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VULCANITE WORKS POTTERY ROAD

33 Comments

Vulcanite Works Pottery Road.
Vulcanite Works Pottery Road.
Photo: Duncan
Views: 6,996
Item #: 19397
This photo was taken in April 1990 when the old works was being dismantled though it closed some time before that date.

Comment by: Margaret on 31st December 2011 at 23:38

Worked there for 12 years. All the girls in the office were terrified of Mr Shaw.

Comment by: Barry Prior on 1st January 2012 at 04:11

Margaret is your second name REDROBE and did walt danells work there

Comment by: dave b on 1st January 2012 at 13:01

Walts son worked there as well but i cant remember his name

Comment by: Barry Prior on 1st January 2012 at 16:28

Graham was is name he lived in Endfeild st i remeber him i lived round the corner.

Comment by: dave b on 2nd January 2012 at 09:10

thanks barry it would have drove me made trying to remeber his name

Comment by: Albert on 2nd January 2012 at 12:27

I do believe my late brother in law, John Ashcroft, worked here, in the late 50s. Was this works, further down towards Seven Star Bridge,from the bus depot.?

Comment by: Duncan on 2nd January 2012 at 15:03

That's right Albert, right on the junction of Pottery Road with Wallgate across from the ambulance station. The site was empty for many years then a plumbing company opened there about 2 years ago.

Comment by: Dave Thomas on 3rd January 2012 at 09:34

Walter Daniels was factory manager Graham Daniels his son was an apprentice plumber we both served our apprenticeship at D H and N Tyldesley in Greenhough street Graham did leave and work at vulcanite and then later we both ended up as maintenance plumbers for H J Heinz until retirement.

Comment by: Dave Thomas on 3rd January 2012 at 09:44

Walter Daniels was factory manager Graham Daniels his son was an apprentice plumber we both served our apprenticeship at D H and N Tyldesley in Greenhough street Graham did leave and work at vulcanite and then later we both ended up as maintenance plumbers for H J Heinz until retirement.

Comment by: Margaret on 8th February 2012 at 13:40

Hello Barry. I started work at Vulcanite from 17 till I left to have my first child. Margaret Lyon (Redrobe) trained me and we became good friends. Margaret went to live in Hereford but returned to Wigan some years ago. We have remained friends. Mr Shaw ran a very tight ship and I believe went to live near his daughter in Australia. Walter Daniels was the Works Manager and a very nice man (I think it was Frank) was his assistant. Mr Stevenson was the Transport Manager and Mr Rutter the Office Manager. Note we called them Mister in those days.

Comment by: Malcolm Pilkington on 28th May 2012 at 03:23

My Dad, Eric Pilkington worked there for many years and loved it. He was very sad when it closed down. Fond memories of walking from my home in Barnsley Street to Vulcanite on a Saturday to meet my Dad at work so I could wlak home with him. I always remember the vending machine because it had the best chicken soup.

Comment by: Tina Ratcliffe on 18th June 2013 at 23:52

My Dad worked in the Transport office here for many years we used to laugh as he sent people all over the country but couldnt drive, Jim Balfour, also my uncle Arthur was a wagon driver

Comment by: B. Roscoe on 4th September 2013 at 16:16

Used to work for the roofing section vulcanite, later went to V.C.L.Contacts. Always remember vulcs big yellow wagons delivering felt on jobs, all handballed off, no stacker trucks them days, hard work.

Comment by: angela lowe on 11th October 2014 at 16:43

I`m the granddaughter of Walt Daniels and daughter of Graham. When i visited grandad vulcanite i remember the smell ! and even i was scared of Mr Shaw !!

Comment by: Keith Hayton on 11th January 2016 at 17:58

I worked at Vulcanite from 1985 and remember a few people.
Margaret Lyon (sister of Geoff who played for Wigan) Ron Forshaw in Engineers with Ellis ?, Joyce Sankey in the office,
George Atherton was a driver, Jack / in despatch who I worked with, and many others

Comment by: Graham Wilson on 29th January 2016 at 06:55

Hi Keith, I am trying to find the surname of the engineering foreman from the late 70's early 80's his name was John he would have been in his early 30's

Comment by: ronnie forshaw on 20th July 2016 at 19:14

my name is Ronnie Forshaw i worked at vulcanite from 1957 to 1964.

