Murray & Baldwin Ltd: Tennis Racquets Manufacturer
Claire Dimond Mills with help from Steve Kelley and Len Shewring January 2022
Claire Dimond Mills with help from Steve Kelley and Len Shewring January 2022
The Murray & Baldwin football team on the Lower Rec showing the steps up to Mill Lane Halt in the background (courtesy Len Shewring)
My very first article for Box People and Places was about tennis balls made at Price’s Factory and now I am turning my attention to tennis racquets made by the firm of Murray & Baldwin (Bath) Limited.[1] From 1935 until 1954, the buildings on the Market Place that are currently Dodd’s Engineering were owned by Murray & Baldwin, a wood working company who among other things made sports racquets. Like the tennis balls, I have always wondered who were Murray & Baldwin and why did they come to Box?
Mr Murray and Mr Baldwin
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My first problem in identifying the people was that I did not know their first names! Luckily, I found headed note paper at the Wiltshire and Swindon Archive which told me their initials were P J Murray and C Baldwin. A search for them on the 1939 Register produced the names Percival Jerrard Heath Murray and Chambre Baldwin.
Percival Murray was born on 14 December 1889 in Willesden, London. In 1901, Percival’s father was not living with them but family appear to have had money as they were living on own means. In 1912 he went first class to Melbourne and gave his occupation as farmer; perhaps he thought he would start a new life in Australia. But war broke out and in 1914 he signed up as a motorcycle dispatch rider in the Royal Engineers and very quickly became a commissioned officer. In 1922 he married Ellen Gramlick (born in Vienna) at St James’s Church, Trowbridge. By 1939 he was living at Springfield, Hilperton Road, Trowbridge with Ellen, her five sisters and their 16-year-old son John. On the 1939 Register, he gave his occupation as Managing Director of a woodworking company. |
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Chambre Baldwin was born 9 November 1884 in Bath to James and Adelaide. James, named as a gentleman, was born in Australia and the family lived in Green Park, London. Chambre joined the Gloucester’s Regiment in World War I serving in Sierre Leone and Nigeria. He was invalided out with malaria, arriving back in Britain in May 1918. Two years later he married Sophie Grace Skinner and they had a son John but Sophie died in 1930. I am not sure what Chambre was doing in the interwar period as I cannot find them on the 1921 census but by 1939 he was back living with his mother Adelaide at 21 Green Park. He gave his occupation as company director and government liaison work. Meanwhile his son John Baldwin was a distinguished RAF pilot winning the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Possibly Chambre started making tennis racquets because his father, James Baldwin, was a professional tennis player, winning many British tennis competitions including the mixed doubles at Wimbledon. James died in 1934 and a year later Murray & Baldwin started making tennis racquets in Box.[2] I am not sure how he knew Percival Murray, perhaps Murray had the woodworking knowledge and Baldwin the tennis connections. It is thought that Hazel Wightman, a professional tennis player from 1909 up until 1954, used Murray & Baldwin racquets.
Possibly Chambre started making tennis racquets because his father, James Baldwin, was a professional tennis player, winning many British tennis competitions including the mixed doubles at Wimbledon. James died in 1934 and a year later Murray & Baldwin started making tennis racquets in Box.[2] I am not sure how he knew Percival Murray, perhaps Murray had the woodworking knowledge and Baldwin the tennis connections. It is thought that Hazel Wightman, a professional tennis player from 1909 up until 1954, used Murray & Baldwin racquets.
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Examples of Murray & Baldwin racquets (courtesy Steve Kelley)
Murray & Baldwin bought the old brewery site in 1935 from a consortium of property owners based in Box led by Thomas Vezey. I am not sure why they bought the premises in the Market Place; it had been vacant for a while so may have been cheap, or perhaps the nearness to the tennis ball factory was considered helpful.
Manufacturing During World War II
I recently interviewed Len Shewring, now a venerable 92-year-old, who worked at Murray & Baldwin from 1943, aged 14 until it closed in 1954. Len’s mother Annie Greenland had been born in Box and was in service to the Vezeys before the family moved to South Wales to work in the coal mines. Annie met and married John Shewring there, but they moved back to Box in 1926 due to the coal strike. John joined the railways and their two sons Albert and Len were born in Millsplatt and the family moved to Mead View on the High Street before 1939.
Len remembered there was still some racquet work by the company during the war, mostly repairs carried out by Charlie Fields, but the majority of the workforce, including Len, were engaged in the war effort. The company made cannon boxes for mosquito planes, and reflector shields for protecting the rear gunner on Lancaster bombers out of plywood as well as making toolboxes for the admiralty. Len’s job was to paint them grey, used for the underside of many British planes. At this time Murray & Baldwin occupied other buildings in Box, including the ice cream factory on The Ley (where they made wooden crates for shipping parts) and they rented the old hangar building from Box Mill.
Manufacturing During World War II
I recently interviewed Len Shewring, now a venerable 92-year-old, who worked at Murray & Baldwin from 1943, aged 14 until it closed in 1954. Len’s mother Annie Greenland had been born in Box and was in service to the Vezeys before the family moved to South Wales to work in the coal mines. Annie met and married John Shewring there, but they moved back to Box in 1926 due to the coal strike. John joined the railways and their two sons Albert and Len were born in Millsplatt and the family moved to Mead View on the High Street before 1939.
