W.E. Chivers Devizes engineering industry history heriatage

W.E. Chivers (WEC) and sons

This company was a major English engineering company based in Devizes. It was involved in enginering and regional building and demolition projects but it also played a major role on the National scale with the the construction of many nuclear energy plants.

Devizes Heritage is grateful to the Devizes U3a Local History group for the provision of most of the text in this article

William Edward Chivers was born in Avebury in 1855, he died in 1916 aged 61. His father, Henry, was a cabinet maker and thatcher like his uncle and grandfather. Henry was captain of Avebury

Above early days for the company in 1911.

Fire Brigade and a bugler in the Dismounted Yeomanry. He eloped with Sarah Watts, daughter of the innkeeper of the Catherine Wheel - where Beckhampton House now stands. They had 16 children of whom 12 survived. W.E. was the 7th son and youngest of the family. He was educated locally by his grandfather, Lawrence who was Parish Clerk for 60 years followed by Henry for the next 30 years!

In 1870 W.E. Chivers walked to Devizes with his tools to be apprenticed as a carpenter and joiner to his cousin, Jabez Chivers at 23, Sidmouth Street. He remained there until 1884 when, after a disagreement with Jabez, he decided to set up his own business. He rented a small workshop over stables at the Rising Sunpublic house in Southbroom Road. One of his first jobs was to fit a window at the Brewery Tap, later known as the Volunteer Arms, for jug and bottle use and he walked to Honeystreet to order £16 worth of wood.

His staple work was making coffins and butter boxes for Wiltshire United Dairies. He quickly earned a reputation for quality work and his business grew steadily. In 1886 he moved to bigger premises in Hare and Hounds Street. He provided the carpentry for, among other things, Central Wiltshire Bacon Company and the Isolation Hospital in Green Lane.

In 1906 he started to undertake general building work. In1909 his firm constructed a main sewer leading across the Green to the Longcroft area of the town. In 1912 he was responsible for the re-erection of 2 stones at Avebury, a new Art Gallery in Salisbury, the Boots building and the Midland Bank in Devizes where he was the first customer.

He was a devout man who worshipped at the old Baptist Chapel in Maryport Street where he was a deacon. He married Sarah Stow from Bulkington and they lived at 7, Sutton Place. Their family grew, they had 9 sons and 1 daughter, and they moved to 29, Sheep Street which was formerly George Sloper’s house and bakery. All the sons were apprenticed to their father as carpenters.

Left the Wiltshire Brown and May Foundry in about 1905, either side of the Bell Inn

On the 23rd June 1911 the workshop in Hare and Hounds Street caught fire destroying tools, kit and several hundred pounds of joinery work. It was quickly brought under control but it highlighted the congestion that existed in Hare and Hounds Street. In 1913 Brown & Mays the major engineering company, on Estcourt Street went into liquidation and Chivers offered £1000 for the 4 acre foundry site and he moved his business there in November 1913.

Above a traction engine built by W.E. Chivers

In 1908 WEC was placed on the Government list for War Department Work and they built an indoor riding school at Netheravon. In 1911 WEC the built first airplane sheds at Larkhill and Officers Quarters at Bulford and Upavon; the latter are still in use and is a listed building) and at Bulford.

On the 23^rd June 1911 the workshop in Hare and Hounds Street caught fire destroying tools, kit and several hundred pounds of joinery work. It was quickly brought under control but it highlighted the congestion that existed in Hare and Hounds Street. In 1913 Brown & Mays the major engineering company, on Estcourt Street went into liquidation and Chivers offered £1000 for the 4 acre foundry site and he moved his business there in November 1913.

The business had expanded, from 1903 he was leasing a timber store at the Wharf for wood and stone from Honeystreet and Bath And from 1908 they undertook monumental and stone work and had a sawmill and became sanitary engineers and builders merchants.In 1908 WEC was placed on the Government list for War Department Work and they built an indoor riding school at Netheravon. In 1911 WEC the built first airplane sheds at Larkhill and Officers Quarters at Bulford and Upavon; the latter are still in use and is a listed building) and at Bulford.

W.E. Chivers realized that transport was vital and soon had a fleet of 200 steam wagons and traction engines as well as motor lorries and several hundred horses. In 1915, Billy Chivers, his 7^th son, was sent to London with a fleet of lorries to transport timber from London Docks to Regents Park for the erection of a Post Office.

W.E. Chivers died on 27^th February 1916 aged 61; he was a most respected and prosperous tradesman.

