Ruth and Phil and Mac (our Bedlington terrier, who, sadly, was not concentrating on the camera) at the moment of recovery of the long-lost Archer Cowley & Co album from John Chipperfield of The Oxford Mail at about 1.30pm outside Balliol College, in Broad Street, Oxford on 23rd July, 2016. A wonderful event for me.
My very grateful thanks firstly to Sid McFarlane’s wife, who was the person who realised that the album was lying in a wardrobe at their house in East Oxford, likewise to Sid McFarlane who worked for the Archer Cowley firm in its latter days and whose employment resulted in its recovery, and who brought it in to John Chipperfield at the offices of the Oxford Mail, and indeed to John Chipperfield himself, whose articles in ‘Memory Lane’ referring to the loss of the album led to Mrs McFarlane’s realisation in the first place. What serendipity!
(Added 8.9.16): At last I have been able to do something for Archer Cowley myself! The firm meant so much, I’m sure, to my dad Fred Archer, who was its M.D. for so many years, and worked for it heart-and-soul. To be able to preserve its memory and history and to make it available online to anyone interested seems very worthwhile - not least because it did indeed provide the means (ie the financial wherewithal) for many members of the family to do things that otherwise would have not been possible. James Archer must have been a formidably-able man. Perhaps the most outstanding member of the family for a generation or two.
James Archer chose his nephew William Archer, who was the sixth child of James’s much younger brother Alfred George, and was also my paternal grandfather, as his successor in the AC&Co business, and in the wealth that it had enabled him to accumulate.This turned out to be a good decision because the business continued through the nineteen twenties/thirties/forties/fifties and sixties ie five further decades, including the centenary (1957) of the founding of the business. On the technical side, the trend from horse-road-railway through steam-road-railway to petrol-diesel-road-only continued and led (so Cantays, the purchasers of AC&Co told me in 2006) to a decline in the available business caused by the popularity of do-it-yourself removals, and the availability of lock-up storage units. Hence Cantays sold the removals business to Robinson Removals (of Guildford I think) and the ‘diversification’ of Cantays' acquired AC&Co Oxford premises into other businesses.
Another part of the story of the recovery of the album, from emails in 2005: (beginning with my email of 9.11.2005 to David Trotter of Cantays and below it his to me which I was answering):
Dear David,
Many thanks for writing. Sad news indeed about the photo album. Why oh why didn't I get round to following-up on it before now? But it would have had to be before 1987, and in those days I was totally immersed in my own career, which took up every moment of my free time. So, it was just one of those things. Actually though, no one ever mentioned the album's existence within the family, so no wonder we didn't follow up.
I appreciate the short history of the latter days of the firm you have provided, and would very much like to call one day to see round the building as it presently is, and (if it would be all right with you) to take some photographs of it for my account of the firm. If you still have any staff records or letter-heads (I don't even have one) that I might photograph when I visit, that would be very much appreciated. I believe from what Roger Watts said on the phone on 20th October, that the photograph of my grandfather William Archer may still be on the wall there somewhere, and it would be nice to photograph that too, if you wouldn't mind. He mentioned some invoices (presumably specimens from the past) that you still have. May I look for a suitable day and drop you an e-mail to ask if that's all right?
Nice to hear about Monty Gurden. His father William was full-time gardener for Grandpa William Archer at Somerville House, 130 Banbury Road (about 2 acres garden) when I was a little boy in the 1940s. The funeral in the early nineties would be that of my father Fred Archer, on 8th May 1991. I was there of course, but regret we didn't have a word. The Bennett family member you had contact with would be my cousin Clive Bennett, with whom I am indeed in contact. He recently told me though that it was his father, Oswald Bennett, who handled the actual sale of the business to Cantay.
With kindest regards, and thanks for your assistance,
Philip Archer.
From:
Philip B Archer
----- Original Message -----
From: David Trotter
To: philip@pbaetc etc etc:
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 12:21 PM
Subject: Archer Cowley
From: David Trotter – Chairman Cantay Group Ltd
Your letter of October 19th has reached me. Very sadly the beautiful brown leather bound photograph album went missing (presumed stolen) during an office move in 1987 – that is matter of lasting regret because it was a wonderful record of a proud company.
Cantay continued trading as Archer Cowley until 1993 when all the Cantay removal trading operations were sold to Robinsons Removal Specialists. Prior to that (in 1987) Archer Cowley moved out of the beautiful Victorian warehouse in Park End Street which we restored and converted to shops and offices. We are currently working on further expansion of the rear part of the building as an extension of a hotel business we started in 1998 – all preserving that excellent first building on Park End Street which your (great I think) grandfather should be very proud of.
From the photographs: Monty Gurdon kept on with light packing duties into his nineties and died very shortly after retiring (late eighties?), Group Captain Trotter died in 1998 and my sister Philippa lives locally and is a non executive Director of the company. I had extensive contact with Archer Cowley staff during the mid-seventies but have now lost touch with all of them.
I attended the funeral in New Inn Hall Street (early nineties?) of your uncle (?) and had occasional contact with a family member ( Bennett?) who was/is a European partner in the firm of Grant Thornton.
I think there is very little that I can add – the only history remaining is that beautiful building – if you are ever in Oxford we would be happy to show you round.
DAVID TROTTER