Worked with mum at County Knitwear
LOOKING THROUGH the Echo archives from 50 years ago we found the story of the managing director of County Knitwear in Shepshed who travelled 24,000 miles to sell his garments.
Michael J. Hallam jetted off to Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Toronto, Honolulu and Vancouver to sell the jumpers and cardigans made in the factory in Shepshed.
And now a former employee of the firm has been in touch with Looking Back who said he was with the company when it closed.
Vincent Gilliver, 67, of Shepshed said that he worked in the factory for a few years when he was 18, after his mum had got him a job there.
Vincent said that the factory in Kings Road, Shepshed used to make cardigans and jumpers that would be sold by companies like Marks and Spencers.
Vincent was a hand flat knitter when he worked at the factory and said that he would make the main body section of the jumper/cardigan using a needle machine, and others would also make the sleeves and other parts of the knitwear and then they would all be sewn together.
He said that to his knowledge, County Knitwear was started by Michael Hallam’s father Robert, and that Robert’s brother George was also the managing director of another knitwear firm in Shepshed - Brauns in Factory Street.
Vincent said: “It was always a really friendly atmosphere at the factory, and my mum - Bertha Gilliver - worked there for a lot longer than me.
“I remember that they always used to enter a float into the carnival every year, and they used to have great fun doing it.”
Vincent said that he could remember a few of the names from the firm including Joyce Matthews, and her daughter Christine, Dorothy Farmer and Edna Kendrick.
He said that Joyce was the wife of the Shepshed station master, and that he remembered Dorothy Farmer’s husband Ken Farmer was the man who started the knitwear firm Simbaware - that was also based in Shepshed.
He said that the factory used to have their Christmas parties at the Shepshed Labour Club.
Vincent also remembers that there were a number of other knitwear firms in Shepshed he said:
“It was a really thriving business for quite a long time.
“There was Simbaware in Charnwood Road, Brauns in Factory Street, Deacon and Smith that used to make socks, that was at the Leicester Road end of Sullington Road, their was Dea- cons and Son which was in Sullington Road next to Parema, then there was Gibbs that was knitwear as well and was also in Sullington Road and then there was the Wolsey which was the biggest and was the nationwide company that was in Anson Road.”
Do you remember any of the knitwear firms in Shepshed? Maybe you used to work for any of them? Or maybe you even have old photos of the firms?
If you know anything more about the knitwear business in Shepshed please contact Liam Coleman on 01509 635806 or email liam.coleman@trinitymirror.com