The firm was taken over by his eldest son Fred. Fred was a diabetic, called a spade a spade and loved gadgets. In March 1919 W.E. Chivers and Sons became a limited liability company with six directors; Fred, Harry, Alfred, Bert, Billy and Cecil Chivers. They were now a diverse company - timber and builders merchants, engineers, haulage and transport contractors, quarry owners, furniture removers and coal miners.

Fred Chivers always wanted the latest thing; e.g. a tower crane (one of first in the country), bells under desk, Edward V111’s Buick after the abdication - with tinted windows, a speaking tube, radio etc. He worked tirelessly for the Devizes Carnival and Hospital. He served 26 years on the Town Council - 10 years as an Alderman and was Mayor in 1925-26 and President of Chamber of Commerce in 1932. He died in 1942.

Brother Henry Chivers was the next chairman. He was a strict disciplinarian but a generous man. He was Chairman of Devizes Town Football Club and the Wiltshire Football Association. He suffered from sciatica and diabetes and had a leg amputated.Alfred Chivers was the real driving force in business and he was utterly devoted to the business in the same manner as his father.

During the 1920’s the firm invested in property and land. In 1922 they bought Southbroom House and offered it free to Wiltshire County Council for county headquarters; this was not pursued. Instead the County Council bought it in 1925 for use as a secondary school which eventually became Devizes School.

In 1924 WEC purchased Estcourt Brewery and the adjoining cottages – the brewery was leased to the borough for use as a fire station at an annual rent of £40 and the cottages were used to house workers and their families.

Right: Estcourt Street in about 1980, the old Escourt brewery, then Fire station is the tall building in the foreground.

In September 1922 they bought Devizes Prison for £2550; the public were admitted at 1 shilling a head, with all profits going to the Hospital.. The old prison was dismantled and the stone was used to build houses that Chivers were erecting in Avon View.

In 1935-37 they built complete tank barracks at Perham Down followed by Warminster Tank Barracks with accommodation for 1000 men of 2 battalions of Tank Corps in what had been open fields. It was built in 15 months – work continued in a huge marquee in bad weather. A huge amount of war work was carried out in and around Wilts. and many men were drafted in to work on these projects.

After the war new housing was needed including prefabs on Hillworth Road and new houses as far away as South Wales. In 1954 Chivers built British Home Stores in Cardiff which was the largest shopping floor area at that time in Europe. They completed it in 10 months by working 24 hour shifts.

In 1946 WEC won a contract to convert a pre-war RAF station at Harwell into an Atomic Energy Research Establishment. The original contract was for £150,000, which eventually developed into £20,000,000 worth of work. Chivers were on site for almost 40 years. In 1949 they were involved with Aldermaston, the site of the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment. At the height of construction work some 4000 men were employed on sit , about half of them being Chivers men. There were 150 bricklayers,120 painters, 50 steel fixers,220 carpenters, 700 labourers, 70 a and 40 plumbers. In all W.E. Chivers constructed nine atomic reactors at Harwell and Aldermaston. 100,000 tons of cement was used and bricklayers laid 40,500,000 bricks, enough to reach from Devizes to Calcutta!!!

In the 1950’s and 60’s the next generation came to play a more prominent role in the company. Harry’s sons, Ted, Fred and Peter joined the Board of Directors as did W.E.s youngest son Arthur. “Young Mr. Fred “inspired great loyalty among the workers but his early death from leukaemia in 1959 robbed the company of a promising leader. Ted ran the Ministry of Defence contracts, Peter was in charge of the Cardiff office while Cecil’s son, Bruce, took on the Aldermaston contract.

Above the location of W.E Chivers and Sons offices and very large workshops. This is pre Supermarket development and is taken from an aerial photograph of the building of Devizes School by WEC. Photo courtesy of Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.

The firm was taken over by his eldest son Fred. Fred was a diabetic, called a spade a spade and loved gadgets. He always wanted the latest thing; e.g. a tower crane (one of first in the country), bells under desk, Edward V111’s Buick after the abdication - with tinted windows, a speaking tube, radio etc. He worked tirelessly for the Devizes Carnival and Hospital. He served 26 years on the Town Council - 10 years as an Alderman and was Mayor in 1925-26 and President of Chamber of Commerce in 1932. He died in 1942.

Alfred Chivers was the real driving force in business and he was utterly devoted to the business in the same manner as his father.

In March 1919 W.E. Chivers and Sons became a limited liability company with six directors; Fred, Harry, Alfred, Bert, Billy and Cecil Chivers. They were now a diverse company - timber and builders merchants, engineers, haulage and transport contractors, quarry owners, furniture removers and coal miners.