Len remembered there was still some racquet work by the company during the war, mostly repairs carried out by Charlie Fields, but the majority of the workforce, including Len, were engaged in the war effort. The company made cannon boxes for mosquito planes, and reflector shields for protecting the rear gunner on Lancaster bombers out of plywood as well as making toolboxes for the admiralty. Len’s job was to paint them grey, used for the underside of many British planes. At this time Murray & Baldwin occupied other buildings in Box, including the ice cream factory on The Ley (where they made wooden crates for shipping parts) and they rented the old hangar building from Box Mill.
Above: The office staff. Lady in middle Betty Young, Len thinks Mr Murray is standing on the right and one of the men might be Mr Bliss.
Below: More of the workforce with Jack Hunt, foreman, seen in the centre with his dog.
(Both photos 1943-44 in the main brewery yard courtesy Len Shewring)
Below: More of the workforce with Jack Hunt, foreman, seen in the centre with his dog.
(Both photos 1943-44 in the main brewery yard courtesy Len Shewring)
Post-war Activities
In addition to the old brewery buildings, Murray & Baldwin had buildings on the opposite side of the Market Place (now the car park), which they called Factory Yard no.2 or the Lycetts. This plan shows the buildings in 1946. The only one still standing is the Jubilee Centre on the end. I love the engraving of the middle building with its big door. Len remembers the assembly and shaping of the tennis racquets being done in this building.
In addition to the old brewery buildings, Murray & Baldwin had buildings on the opposite side of the Market Place (now the car park), which they called Factory Yard no.2 or the Lycetts. This plan shows the buildings in 1946. The only one still standing is the Jubilee Centre on the end. I love the engraving of the middle building with its big door. Len remembers the assembly and shaping of the tennis racquets being done in this building.
Proposal for factory extension in the Market Place (courtesy Wilys History Centre)
After the War, there was an expansion in the tennis racquet trade as the world sought to get back to pre-war pleasures and a more normal life.
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Letters and plans about this in the Wiltshire Archives explain the sudden upsurge. This letter, dated 5 March 1946 to the Calne and Chippenham Rural District Council, explained that the firm was inundated with orders especially from their overseas agents and needed larger factory premises to double the output.
They planned to increase the size of the buildings in the Market Place by building an extension on the site and requested permission from the council to do this quickly. They also wanted to build new lavatories because Len remembered that they used to use the stream that flows behind the Jubilee centre! This plan shows what they proposed to do. But it never happened and Len was able to explain exactly why! |
The Decline of Racquet Manufacturing
Len Shewring left Murray & Baldwin and started work painting and decorating for Victor Milsom, before joining the Royal Navy in 1947 to do his National Service. When he returned in 1949, Victor Milsom did not need him, so he rejoined Murray & Baldwin. But, by this time, the process of making tennis racquets was changing. In the 1930s, the company had used a hot-melt Croid Glue which involved heating and mixing.[3] But this tended to explode if too hot, so the company changed to a cold glue. Whilst this was safer, it made the racquet frames very hard and more likely to break. They lost a lot of trade and probably led to the firm applying for a £5,000 mortgage in 1948.
Len Shewring left Murray & Baldwin and started work painting and decorating for Victor Milsom, before joining the Royal Navy in 1947 to do his National Service. When he returned in 1949, Victor Milsom did not need him, so he rejoined Murray & Baldwin. But, by this time, the process of making tennis racquets was changing. In the 1930s, the company had used a hot-melt Croid Glue which involved heating and mixing.[3] But this tended to explode if too hot, so the company changed to a cold glue. Whilst this was safer, it made the racquet frames very hard and more likely to break. They lost a lot of trade and probably led to the firm applying for a £5,000 mortgage in 1948.
Plans of proposed factory extension (courtesy Wiltshire History Centre)
By 1949 most of the work was contract work for Bath cabinet makers making TV console cabinets, knee-hole desks and tables. Len’s job was sand papering! Len has very fond memories of working at Murray & Baldwin, the firm had a badminton team who played in the Bingham Hall. The team consisted of Fred Tatchell, Fred Davis and Charlie Fields (who could drill the holes in the racquets freehand, no need for the machine). Fred Tatchell was the racquet stringer and still continued to re-string racquets for people up until his death in 1980.
Some of the tools used by Fred Tatchell at Murray & Baldwin (courtesy Steve Kelley)
One day in 1954 all the staff were called into the office and told they had been made redundant. The business of Murray & Baldwin was over. Len Shewring moved to Vickers-Armstrong in Trowbridge, which had made Spitfire planes in World War II. His parents continued to live on Bargates. Percival Murray died in Trowbridge in 1967. Chambre Baldwin married for a third time to Mabel Gore in 1959 in Nottingham, after the death of his second wife Iris Geal who he had married in 1942. Chambre died in Nottingham on 10 May 1969.
Claire Dimond Mills is an experienced genealogist and researcher and a long-term Box resident known to many people in the village for her work for children and other charities. We are very grateful to her for providing this wonderful article to the website. You can see more about her and her work at Claire Dimond Mills. Genealogist
References
[1] My thanks go to Steve Kelley who shared his knowledge of the company, its racquet tools and equipment and introduced me to Len Shewring.
[2] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Saturday 21 July 1934
[3] See Croid's Glue Factory, Winthorpe Road, Newark on Trent, 1948 | Inspire (inspirepicturearchive.org.uk)
[1] My thanks go to Steve Kelley who shared his knowledge of the company, its racquet tools and equipment and introduced me to Len Shewring.
[2] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Saturday 21 July 1934
[3] See Croid's Glue Factory, Winthorpe Road, Newark on Trent, 1948 | Inspire (inspirepicturearchive.org.uk)