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Ranton's, Commercial Road, Brentford

The first photo shows the frontage of Ranton's in the 1940s and signage shows they were plastic moulders. At first glance the three cars parked outside appear to be Matchbox or Corgi models, but the second photo also shows them and I concluded they are real. Fay Twydell has provided a photo of the Ranton building frontage taken in 1997.

The location of the Ranton's Art Deco Building is shown in the aerial view: behind and running alongside the factory can be seen the Grand Union Canal. The River Brent is visible near the top of the photo with the slip of land between the waterways. Google Streetview shows SPS (Show Presentation Services: Audio-Visual Equipment & Supplies) here in the early 2000s.

Diane has also sent a scan taken from a brochure dating from 1946 which gives the address as 'Rock Works, Commercial Road, Brentford High Street, Middlesex (near Canal Bridge). The brochure shows the company made bakelite electrical accessories. Diane has also provided a scan of a photo showing the workforce, taken in 1949: over 90 people. Some wore white coats (technicians?), there are three men who look like bosses (suits and ties) and men who worked in the factory (brown overalls) and women from the factory and offices. It looks quite a chilly day - some of the ladies on the front row are wearing ankle boots.

Jean Banaszak wrote in October 2011: My mum used to work at Ranton's when she was a young girl, she became ill while working there by getting powder on one of her lung's. Her name then was Phoebe Francis, my mum passed away in 2006 at the age of 81.

Sam Fox wrote in August 2011: I was interested in the photos of Rantons sent in by Diane Lockie especially as I am in the group photo top left hand corner, I knew Dianes dad Peter as I worked there 1948 to 1960.

Rantons was a very family orientated company with several generations of the same families working there at the same time, there are three members of my family in the photo. I met my late wife there, I am now with one of the ladies in the front row of photo, third from the right we are both in our late seventies we were sixteen when it was taken.

The men in the suits from the left were Mr Humpheries the works Manager, in the middle Major Brooke-Hitchen ex military man, I cant recall the other ones name. The photo only covered about 60% of the workforce as it was taken one lunchtime, also there was a night shift operated.

Other firms in Commerce road were Permutit water softeners Elizabeth Shaw, chocolate factory and Sycamore woodworking company. There were always plenty of jobs going, and it was not unusual for girls to leave Elizabeth Shaw on Friday night and start work at Rantons Monday morning and vice versa.

Please get in touch if you can add any names or have memories of Ranton's.

Published May 2011; updated October 2011