Husband & Company..

[floppychops]

I used to work there - it was my first job after leaving college. I worked in the Print Room with Elaine. I loved it there. I've got a few photo's somewhere of one of the Christmas parties!! I left there in 1986. Love to hear from anyone who worked there during that time. I remember Gerry Kelly and probably many more, but my memory is blank at the moment!!

[Relative]

Husband & Co. Consulting Engineers & Architects was located @ 388 Glossop Rd, Sheffield, & owned by Sir Charles Husband & his two sons.

 

Husband & Co's more well known projects included the giant 250ft radio telescope @ Jodrell Bank, @ that time the biggest in the world. They also designed/constructed steerable aerials @ Goonhilly Downs, Cornwall, for the first satellite broadcasts from America, also the bridge with a mile of train track on either side (on site in Ceylon) for the film 'The Bridge On The River Kwai', also the Britannia Bridge connecting Anglesey to Wales, & football stands for both Sheffield United & Wednesday.

 

Sir Charles received the Queen's Gold Medal in 1965. In the same year his services to engineering were recognised with the awarding of the CBE. Ten years later he was made a Knight Bachelor.

 

Sir Charles died on October 6 1983, & his son Richard sadly died in more recent years.

 

Husband & Co was sold to Mott MacDonald. 388 Glossop Rd is now owned by Sheffield University, & was until recently signposted as the 'Husband Building'.

 

As a young child in the 70's I often visited 388 Glossop Rd on a Saturday morning, & enjoyed using the 2 electric scale model Jodrell Bank telescopes in the extension hall area. I also remember Jan the receptionist, John Littler, Mr Kington, and John Grey.

 

Sir Charles Husband was my Grandfather.

[Blackbeard]

If you are interested in Charles Husbands relationship with Bernard Lovell over the Mk1 telescope follow this web link to hear Lovell talk about his life.

http://www.webofstories.com/play/17840

At one time Husband was threatening to sue Lovell for a million pounds.

http://www.webofstories.com/play/17857 but listen to all to get the full story

Husbands were not the only Sheffield company involved with building the telescope, Dunford and Elliott built the control system for it.

[poppins]

I used to work there - it was my first job after leaving college. I worked in the Print Room with Elaine. I loved it there. I've got a few photo's somewhere of one of the Christmas parties!! I left there in 1986. Love to hear from anyone who worked there during that time. I remember Gerry Kelly and probably many more, but my memory is blank at the moment!!

 

I never worked there but me and my Mom lived on the top floor for a few years as she was the tea lady among other jobs there, doing lunches, washing those flights of stairs and cleaning the toilets, hard work, little pay

[Relative]

Thankyou to Blackbeard for the above web links, they made interesting listening.

 

Referring to my reference of the Jodrell Bank electric scale models that I remember as a child @ 388 Glossop Rd, I came across the following blog a couple of years ago which may be of interest:

 

rigel.org.uk/blog/000159.shtml

[Owls6]

I worked there as an office junior from 1988 and eventually to a departmental secretary until 1992. Would love to speak to people from then?

[Jim Hardie]

Did anyone work at Husband & Company in the late 50/60s it was the Architects building top of West Street ? they were commissioned to build the bridge for The Bridge on the river Kwai film in 1957, my Mom was the tea lady there, cleaner, jack of all trades in the end, we had a flat on the top floor for a few years.

 

I worked there in the seventies Poppins with people that I think were there in the 50/60s namely Gordon Lonsdale, Peter Trickett, Tony Plant, John Littler & John Pike.

[poppins]

I worked there in the seventies Poppins with people that I think were there in the 50/60s namely Gordon Lonsdale, Peter Trickett, Tony Plant, John Littler & John Pike.

 

I didn't know anyones last name Jim but i do recall a Gordon and a Peter, one drove a samll sports car, he had blonde curly hair, rest of the staff I only knew by sight, I always felt they were so much better than me and my Mom ,with her being the cleaner and all.

