The Beginning

The company’s founder, Charles Richards, was born in Wednesbury in 1838. He was a younger son of Silas Richards, a coachsmith, born in 1803 and died in 1869. Charles served an apprenticeship with a local firm of nut and bolt makers and by the late 1860s was a stocktaker at Bayliss, Jones and Bayliss of Wolverhampton. Charles and his wife also kept a paper and stationers shop, selling books to local preachers, teachers, etc. In 1870 he joined forces with William Butler and started making nuts and bolts at Lion Works in Foster Street. They employed around 40 people, mainly in the production of carriage nuts and bolts, which were supplied to railway companies, and many of the leading manufacturers of horse-drawn vehicles. The factory workers had a long working day, starting at six o’clock in the morning, and ending at five or six o’clock in the evening, with a half hour break for breakfast and an hour for lunch. The firm soon gained a high reputation throughout the world for its superior products that were made from high quality Swedish iron.

After several years, William Butler left the company and in about 1883, Charles Richards went into partnership with Mr. W. Wynn. Due to a huge demand for the company’s products, Oak Works and Phoenix Works were purchased. The business employed around 250 people across the three sites.

Mr. Charles Richards, founder of the company.

The firm became known as Richards and Wynn and produced a much wider range of products, including bright and black engineer's bolts, coach bolts, nuts and set screws, collar screws, axle bolts, shoful, clarence and bed clips, boiler studs, shackle plates, "D" shackles, carriage bolts, deck bolts, handmade hot pressed nuts, bolt ends and rivets, and telegraph iron work.

By 1859 Charles had married Louisa Green (1836-1899), who also came from Wednesbury.

They lived at 45 Bull Street, Darlaston and had 7 sons and 3 daughters:

William, Silas, Charles, Arthur, Samuel, Ernest, Frederick, Alice, Bertha, and Louisa.

Their youngest daughter, Louisa, born in 1878 married Walter Wilkins in 1908, one of the founders of Wilkins and Mitchell. By 1870 the family were living in John Street, Ettingshall. Charles used to walk to the factory at Darlaston daily.

In about 1875 the family moved to Walsall Road, Darlaston and about three years later moved to Rose Cottage, Bull Street, Darlaston, which was a bigger house with a very large garden.

In the early 1880s, William Butler died and the Richards family purchased his house, "Hill View", Kings Hill, Wednesbury and moved there.

Their eldest son, William Henry, owned an iron foundry in what is now Richards Street. It occupied both sides of the road. William’s younger brother Ernest worked there for several years as a "general factotum", sweeping the office, weighing in quantities, keeping the time sheets and working out wages. He then became an apprentice midshipman with Cowie & Company, of Liverpool and later a journalist and author, before studying for the clergy as a Methodist Minister in New Jersey, USA. He finally became a minister with the United Reform Church of Scotland.

Charles’ youngest son Fred (George Frederick), born in 1875, died at an early age. He worked for the London & North Western Railway as a  carpenter and joiner. On Saturday 21st March, 1901, whilst working on the construction of a  parapet, he was struck by the 12.26 train from Princes End to Ocker Hill and was fatally injured.

Charles’ other four sons worked at his factory throughout their working lives. They were Silas, 1859 – 1906, Charlie (Charles Junior), 1860 – 1945, Arthur Samuel (known as Sam), 1862 – 1929 and Samuel, 1866 – 1902. Silas and Arthur were responsible for the management of the works, Charles looked after the commercial side, and Samuel looked after outside sales.

Between the 30th December 1899 and the 21st May 1907 Charles junior lost both parents and 4 of his 6 brothers.

An advert from 1884.

Mr. Wynn retired in about 1886 and the business became Charles Richards & Company. The business prospered and  soon outgrew the three factories. On 1st October, 1886, Charles Richards purchased Imperial Works in Heath Road for £1,625 under a conveyance dated 7th November, 1886. There was sufficient scrap metal there to equal the purchase price.

Imperial Works had been owned by the Darlaston Steel & Iron Company, which went into liquidation in 1882, during the depression in the iron trade. The factory, which included a railway siding was auctioned at Wednesbury Town Hall. The factory was initially called the Imperial Bolt and Nut Works, later abbreviated to Imperial Works.

The three original factories closed, although in 1904 the newly formed Wilkins and Mitchell rented Phoenix Works for a time.

Imperial Works covered three acres and included stock and packing warehouses occupying a space of 150ft. by 40ft., an Oliver shop 200ft. long, and a large machine shop for making blanks. The factory also included an extensive blank warehouse, a screwing shop 140ft. by 80ft., blacksmith's shops, and forges etc. On the 22nd August, 1901, Charles Richards' sons, Charles junior, Silas, Arthur and Samuel became partners in the business, which then became Charles Richards & Sons.

The land alongside the site, known as The Flatts Estate, an area of approximately 30 acres, full of old coal mines and spoil heaps was also acquired with future expansion in mind. At a much later date part of the land was given to Darlaston Council, and Richards Street was built there.

Early Production

An Oliver in operation.

The Oliver had been invented in the middle ages, and adapted for bolt and nut making in the early nineteenth century. It revolutionised the manufacturing process, reducing production costs, and greatly increasing the output.

The men who operated the Olivers had to blow their own coke fires when heating the metal. They often brought their children along to do this work for them. The Oliver operators tended to suffer from ruptures caused by operating the treadles and standing on one leg for long periods of time. The working day was at least nine hours long.

Due to the great demand for the company’s products, new types of machines were installed, including open and closed die, and vertical heading machines for making bolts, and hot nut forging machines.

The new machines didn't completely supersede the Olivers, which continued in use for many years.

