol
That shut up shop in the 80's .

We have a Bernard Mathews in the are somewhere but he employes a lot of migrant workers I think .

Perhaps England has indeed become a "nation of shop keepers" after all .
It certainly doesn't look as if we produce anything much these days !

I work in one, but it about the last one still going in the city, back in the good old days of the 60s used to be half a dozen engineering factories now just the one, don't think its going to last much longer.

The biggest one near me is Weetabix.

Trebor used to have a factory on the road where i work - long since gone and now replaced by 'luxury appartments' lol


Amanda i think many will be found outside of the UK now lol

Where i live now there are none....My OH's dads lives in Thetford and there are a few by him

My town used to have lots of specialised engineering, clothing manufacturing, and brewing.

These days there are two remaining engineering factories, but much smaller than they were. The breweries have been long closed as are the various clothing manufacturers. We now have food factories, but they are all mechanised and do not require the same skills.

One of the very specialist engineering factories, where my brother worked for 45 years has a much reduced workforce and they gave up the apprenticeships some time ago. They now realise they haven't been training anyone to continue the very skilled work and don't have the base to train more. My brother was offered his job back, at nearly 70, as they were desperate to use his expertise. He said no - he is happy in retirement.

I think this country will not have any sort of manufacturing soon - just hospitality, and retail. What a sad state we will be in. We have lost that proud heritage of the last century.

Elisabeth

Julie....I think Thetford might be where the Bernard Mathews factory is located ?

Elizabeth.....your not wrong , it is a sad state indeed . Our biggest employer in my area is the local hospital I think . There is a large " care industry " as well , as a lot of folk seem to come to Norfolk to retire .

So at least Weetabix are still produced in England : )

I've found some information about Hoover washing machines being made in Merthyr Tydfil , the factoy was built to try and ease the high unemployment situation that arose there when all the Mines where closed.

Thank you all for your replies , I'm finding it most interesting .

When l used to drive from Fareham to Portsmouth l used to pass Smith crisps, CandA and Johnson & Johnson, now all gone and houses and office blocks in their place.

I think Bernard Matthews is in Gt Witchingham
Was it Johnsons by any chance that you worked in?
Kay
The deletions are mine...dont know what happened but had 2 posts not completed..

Sorry Kay, were you asking if l worked at Johnsons, if so no but had a uncle that worked there till he died.

Mummo,
No..I was asking Amanda...
Her name was left off my post ,,sorry.
Kay

Yes Kay.........I worked at Johnsons but it was called " Clares Calton " by the time I worked there.

Mummo........there was a Smiths Crisps factory in this area to but it closed in the 80s .

I live in 'Shoe Town' but I think there are only a couple of shoe factories left now. When I was a child I lived in an area that had four factories in our street. I think they are all flats now. I have to say, though, a street with four factories in it was a bit dismal! We also had a newsagent and four grocers. You can't imagine it now. I can only think of one factory here now and they produce sandwiches.

Amanda, we've got the Kettle Chips factory just up the road from here, and on the airport, there are still lots, Heatrae who make water heaters, (just had a fire there last week), amongst others. Sadly Colmans is no longer in production in Norwich, Caleys' chocolate was taken over by Nestle, though still sell under the Caley's name, Startrite shoes is now only a distribution warehouse, the shoes are made abroad, but there are a lot of factories still in operation in Norwich, just not under recognisale brand names, many of whom make components for the bigger brands.

So.........the general picture seems to be that any large factories that are still in existance are food production of some sort .

Most , if not all of out textiles ( clothing / shoes etc ) industry has been taken over seas.............a few little places remain making componants for electrical stuff .

What about the paint and chemical factories ? or is that all bought in from elsewhere as well ?

Do we not produce anything here anymore ?