"It all began with a carrier’s cart: An Oxford firm’s centenary:” (a transcription of the Oxford Times’ text):
“It was exactly 100 years ago that a young Oxford man, James Archer, member of an old Oxford family whose history in the City goes back for nearly five centuries, began in business for himself ; for many years he rana daily carrier’s service to and from Oxford, Abingdon and Radley in a two-wheeled cart, collecting and delivering parcels.”
“Today the firm which he founded is one of the best-known furniture removers and warehousemen, not only in Oxford and South of England but throughout the world - Messrs. Archer Cowley & Co Ltd, with its headquarters in Park End Street. When his nephew nephew, Mr William Archer, now head of the firm succeeded as a partner in 1919, it had already attained considerable prominence in the trade”
“The firm began in Pembroke Street, St Aldates, where it still has extensive repositories and where its headquarters remained until those buildings were outgrown, and the head offices were transferred to 36-39 Park End Street in November 1947. To the original horse and cart, James Archer added vehicle after vehicle, developing an extensive haulage business in the course of which he carted away the material from the old Town Hall and the materials for the new one, as well as that for Keble College and many other City and University buildings.”
“Eventually he had 26 horses, and for them a 180-acre farm at Grandaunt, which, among other things, produced the hay they ate, and where they grazed and rested over the week-ends.”
“His nephew, the present head of the firm, first came to Oxford from Shillingford as a boy of seven, when his father took up the appointment of Revenue Officer in the City. That was in 1886, and he joined the firm as a partner when his uncle retired in 1919. The other partners were Mr M.J. Cowley, who retired in 1933, and Mr R. Rippington, who died in 1933. Both had many years’ service.”
“Mr Archer now has two sons associated with him in running the business - Mr Fred Archer, who is general manager, and Mr Arthur Archer, the transport manager.”
“When one of the new blocks of warehouses was built on the Park End Street site, in 1920, it was the first reinforced concrete building to be erected in Oxford. As the years went on, more storage space was needed, and so more warehouses were built, until today, behind the modest front, there is an extensive range of modern buildings providing thousands of square feet of space for storing furniture and other effects.”
“Even the last half-century has seen great changes in the removal business. At the beginning of the century, long-distance removals were carried-out by rail, the vans being loaded onto flat-topped wagons, and horses hired at the raiway station nearest to the ultimate destination. In 1901 the business was one of the four firms in the country to have the first 15-ton traction engines, which hauled three mammoth vans and a water-cart at a maximum permitted speed of seven m.p.h - and a stop for water-replenishment every 15 miles.”
“The firm, too, was the first in its trade to adopt a Foden steam wagon in 1913, and it was one of the first businesses in Oxford to run a four-ton petrol-driven furniture van in 1921. Now it has a fine fleet of the latest petrol and Diesel vans which travel to every part of Britain.”
“A visit to the warehouses, though exhausting, is a revelation and the visitor soon becomes convinced that furniture removing and storage is an art.”
“Furniture has to be stacked, not only to ensure that it is undamaged in transit buit also that it takes up the least possible space. It has to be stored in the same way, with the additional feature that chests of drawers and cupboards can be accessible to those owners who want to go to them by appointment. Pianos are stored in a specially heated and ventilated room; carpets are treated with moth-preventing materials at intervals.”
“Two of the firm’s biggest jobs were the removal of books from the Bodleian to the new Science Library in 1934 - which meant moving 137 van-loads of books (with the sequence maintained) in three weeks, an average of 11,765 books a day - and from the Bodleian Library to the new building.”
“Goods are packed and shipped to all parts of the world, and from every corner of the globe come vans and cases of furnishings to be stored safely and expeditiously.”
“Having seen the completion of the first 100 years, Mr Archer is looking forward to seeing it well and truly into the second century before handing over the reins to the next generation of Archers.” (Transcription completed 8.3.17)
Thoughts on the above from Phil: (8.3.17):
In some ways the last paragraph is the most significant. “Mr Archer” (WGRA) at age 22 + 57 = 79 years, with two sons who have been working with him in the business for 31 years (FGBA) and somewhat less than that (AWA) and aged 52 (FGBA) and 55 (AWA) is not going to “hand over the reins” to them until the firm is “well and truly into the second century” (however long that is). Effectively that meant “never”. WGRA went down to his Park End Street office for a further 10 years at least, and died a year or two later in 1969. Much more difficult (and wise) than carrying on to the bitter end with things in life is to know when, on a balanced-basis between the conflicting factors, it is time to call it a day, and allow others to have their day and responsibility. Well, well, we shall never really know the full factors weighed in making that decision, but it looks very much now as if the actual decision on that point had the result that the firm was sold out of the family, and the then family members effectively cashed-in their assets.