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  • Tan Lane Foundry, 1947
  • 19 North Street
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  • Gears ready for export
  • Cornwood triplets
  • Machine Shop, Tan Lane
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  • Distributors since 1928
  • Royal Show 1952
  • 6-bar Gulley Grating
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  • Waterbeer Street, Ancient & Modern
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Welcome to the Exeter Foundry Website

The Holladay Family, who have been involved with the business of Garton & King from 1898 until 1990, have put together this History of the Company and hope you will find it of interest.

Garton & King, and its predecessors (which include the Portburys, the Kingdons, Garton & Jarvis, and Garton & King, amongst others) can trace their trading history back to 1661, that is well over three hundred years of business within Exeter, mostly in and around the High Street, effectively Exeter’s oldest Business. Its history is described in the booklet ‘Golden Hammer’, first published in 1961.

Since the Website was created in 2009 we have added much additional information (see the Sitemap). Recently added or updated Pages are noted under that Red heading on the list that appears to the left of each page. Over ten new pages have been added in the last two years, it now being 2021.

We have also added the Guestbook and some interesting comments have been posted, some by past employees - and if you have worked in the past for the Company, either under Alec in the Showroom or down at the Foundry when it was at Tan Lane you are sure to recognize some of the names mentioned in the Postings or on the Workforce at Work page. Perhaps you will be suitably inspired to add your comments - but keep it clean, no Foundry Language please!

If you have any original Archive Material such as catalogues, correspondence, photographs or memories that you would like to share, I really would like to hear from you - see the About Me page for contact details.

We now have much more information on Stove Sales and an alphabetical list of who bought what and where they lived. A multitude of names of past employees can now be found on the website, particularly on the Workforce at Work page. Details are mostly on those that worked for the Company in the 20th Century.

Don’t forget, if you live fairly local to me (Chudleigh) and belong to a Club or Social Group, I am equipped to give Illustrated Talks on G & K Ltd’s History, subject to any restrictions currently in force - see the Booklets & Talks page. All my Contact Details are on the About Me page.

July 2021
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See also:
‘Golden Hammer’ - a history of G & K
Sitemap / Contents