MADE IN WILTSHIRE
MEET SOME OF SWINDON & WILTSHIRE ’ S MAKERS
By Fiona Scott
The importance of ‘ makers ’ of products has always been at the forefront of the UK economy . History shows us that towns , cities and communities are often remembered historically through By Fiona their Scott economic activity which involved manufacturing products of some kind .
Swindon has been long associated with trains and the railways , then cars , then tech and chips . Today one might argue the town is moving towards warehousing with the sale of the former Honda site to Pannattoni . I ’ ll leave it to others to decide if that ’ s a good thing or not .
Trowbridge is intrinsically linked to the woollen cloth trade , Devizes to the famous Wadworth brewery , Malmesbury has its association with Dyson . These are just a few of the makers
Apsley Precision Engineering Ltd
Salisbury which have come . Some have gone and some still thrive . All face change over time .
Yet makers come in all shapes and sizes . Behind the scenes and under the radar in our county there are makers on most streets and in most communities , quietly going about their business making on a small scale . All of these add value to our colourful and diverse band of makers and designers .
One of our makers is Apsley Precision Engineering Ltd , based at High Post near Salisbury . This family run firm has machinery housed in a 12,000 sq . ft factory which creates high spec ‘ gadgets ’ for use in many different processes and larger products . Their computer-controlled precision engineering machinery means that they can turn their hand to producing products for many different sectors .
Much of their work is subject to NDAs and the team of 24 work very hard to provide important ‘ widgets ’ for their varied client base .
Peter Aymes is the company ’ s MD , having taken over from the founders – his parents Graham and Margaret . Peter spent more than 20 years working as an engineer in Swindon before stepping into the family business .
“ I am proud to be in Wiltshire , as this has been my
The Tailor Shop
Royal Wootton Bassett
Mark Collins is a tailor with well over 35 years ’ experience with a little shop on Royal Wootton Bassett ’ s High Street . Inside it ’ s a compact emporium of delights including a replica TARDIS and a Dalek .
Yet did you know that the creativity of this tailor is something you may well have seen and not realised ? He ’ s made suits and military uniforms for TV programmes including Dr Who and Call the Midwife .
“ It ’ s a family trade ,” Mark said . “ I learned to sew from my mother and my grandmother though I believe it went back to possibly my second great grandfather in Aberdeen . My family moved to Wiltshire and I was brought up in Swindon .
“ I worked as a tailor in London for many years honing my craft , and then I opened my shop in Royal Wootton Bassett in 2010 as I realised that it was a perfect area for me with a strong military connection .”
When Mark opened his shop , there was a queue outside on the first day and at one point he had to ‘ close ’ the business down for a year to catch up on orders . This maker always has a waiting list . He has worked with members of the military throughout his career . Mark ’ s suits , which are all handmade and hand-stitched , retail from about £ 2,000 depending on the design .
20 www . tbeswindonandwilts . co . uk home and we believe strongly that it ’ s critical to keep manufacturing in the UK . We are supportive of automated manufacturing and we are well behind Europe in this regard – though we have embraced this here to the benefit of our clients .
“ Manufacturing in Swindon and Wiltshire has always been important though times have been challenging . There ’ s been weak demand at home , there have been supply chain issues , strikes and high inflation . However , supply chain delivery times are improving and we are expecting manufacturing output generally to be on the rise .”
For more info : www . apsleyeng . co . uk
“ All of my suits are bespoke to the client and they are of outstanding quality and design . On average it will take me about three months to complete and the part of the process which can take the most time is often sourcing the right material . To give you an idea of the work involved a collar on one of my suits has well over 2,000 stitches . For this reason they never lose their shape and the suit will last for decades .”
Mark also makes bespoke waistcoats and sells accessories including shirts , bow ties and ties from his shop .
“ I love what I do and really I haven ’ t had to advertise at all across those 13 years of being in Wiltshire . I love this county . I am a maker of something wonderful and I believe in things that will last .
“ Even in my shop I often use effective but older tools . I recycle as much as I can and I use offcuts of all materials to make patchwork jackets , colourful waistcoats and even button covers .”
For more info : www . thetailorsshop . com
“ we believe strongly that it ’ s critical to keep manufacturing in the UK ”
“ a collar on one of my suits has well over 2,000 stitches ”