David Hardill of Yate Heritage Centre writes on the history of the Station Road factory site that will close in December.
AS an article writer for the Voice for several years, I have covered the highs and lows of our historic industries.
The manufacturing base which was such a key part of life in Yate throughout the 20th century is shortly to receive a further blow.
For more than 107 years there has been a major engineering factory on Station Road drawing on both local people and those from the wider Bristol region.
Today, as you read this, the factory is on the brink of closure.
As a local historian, there is a tendency to hark back to the earlier years of the site where the aircraft industry prevailed. Many past articles and heritage centre exhibitions reflect this. Nevertheless, we also hope to do justice to the recent history of the firm in our forthcoming display, called End of an Era.
The current site is the most poignant reminder of how the industrial base of Yate has changed.
In the 1970s, the site had changed relatively little from the re-built works of the 1940s.
Hundreds of workers flooded into Station Road around 5pm each day.
Indeed, it was only in the early 1980s that the site began to assume a different feel, as many of the buildings along the railway line were demolished following the economic downturn.
The following years saw further ebbs and flows, and numerous name changes.
Workforce numbers steadily declined. Technological advances saw improvements in productivity and modern, efficient assembly, leading to record production figures.
Where once over 2,000 people were on the payroll in the 1950s and 1960s, around 250 were required by the late 2010s.
Conditions on the shop floor improved, with cleaner and safer environments.
Despite obvious contrasts between the earlier post-war period and now, traditional engineering remained the lifeblood of the factory.
Dave Bishop and Geoff Dando were both machine tool staff, using many of the same tools in the late 1990s as they did as young apprentices in the early 1950s.
Large, heavy industrial machines remained a feature of the press shop.
Tumble dryer assembly line, 2008. Picture: Yate Heritage Centre
Nevertheless, our story is chiefly that of the workforce and community.
Whether Parnall’s, Jackson’s (1967-1982) Creda (1983-1999) or more recent incarnations, the firm retains a hold over many people in the Yate area and beyond.
Generations of families all worked at the factory. Some Yate families are Parnall’s or Jackson’s families, through and through.
There is still more work and research needed to paint the full picture of the site, and we are currently working towards that goal.
Whether Parnall, Creda or Whirlpool, the factory has always been more cosmopolitan than the immediate population, and this demographic has, in turn, changed markedly over the years.
End of an Era is our Winter display for 2024-2025, and will run from November 28 until January 30.
If you are reading this and have further information on the Parnall or Whirlpool site, please do contact us at Yate Heritage Centre.
You can call us on 01454 862200 or e-mail info@yateheritage.co.uk.
Yate Heritage Centre is part of Yate Town Council.
Top picture: The Creda tool room in 1990. Photo courtesy of Dave Bishop