In 1940, the centre of Southampton was destroyed by bombs – Bert Chivers was among the first on the scene offering his services. In 1950,Chivers secured £1million contract to rebuild the newspaper offices there. They also built newspaper offices in Bournmouth, schools, a bus depot and shops in Portsmouth, a mineral water factory and a dry dock in Southampton and labs. for Esso at Fawley.

In 1946 WEC won a contract to convert a pre-war RAF station at Harwell into an Atomic Energy Research Establishment. The original contract was for £150,000, which eventually developed into £20,000,000 worth of work. Chivers were on site for almost 40 years. In 1949 they were involved with Aldermaston, the site of the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment. At the height of construction work some 4000 men were employed on sit , about half of them being Chivers men. There were 150 bricklayers,120 painters, 50 steel fixers,220 carpenters, 700 labourers, 70 plsterers and 40 plumbers. In all W.E. Chivers constructed nine atomic reactors at Harwell and Aldermaston. 100,000 tons of cement was used and bricklayers laid 40,500,000 bricks, enough to reach from Devizes to Calcutta!!!

Above HQ of W.E. Chivers on Estcourt Street - next to the Bell Inn 1980 - courtesy of Jack Yeates

BUT………

Financial situation was uncertain – profits low – plant old and in need of repair – overheads increasing with opening of branches in Cardiff, Abingdon, Reading, London and Southhampton between 1947 and 1963 – plus many bad debts.

In 1950’s and 60’s, the government embarked on a programme of extension and modernisation of army barracks on Plain, and Chivers won all but one small contract. They built School of Infantry at Warminster, School of Artillery at Larkhill, married quarters at Warminster, Tidworth, Perham Down and Aldershot. Also converted a 6 acre underground area at Corsham into a regional government retreat in case of nuclear attack – a contract which took 4 years and amounted to £2.25 million. Other government contracts included Toxic Lab at Porton Down, Met. Office at Bracknell, Bramshill Police College and roads at Winfrith Atomic Energy Establishment.

They still continued with traditional building including Broadleas where they built their first speculative housing estate, the first in Devizes to be fitted with oil fired central heating.

In 1960 – Amey-Chivers Housing Co. formed to market prefab industrial houses under the trade name Modus. The first unit was erected in Gains Lane by a team of 8 men in 4 days in 1966 and 10 were built for the army in Nurstead Road.

They built the first hospital after the introduction of the NHS – PMH at Swindon. Also Whiteknights campus at Reading University, some of Southampton University and Salisbury F.E. College.

BUT….. there were still financial difficulties

In 1961, 11 out of 35 contracts were recording losses, especially Bracknel, London and South Wales.

In 1962 for the first time no dividend was paid to shareholders

In 1968 new directors outside the family were brought in.

They continued to build public buildings, hospitals, schools churches etc.in 1980 they won a contract to refurbish Tower Bridge, London, when it was turned into a museum. WEC also did joinery work for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club extension, Southampton crematorium and Shepton Mallet’s new pedestrianised town centre.

There followed another recession in the 1980s. There was a lack of private investment costs escalated and a growth of bad debts and late settlement of claims. These led to a sharp fall in profits. In October 1985 receivers were called in and the firm closed. It was sold in the spring of 1986 after 101 years in Devizes.

The site has dismantled and developed as a major supermarket site for Devizes with excellent parking. At first it was run Safeway and now successfully by Morrison’s.

Other Chivers family members

Herbert (Bert) umpired at Wimbledon and enjoyed tattoo etc.

William (Billy) was involved with transport. He ran the Leeds, Sh

effield and Battersea depots as well as coal mines in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. He enjoyed driving, sailing and tennis. There was a good deal of animosity between him and Bert and he left firm in 1929 to concentrate on his own business.

The transport section of WEC closed in 1935.

Ceciljoined the firm 1912; he ran saw mill in Nurstead Road until it closed in 1966. He was a golfer and tennis player and received an award for long service to Scout Movement.

Arthur trained an accountant and ran his own business on the south coast before joining the firm in 1939. He became a director of WEC in 1942. He was treasurer and church warden of St. James Church

Jabez was initially Secretary to Ansties Tobacco firm and later was Secretary of Chivers from 1919 until his death from appendicitis in 1924.

Frank assisted his widowed aunt in running a coal business. He took over on her death and began trading in his own name in 1904.

Winifred was W.E.’s only daughter who worked briefly in the firm during the First World War.

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