| Ray Tyers |
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When I abandoned education for commerce my first employ was as a management traineee with the Manson gorup who then owned JohnGodfrey and co timber-previously Miles woodyard.. When they took over new premises in station road - opposite the george tap ECP? I took some photograph of the new premises. I remember David Blades working for the company at the time and his aunt was a cleaner/warden at St Martins church so we were able to secure the key to the tower and took the attached pictures giving some aerial views of that part of stamford. Hopefully Kate will reproduce here. Apologies for the quality but they are scanned from negatives I just found when clearing out some of my late fathers effect.
Hi Ray. Thanks v. much for the photos - I will add in few days as I am having few problems with uploading to website at moment. Thanks again. K
To go to all these photos on FLIKR double click on one of the photos below, then click on the "thumbnail" photos bottom right of the large photo. You should then be able to view all the photos.
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| Roger Partridge |
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The former garage in Station Road which Godfreys moved into was Alexanders. Previously, for many years it had been Motors and Tractors, both firms were Ford agents.
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| Peter |
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I too remember David Blades working for Godfrey's when it was a proper woodyard and had planked tree trunks seasoning in the open air, that sawmill had a smell all of its own. I also remember Ron Alderman bringing a large piece of burr walnut to school with which he made the most gorgeous coffee table, one of the perks of being the son of a Godfrey's sawyer. Shame it's all gone now like a lot of old Stamford.
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| Tony Miles |
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How nice to see the posts regarding the old timber yard, and the comments made. I grew up with the business in my family (Godfreys and the Miles Timber yard on the station approach), so would look forward to seeing any photographs that anybody might have. I still live in Stamford and every time I drive along Station Road the memories come flooding back.
John Godfrey was never Miles & Co they were two separate businesses run by my family and Godfrey's kept the original site plus the Motors and Tractors site as an expansion of that side of the business (An early DIY type premises). Miles wood yard dealt in raw English timber and J Godfrey dealt in both English sawn and foreign timbers.
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| Roger Partridge |
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Tony, I suppose you are far too young to remember either Phil Hibbins or Jack Wicksteed who successively worked at Charles Miles in the 1950s.
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| Ray Tyers |
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Kate I am pleased you have sorted the pictures, If anyone wants a hard copy of the whole they are welcome to email me.
John Godfrey and co were of course purchased by the Manson timber group who were at the time the largest privately owned timber company in the Uk, Whilst they kept the John Godfrey and co Name they dealt in European imported softwoods and some kiln dried hardwoods,, Home grown timbers were sourced from local supliers such as , rose and sons at Luffenham. At the time 1978 most of the timber for the construction of property to the new milton keynes and welwyn garden city was processed and delivered out of the Stamford yard.
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| Tony Miles |
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Hi Roger, no unfortunately those names do not ring any bells. As you suggest I was only very young, but did go to the timber yard on a regular bases with my father Peter. Do you remember what work the did in the yard i.e. machinists etc.
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| Roger Partridge |
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Hi Tony, I think they were both what was called "saw doctors".
Charles Miles owned the house next to ours in Reform Street. Phil Hibbins lived there until about 1958 when he took a job with a sawmill near Northampton. Jack Wicksteed succeeded him, but was only there about 2 years. The house was then sold to L G Nalson the butcher in Maiden Lane.
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| D. Walton |
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Hi, just found this blog and note the reference to the Miles yard. This is of interest as my family, on mothers side, grew out of the Miles family in the early part of the 20th century. My mum was born as E. A. Butcher to A. Butcher nee Miles. Any info on this period would be most appreciated.
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| Betty Haddon |
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Living near Miles Woodyard when I was small,I remember the sounds and smells as we used to watch from the path up the side of the station. We loved to watch the heavy horses working and often saw them pulling huge tree trunks down the road, I recall seeing 'chicken coops' which looked like little houses and stacks of timber. Mum saw a German plane come over during the war,he was in trouble and coming down shooting at people ( he narrowly missed her and Tom Bell as they watched!) but he shot at the horses in Miles's yard, I don't know if this would have featured in the Mercury as events were 'hushed up', it upset Mum that the pilot used up his ammunition on the working horses. Mr.Miles called our cat 'a great mouser' so I think it must have spent time in the yard too!
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