A close-up view of an Oliver.

A final view of an Oliver.

The hot nut forging machines easily handled 2½ inch diameter nuts which measured nearly four inches across the flats. They were forged from rectangular bars measuring just over 3½ inches wide by 2⅜ inches high, and weighing around 2 cwt.

Each ton of nuts produced, was made from 35 cwt. of bars.

An advert from 1909.

The early years of the twentieth century were a sad time for the Richards family. Samuel died in 1902, whilst still in his mid thirties, followed in 1905 by Charles senior, the founder of the company, who died at the age of 67. In 1906, Silas passed away at the early age of 47.

The business was then run by the two surviving brothers, Charles and Arthur. Charles looked after sales, whilst Arthur managed production.

They worked long hours. At the end of the working day Charles would take home all of the day’s correspondence and enquiries, and without any reference to price lists, make out quotations and reply to letters.

Mr. Charles Richards junior.

He sat up until the early hours of the morning to ensure that everything was done. He was assisted by one of his sisters who addressed envelopes and stuck stamps on them so they could be posted next morning.

Around this time two sons of Charles Richards junior joined the company. They were Harry Richards who started work in 1904 and took an active part in the production side of the business, and Mr. Charles W. Richards.

Machine technology continued to improve, and new machines were acquired to increase production, including cold heading machines, and automatic screwing and pointing machines, which carried out the operation in just two cycles.

Another machine, called the “Boltmaker” produced a finished bolt from a coil of wire which was automatically fed into the machine. Previously three separate machines had been used for this operation. Nut forming machines were also installed, which made nuts from a round bar without applying heat.

The new machines ensured that the products were made to a high standard, at an economic price. They were essential to keep the manufacturing process profitable because at the time the cost of raw materials greatly increased, and higher wages were expected.

The new machines also allowed the company to produce the vast quantities of nuts and bolts that were ordered by the growing number of vehicle manufacturers.

The careful heat treating of machine tools greatly extended their life, and alloy steels were used instead of carbon tool steel.

A section of the Bright and Automatic Shop showing multi-spindle automatic machines.

An advert from 1922.

In 1926 the company went into liquidation and was purchased by Charles Richards. The whole operation and plant was moved to a new building erected on the Flatts Estate, in Richards Street, which still retained The Midland Bolt, Nut & Rivet Company Limited name.

Another section called the New Imperial Works, also in Richards Street, was added for the screwing of bolts and the tapping of nuts, repetition parts, and special turned bolts made from hot or cold forgings. All of the existing plant for the production of bright nuts and bolts was moved there from Imperial Works.

Charles Richards and Sons also made advances in screwing equipment. A section was set aside for the manufacture of die heads, ground thread taps and dies, and thread rolling dies.

The ground thread taps and dies were essential to ensure great accuracy in the screw threads. All gauges were hardened and ground to guarantee close tolerances and uniformity.

The material used in the Bright Department was drawn in the Bight Drawn Steel Section, started in 1911. Thousands of tons of black bars, of free cutting quality were purchased from America for the raw material because at that time they were not made in this country.

Extensions were made to Imperial Works after the company purchased an adjoining factory in 1935, containing a rolling mill for the production of wrought iron. The factory was used to extend the Screwing Shop, and to provide a site for a new Black Warehouse, and Steel Stockyard. Work on the new extension was completed in 1938.

Mr. Charles Richards junior.

In 1945 Charles Richards junior died, leaving his son Charles W. Richards in charge, aided by his nephews Harry Richards and Philip Richards. Sadly Philip died just two years later.

Charles W. Richards, the new Managing Director continued in his father’s footsteps, looking after sales.

He was also Vice Chairman of two nut and bolt associations, Chairman of the Newport River Company Limited in South Wales, Director of Criterion Stampings Limited in Willenhall, where Philip Richards was Chairman, and Chairman of Garratt & Bunch Limited of Willenhall. Charles Richards and Sons had an interest in all of the three companies.

By the early 1950s the fourth generation of the family had become directors of the company. They were Charles Peter Richards, son of the Chairman, John Richards, great grandson of Arthur Richards, and David Richards, eldest son of Arthur Samuel Richards.

Mr. Charles W. Richards.

An advert from the mid 1960s.

The canteen opened in 1918 to provide meals and act as a base for the sports and social activities. A bowling green was laid on which county matches were played, and there were facilities for tennis, football, and indoor games.

A fully equipped surgery was also opened with a nursing sister and two assistants.

An advert from the mid 1950s. Courtesy of Christine and John Ashmore.

Because of the prevailing family atmosphere in the factory, it was an enjoyable place to work, so that many employees spent the whole of their working lives there.

For instance, Mr. J. W. Reed, the Company Secretary worked there for over sixty years and retired at the age of eighty nine.

Mr Joseph Perkins, who joined the company in 1891, worked there for around seventy years.

Screw spikes had long been a successful product. Back in 1932 the company received an order for five hundred tons of them from China.

The firm’s products were sold throughout much of the world. In the early years there were many customers in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, but as time progressed customers were found in nearly all of the countries in the world.

The company kept an eye on potential global markets and produced fastenings to suit. By the late 1950s the oil industry had greatly expanded, and so specialised fastenings were produced, which were used throughout the industry.

The home market was not forgotten. In the 1950s the company had agencies in every part of the country, and Charles Richards & Sons became one of the largest private bolt and nut makers in the world.

An advert from 1968.

Final Years

A new office block was built in Heath Road, and blade hot forged products were added to the product range.

The company became one of the largest employers in the area.

Charles Richards & Sons offices, Heath Road, in 1976.