Last month this blog alerted its readers to the news that Fleetville's largest and most successful company would have been celebrating its centenary had it still been operating today. Unfortunately, the Ballito Hosiery Mill had been taken over by Courthauld in 1967 and was promptly closed. Courthauld clearly benefited commercially from taking on Ballito, and it is believed to still retain ownership of the latter's archive. But in this year of 2025 will it celebrate the centenary of one of its own successful component companies, whose brand it was keen to retain? We will see.
A pre WW1 photograph of Thomas Smith's Fleet Printing Works, later to be acquired by
Ballington Hosiery Mill (Ballito).
In 1925 Fleetville was still young. The former and equally successful Fleet colour printing works, had an equally large and vibrant work force, the majority of who lived locally and sometimes more than one per household. Its operational peak was 1913 and by the end of the First World War, not only had its ceased to exist, but the building was government-owned, overseeing a company it had been responsible for installing there; specialists in experimental submarine optical technology.
The fully utilised Ballito site post WW2.
So, by 1925 Fleetville had continued for the best part of a decade without a major employer, although of course this opened many opportunities for new entrepreneurial businesses many of which also thrived. When news spread of a new employer for the former Fleet Works it must have created quite a stir of excitement.
House building extended as far as Beaumont Avenue, but behind the main road development was still patchy. The width of Hatfield Road remained as it still is today on the approach to the Crown junction, and a footpath only existed on the north side, which was, after all, where all the shops had been created. Street lighting was poor by present day standards, and the Rats' Castle public house had yet to replace the former little shop and house on the corner of Sutton Road.
Ladies' silk stockings had been imported from the United States and were widely distributed and sold by Ballito's Kotzin brothers from their City of London headquarters. However, the retailing price of the product suddenly leaped as the government imposed an import tax on luxury goods, which at that time included silk stockings. The solution the brothers devised was a manufacturing base in the UK, in the form of the recently vacated telescope factory. A huge single storey building with a vast largely unimpeded open space with the exception of fire break walls.
An early improvement was the provision of meals for staff. Above and below: representative groups of employees in the early post-war period together with
a list (not shownhere) of those still serving in the Forces at the time.
 |
| A hosiery inspector, part of the quality control department. Above and below COURTESY ST ALBANS MUSEUMS from the book "Ballito: from Peace to War and War to Peace" |
As machines were acquired from various sources, and a manufacturing programme devised, experienced machine minders were brought over from the US to train local labour. Gradually, modest extensions were created for management staff moved from London, commercial and maintenance departments, and facilities for employees – welfare, meals and social halls and spaces. And eventually there was the inevitable need for additional machine room space to produce new ranges and satisfy demand. The final prewar improvement came in providing underground shelter space for staff who would be on duty whenever air raid sirens sounded.
Post-war product improvements included the use of nylon fabric, and supporting garment ranges, and the staff benefits provided by purchasing land near Smallford for a sports ground were widely supported.
Illustrations from a selection of Ballot's concessions in large stores around the country.
In a later post we show that nothing seems to last forever and other businesses took a keen interest in the Ballito approach to making and marketing.
No comments:
Post a Comment