©  Anthony Green  2011

Fish hook manufacture in Redditch developed using the same skills as the needle industry and fish hooks were being produced in the town in the late 18th century. This developed in the 19th Century and the largest manufacturer was Allcocks’s which was founded by Polycarp Allcock in 1803.

The original factory was based at the top of Unicorn Hill, but, in 1866, it moved to the larger plant in Clive Road, These premises were destroyed by fire in 1920 and were rebuilt as even bigger premises, a similar part of which still exists (right) and now contains various industrial units. By 1926 the Company employed over 1000 people in the town. In 1965 Allcock was purchased by an American company ‘Shakespeare’ and the Clive Road site was closed in 1969. The manufacturers Bernard Sealy and Edgar Sealy (two different companies) closed down in the 1980’s. Another Redditch manufacturer was A.E Partridge and Son which continued manufacturing until 1996 when it was purchased by the Norwegian hook manufacturer Mustad & Son. The site in Mount Pleasant was sold and has now been converted into apartments.

The only fish hook manufacturer which exists in the town, and the UK, is Sprite Fish Hooks. This is essentially a ‘one-man’ business producing thousands of hooks per week to the traditional Redditch quality.

In terms of links, there does not seem to be any significant histories of fish hook and tackle manufacture in Redditch on the web. .

Short History - Fish Hook Manufacture (Adobe Flash presentation)