Pics of Abandoned Parker-Hale Factory

[Mk VII]

AJP was a microcosm example of the British manufacturing industry in the West Midlands that kept on pushing the same old products, year in year out, and wondering why nobody was buying them any more. I went there once in Ma's day; it was like travelling back in time to the 1950s, nothing had changed (except the prices).

[Simon]

Ahhh yes, but who here remembers the delightful aroma and the dog with cardboard ears?

[Beerhunter]

I also seem to recall an article someplace that blamed the decline of AJ Parker on the pistol ban of 1997. This article indicates that the target rifle shooting fraternity was simply not large enough to support these firms without the pistol smithing side of things. Apparently that really reduced the volume of business for the smaller gunsmith firms and pretty much put most of the general gunsmiths in business out of business. I recall the article because it seemed to indicate that there had been a lot more pistol shooting in the UK then most Americans were aware of.

That was the case with a lot of UK firearms businesses, for example Mountain and Sowden, but not AJ Parker. The latter company was very rifle oriented and simply miss managed.

Parker hale and AJ Parker were very different companies and went under for different reasons.

The final decline of Paker-Hale was when Bremmer Arms reversed into it after many years of the former being asset stripped (and miss managed.) Of course, unlike AJ Parker, Parker-Hale still exists as a brand (of John Rothery in Hampshire).

[muffett.2008]

Thanks Beerhunter, it always frustrates me when they link the two, but I like my forehead the way it is, so say nothing.
Young Alfred had a dislike for the Hales that his sister could never heal, I don't blame him either.
It is a pity his daughter ran the company down, but times change, at least now all his stuff is collectable and gaining in price every day.

[Mk VII]

Ah, yes, Bremmer Arms. The fellow who bought P-H had a lot of ***** ideas about what it should be doing (such as reproducing 03A3 Springfields) and it was 'his way or the highway'. Consequently many key personnel took the highway, and not surprisingly the company folded soon afterwards.

[AlanD]

I used to call into the shop on my annual trip to the UK, most times I wouldn't buy anything but have a good chat to the bloke who served me. He would then nip upstairs and retrieve an old AJP catalog or bottle of 'Dead Black' or something for my collection as a gift. Nice people that's for sure.

It did get a bit Dickensian but photos I have seen of the old Sterling factory looked a bit grim as well.

Regards

AlanD
Sydney

[smith3006]

I used to call into the shop on my annual trip to the UK, most times I wouldn't buy anything but have a good chat to the bloke who served me. He would then nip upstairs and retrieve an old AJP catalog or bottle of 'Dead Black' or something for my collection as a gift. Nice people that's for sure.

It did get a bit Dickensian but photos I have seen of the old Sterling factory looked a bit grim as well.

Didn't know about the Sterling factory. Do you or anyone have photos or a link.

[Peter Laidler]

I searched for photos of the inside of the Sterling factory while writing the book but David Howroyd told me that for security reasons, interior photography - under orders from the UK MoD - was not permitted. There were phoitos taken of course but these were always under supervision of minders and even then had to be passed by the censors so to speak. Don't forget that this was in the days before small camera phones so it's unlikely that members of staff would have been able to sneak a camera-phone in

[bigduke6]

I searched for photos of the inside of the Sterling factory while writing the book but David Howroyd told me that for security reasons

There maybe a few in this,


THE STERLING REDEMPTION: Twenty Five Years To Clear My Name: James Edmiston, Lawrence Kormornick: 9781781590270: Amazon.com: Books

[Beerhunter]

Ah, yes, Bremmer Arms. The fellow who bought P-H had a lot of ***** ideas about what it should be doing (such as reproducing 03A3 Springfields) and it was 'his way or the highway'. Consequently many key personnel took the highway, and not surprisingly the company folded soon afterwards.

I never understood why the 1903A3s either. They were sodding expensive, as the the .22RF M16 lookalikes - the Bremmar SAR15. However, those of us with Bremmar guns like the SAR-15 now have very collectable rifles, there being very few made due to being so expensive, when the company was extant.