NINETY YEARS OF HARLOW
1920s Harlow Brothers was formed during the depths of the recession in the 1920s, when brothers Reg and Vernon – who had been making ladders and wheelbarrows in the back garden of the family home – decided to go into business on their own. The enterprise of making small sheds and chicken sheds began in a field, which had been left to them by their mother, in Hathern Road, Long Whatton, Leicestershire. The company’s headquarters still stand there today.
1930s As business prospered, the company grew to employ around 30 staff, mainly from the local village. Vernon Harlow’s knowledge of poultry enabled the business to expand and he set up an accredited poultry farm on The Green in Long Whatton, where poultry houses were designed and manufactured. This became the main part of the business, alongside greenhouses, sheds and garages. Developing their skills further, the brothers moved on to making prefabricated wooded bungalows, some of which – built 80 years ago – can still be seen in the village today on Turvey Lane.
1940s With the outbreak of World War Two, the enterprising Harlow brothers began to manufacture air raid shelters until supplies of sheet steel were exhausted, followed by ladders for the fire service – essential during the Blitz. With a lack of imported timber, a saw mill was built for English timber production. The company bought woodland, and began to convert timber for essential uses such as railway sleepers and pit props. As the manufacturing business resumed, Vernon Harlow’s sons, Bill, Bob and John, returned to the firm after active wartime service. At this time, the company was producing farm trailers but began to return to its original business of manufacturing poultry housing. Business was slow, however, because of the continuing restrictions on imported timber.
2000s The turn of the century brought investment into engineered timber products with the acquisition of a local truss rafter manufacturer, H&S Timber Systems. Further investment in new plant and machinery resulted in a doubling of output and a move to new, purpose-built premises in 2004 when the company was rebranded Harlow Timber Systems.
Today Still a family-owned operation, Harlow Bros employs five members of the family and more than 200 employees in its various operations across 10 sites. It prides itself on striving to provide a personal service to each and every customer.