[linelle707]

Hello, first time poster.

 

I'm a Californian, but from 1967-73, I was married to an Englishman and lived in Sheffield. I spent the first few years doing office work mostly through temp agencies, until I found a job from 1970-73 with Husband & Co. in their General Office. I loved it!

 

I worked for Ron Walker and mostly typed long reports and specifications (I still want to type U.S. "aluminum" as "aluminium"). We had great fun in the office, very silly. If we didn't actually have work on our desks, we could do whatever we want: read, knit, reenact the latest Monty Python episode. Only if people like Richard Husband or Mr. Kington appeared were we required to look busy.

 

Speaking of Mr. Kington, most of the other women in the General Office were afraid of him. He liked my work so I usually got assigned to him when his secretary wasn't around.

 

We had the best leaving do's, meeting at a local pub or dance place and rocking out.

 

Once a whole shipment of letterhead arrived with the address wrong: it said "383 Glossop Rd." It must have been the fault of Husband & Co., because for the next year or so, whenever anyone had spare time, we would sit and make the last 3 into an 8.

 

While I worked there, they were rebuilding Britannia Bridge. One Friday morning Mr. Walker asked me if I could go there for the weekend (the local clerical worker was away). So I got on a train and was put up at a very nice B&B with all the engineers. Turns out, there wasn't any work to do, so I just got to hang out and tour the site. Instead of going back to Sheffield on the train, I rode back with Richard H. in his new Jaguar.

 

During this time, Thomas H. (married) was seeing one of the secretaries. He was friendly...no kidding.

 

In the room adjacent to General Office were the tracers, doing all the wonderful plans and designs. It fascinated me.

 

We took turns making tea/coffee for the folks in our office. Occasionally someone would forget to take a teabag out of a cup. The unhappy surprises were called "dead mice."

 

In 1973 I left my then-husband and returned to the U.S. but I have really fond memories of working at Husbands.

 

Linelle Lane

[poppins]

Hello, first time poster.

 

I'm a Californian, but from 1967-73, I was married to an Englishman and lived in Sheffield. I spent the first few years doing office work mostly through temp agencies, until I found a job from 1970-73 with Husband & Co. in their General Office. I loved it!

 

I worked for Ron Walker and mostly typed long reports and specifications (I still want to type U.S. "aluminum" as "aluminium"). We had great fun in the office, very silly. If we didn't actually have work on our desks, we could do whatever we want: read, knit, reenact the latest Monty Python episode. Only if people like Richard Husband or Mr. Kington appeared were we required to look busy.

 

Speaking of Mr. Kington, most of the other women in the General Office were afraid of him. He liked my work so I usually got assigned to him when his secretary wasn't around.

 

We had the best leaving do's, meeting at a local pub or dance place and rocking out.

 

Once a whole shipment of letterhead arrived with the address wrong: it said "383 Glossop Rd." It must have been the fault of Husband & Co., because for the next year or so, whenever anyone had spare time, we would sit and make the last 3 into an 8.

 

While I worked there, they were rebuilding Britannia Bridge. One Friday morning Mr. Walker asked me if I could go there for the weekend (the local clerical worker was away). So I got on a train and was put up at a very nice B&B with all the engineers. Turns out, there wasn't any work to do, so I just got to hang out and tour the site. Instead of going back to Sheffield on the train, I rode back with Richard H. in his new Jaguar.

 

During this time, Thomas H. (married) was seeing one of the secretaries. He was friendly...no kidding.

 

In the room adjacent to General Office were the tracers, doing all the wonderful plans and designs. It fascinated me.

 

We took turns making tea/coffee for the folks in our office. Occasionally someone would forget to take a teabag out of a cup. The unhappy surprises were called "dead mice."

 

In 1973 I left my then-husband and returned to the U.S. but I have really fond memories of working at Husbands.

 

Linelle Lane

 

ALL these replys and no one remembers my Mom the tea lady, she was there for years, even lived in a flat on the top floor for a few years