Builders Thomas Barker and Sons

Following on from last week’s post about the family of Thomas Barker, this time we’ll have a look at some history of the building firm he was part of. Thomas was the son of bricklayer, Joseph, and Thomas himself started work as a bricklayer. By 1871 however, he is recorded on the census returns as a builder, but I have been unable to discover when exactly he started his company, except that by 1881 he was employing 17 people so sometime after 1861. Let’s have a look at some detail around the company.

A selection of companies from 1887

A Selection of Contracts won and lost (not a comprehensive list!)      

Although the Barkers tendered to complete the irrigation works on the Loughborough sewerage farm in 1913, they lost out to Moss. They also lost out to Hammonds for the erection of buildings required in connection with the extension of the Electricity Undertaking.

From 1913-1915, Barkers were advertising their fireplaces, and that they were agents for the Stonestill cleaning processes for cleaning and renovating brick and stone exteriors.

In 1915, Barkers were repairing a property occupied by Mr Antil in Bedford Square Loughborough.

Barkers were successful in being awarded the contract to build houses at Rotherham in 1926, being 50 houses at Ravenfield, at a cost of £23,420 and 54 at Brampton Bierlow, costing £23,424.

A report in the 'Nottingham Journal' in August 1926 reported on the house building that was currently happening in Loughborough. The only such housebuilding scheme at that time was the building of 42 houses on Derby Road by Barkers.

Later that same year, Barkers won the tender to build a pressure filter house and mains apparatus at Blackbrook Reservoir. Their competitors were William Moss, and the Hodsons, and their success was probably down to quoting the lowest cost.

Barkers were undertaking the building of 38 parlour-type houses (having two rooms downstairs), at a cost of £18,050, and 104 non-parlour-type houses (those with only one room downstairs) costing £39,520, on the Whitehall Estate in Ramsgate in 1927. These houses were the last of the Corporation’s house-building scheme. There was some discussion as to why a firm from Loughborough, and not a local firm from Ramsgate were given the work, and there was some worry that Barkers might bring their own workers with them. However, it was likely they might take their regular foremen, but it would cost them too much to temporarily house workers from Loughborough, so there would definitely be jobs for the locals of Ramsgate.

In 1928 Barkers were given the contract to build 134 Admiralty houses in St Budeaux, Plymouth. The firm appear to have upset the local workers a little by taking some of their own workers from Loughborough with them to Plymouth, and also there was some concern about the rates of pay. Some Union officials had agreed a rate, but others argued that the rate of pay for certain tradespeople should be higher, like joiners, pipe layers, and pipe joiners. There were about 150 people involved in the work altogether. 

In April 1928, representatives from Barkers were present at the opening ceremony of the new garage for petrol buses at Rotherham. It’s not clear if Barkers were actually involved in the building of the garage, but it is quite possible. The garage adjoined the Corporation tram depot on Rawmarsh Road, Rotherham, and had cost £9,000 to construct, with an extra £1,000 for the construction of a concrete bridge.

Closer to home, in 1932, Barkers were unsuccessful in their tender to build a quarter of a million-gallon capacity reservoir at Blackbrook. Their tender was the 11th lowest at £4,960, compared to that of another local building firm, William Moss 6th lowest at £4,400. The contract was granted to a firm from Hugglescote.

Barkers were among the eight firms who tendered to erect 26 non-parlour houses on Welland Road in Market Harborough, and were successful in 1933. The 26 houses cost £6,683, the sewage and surface water drainage, fencing and water services cost £356 10s., 13 pairs of tool houses (I presume this means sheds attached to the actual houses) cost £155 5s. bringing the total cost to £7,195 10s..

Late in 1933, Barkers tendered to build 20 houses on Meadow Lane to house people affected by the ‘slum clearances’, at a cost of £6,573, but were unsuccessful. 

In 1934, Barkers were involved in the building of an office block for Genatosan, which was adjacent to the corner of Derby Road and Broad Street. The foreman at the time was Mr Fred Wootton, and one of the apprentices, aged 14 at the time was Ernest Spicer. Barkers were responsible for another Genatosan building in 1938, built on Derby Road.