Comment by: Colin stewart on 12th January 2017 at 23:08

Ronnie do you rember me I got you job in fitters shop did you go Redlands tiles I worked there from 1964 to 1968 then went heinz

Comment by: John Belshaw on 2nd April 2018 at 13:54

My wife's father Derek Hines worked there and sadly lost his life after an accident back in 1963.

Comment by: Tony hughes on 2nd August 2018 at 12:07

I worked for the roofing side from 72 till 89 then I went in the factory till it closed in 89 my dad is frank hughes who was works manager,he's still going strong at 86,

Comment by: Colin stewart on 4th November 2018 at 21:28

I worked with your dad and is brother Jerry for four years I think you dad was a Forman then it was from 64 to 68

Comment by: anthony forshaw on 11th September 2019 at 18:01

colin stewart did you have a motor bike when I had a scooter

Comment by: Colin stewart on 13th October 2019 at 22:15

Yes I had a triumph I can’t place you did work at vulcanite

Comment by: Don Caulfield on 5th March 2020 at 21:07

My first job from school was at Vulcanite starting as I remember on the 21st September 1970 in the office as a junior clerk having been given the job by Mr John Shaw and Mr Cyril Rutter. i was taken on initially doing the factory productions then progressed into the contracts department as a trainee estimator working under Harold Leigh from Alexandra Crescent in Newtown who always smoked a pipe. I have very fond memories of the Trident Works and the people who worked there such as Frank and Jerry Hughes, Walt and Graham Daniels,Gordon Postlethwaite and all the girls who worked in the office. It was in 1976 I think the company was taken over by Ruberoid and the contracts department where I was at the time was split from production and moved to offices in Bridgeman Terrace. It was sadtoleave but such is life.

Comment by: Dave Smith on 26th November 2020 at 12:24

Don Caulfield..... THE Don Caulfield :).
Remember me ??
I was there when they moved to Wakefield...... I went with them.
It was a great company until all the takeovers.
You eventually started your own roofing company with Steve ?? a BIG pleasant guy who was also a decent snooker player.
If I have the right person and you want to contact me feel free.

Comment by: Dave Dowell on 11th April 2021 at 15:24

I was MD of Bracknell Roofing and we were a large purchaser of your roofing felt. Excellent company, superb service and great staff. Peter and Don Musto were our contacts, charming guys. Big thrill was winning the golf tourney at Royal County Down as best overseas entrant. Was height of troubles and I was only player willing to venture to N. I. Great host there was Peter Brady. Happy days????

Comment by: David Smith on 24th April 2021 at 17:23

Peter Holland.....nice guy. He was my boss and helped me a lot.
Don Musto... a real gent.
Peter Brady, I also recall.
I was in sales ( bitumen boilers n rubbish chutes etc) so worked north and south Ireland.

Comment by: Robert Taylor on 9th May 2021 at 14:35

I used to be a service engineer looking after petrol pumps and one pump on my area was the one at Vulcanite. It was in its own little brick "hut" which kept it clean and dry and this made it a pleasure to work on as the whole unit was kept spotless. I only wish I could have bought it from them when they closed as it would have been a great talking point at the rear of the house.

Comment by: William on 26th December 2021 at 12:51

I have an interest in Mr John Shaw who was captured in the North African desert and was a POW in Italy before escaping. He was awarded the Military Medal.
What was his position in Vulcanite?

Comment by: Ronnie forshaw on 15th December 2022 at 11:40

to colin stawert, Anthony Ronnie Forshaw do you remember both of us coming of the scooter at carneige i was taking you up to rogersons.

Comment by: Brian Winstanley on 24th September 2023 at 10:41

I worked there from the late 70s till closure. Eric pilkington was 1 of the team leaders on the production line. We nicknamed him handbag because he always stood with his hand on his hip. Also another team leader was Frank tittensor (nickname titty ) loved working there happy days and great workmates.

Comment by: Sue Elstone on 18th October 2023 at 11:43

I worked in the office from 1982 to 1989ish until it closed down and relocated to Yorkshire. I was Susan Wilding then. I worked with Carol Linford, Debbie Robinson, Alison Barker nee Collier, Susan Aspey, Barbara and Marion Wilson, Dave Smith, Dennis Grainger, Tom Sharrocks, Gary Walsh and many more. Mr Musto, Mr Rutter and Mr Johnston were the managers. I remember Walter Daniels very well, always nice to me.

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