The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Ah - Got them now (strange non-alphabetical search returns from Ancestry to blame)! They're listed from 1955 until 1963 at Hewell Road, Redditch, which is just up the road from the railway station.

Brilliant stuff Davyr - was that their business address then? It seems a short period of time for a company to be operating - I wonder if they ahd another premises?
Jim

Yes, it looks like their business address (described as "rod makers"), but I can't find them before or after those dates. Maybe that's why their rods don't turn up very often!

Update - I've now found them right the way back to 1928 at the same address: 33 Hewell Road, Redditch. The earlier entries have them listed just as "W Allcock" (no "A").
Thirty-five years is a more reasonable period of occupation!

That make more sense given the condition of some of their rods I've seen! Interesting that they are listed as "rod maker" - perhaps supporting the idea that they specialised only in this area?

I wonder what happened to them in 1963, then?


Allcocks ( t'other lot ) lasted until 1967.

Mmmmm! They look like they must have been one of the earliest of the Redditch companies to go to the wall in the "dark days" of the British Tackle industry. Given that they do not seem to have the greatest of reputations now (at least not as far as I can tell - I've never heard anyone rave about their rods in the way that some do about other companies) perhaps they were just unable to carry on competing in a relatively saturated market?

So far this thread has at least trebled what I knew about the company before!
Jim

A few images of The Witham Wizard W A Allcock





Broken butt section, rod was resting, I was climbing, I slipped, foot landed on rod
I need a new butt section, I'm guessing whole rod would need to be stripped down so whippings would match, any thoughts?

Oh dear, what a shame - was that the rod you were using on the Isaak Walton cottage trip, Loop? How much do you know of the rod's provenance? I'd lay money on that "W. A. Allcock Redditch" script being a modern restorer's hand...

Yes same rod at the Penk, I would guess that its a total refurb and I know nothing about it I just liked the look and turned out to be a lovely rod until I broke it