At the end of 1934, the tender of Thomas Barker and Sons, Loughborough, was accepted for the erection of 14 houses at Asfordby at a cost of £4,046, and for road and sewer work in connection with the scheme at £430. [I’m wondering if these might be the houses off the main street, on Jubilee Avenue - see photos below - given that if they were actually built in 1935, this year was the silver jubilee of King George V].

The contract to build 40 houses at Market Harborough in 1934, on a road called Walcot Road was awarded to Barkers, and the cost was £13,714

Barkers tender for the contract to build a new fire station at Melton Mowbray in 1936 was not successful. The fire station was built on Nottingham Road, and was demolished in 2012, and replaced with a new building.

Melton fire station, demolished in 2012 and replaced by a new one on the same site

Barkers appear to have lost a mare in 1938, as they advertised in the Leicester Evening Mail that a bay mare of 15 hands, with 3 white legs was missing from a field on Burton Road, Ashby.

In December 1962, builders Thomas Barker and Son won the tender to construct a cafeteria, bus crews room, shelters, public conveniences, and parcels office at Loughborough’s proposed central bus station. There were 8 tenders altogether, and as part of the acceptance, the work was to be completed within 32 weeks. I assume this is the bus station that was on Biggin Street, before being demolished for The Rushes shopping complex.       

Legal-ly Things

1913 fined for not adequately marking out a sewer hole in Woodhouse while they were doing some work on a house called The Oatts in Woodhouse. The magistrate fined them 20s., including costs.

In January 1915, some lead piping valued at 4s. was stolen from the back of Mr Antil’s property on Bedford Square which Barkers were in the process of repairing.

The Workers

In 1928 a 67-year-old man who worked for Barkers in Loughborough was cycling to his home in Hathern, and had almost reached it, when he was in a collision with a car. Sadly, he died two days later.

In 1954 a 15-year-old boy became an apprentice bricklayer with Barkers, at a time when it was not compulsory to stay on at school until the age of 18. From 1959 until 1963 he, his wife, and his young daughter lived in a flat which was part of the building firm’s offices on Swan Street.

A building contractor will always be on the lookout for workers! Here are a few examples of the adverts placed in the newspapers by Barkers!

In 1912 the company were looking for someone to work in the office – a smart boy was required, and one just leaving school was preferred!

In 1915 the builder’s office required a junior assistant immediately!

In 1916 the company were looking to employ good bricklayers and labourers immediately to work on an extension of a large works – I wonder where that was?!

In 1929, “good bricklayers” had become “practical bricklayers” and “capable bricklayers”, but again, they were needed immediately!

By 1931, the standard of bricklayer needed was now “good”!

In 1950, bricklayers and labourers were invited to apply at the works site on Southfields Park, and also at the site of the Co-operative Society’s New Stores at Barrow-on-Soar.

In 1960 Barkers advertised for carpenters and joiners, and promised them good prospects.

It would appear that by 1967 the company had folded, and the builders plant machinery and stock in trade was up for auction on 6 July 1967 at Armstrong’s on Devonshire Square. This was possibly as Thomas Barker had died in 1952 and his wife, Sarah Ann in 1966.

The Social-ly Things

The company created a Welfare Club and held an annual dinner, starting in 1927. The third of the annual dinners took place at the Great Central Hotel. The workmen had contributed to a penny-in-the-pound scheme, which meant that at the dinner, they presented a cheque for £60 towards the Loughborough Hospital extension. The ninth annual dinner took place in the Bulls Head, Shelthorpe in 1935.

Miscellaneous Things

In June 1951, a voluntary works and buildings emergency organisation was being formed. The purpose was that during times of war, the organisation could arrange building and civil engineering contractors to deal with demolition, debris clearance, and repairs following damage. This was, I believe, a national initiative, and one of the leaders in the Leicestershire area was Mr Frederick Barker, of Thomas Barker and Sons, Swan Street Loughborough.

And here we must leave the story of Barkers the builders. I hope you have enjoyed this series of posts.

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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