Tag Archives: 1939

Glebe Avenue

1953 OS map

Road that runs south off Lewis Road, opposite Ashtree Avenue, and ends at Fox’s Path. The houses are even numbered on its west side and odd on the east.

It was possibly built in 1926/7 as the originally proposed name of St. Dunstan’s Avenue was rejected by the Urban District Council:

From the minutes of the Mitcham Urban District Council
Highways, New Streets and Buildings, and Lighting Committee
Tuesday, 14th September, 1926
Page 254

22. Name of street

– Read letter from Messrs Chart, Son & Reading suggesting on behalf of Mr G. Reader the names of Westfield Avenue and Glebe Avenue for the new street upon his estate, in lieu of St. Dunstan’s Avenue, which was previously submitted and disapproved.

Resolved, That the name of Glebe Avenue be approved.

Coal receipt was for 10 hundredweights (half a ton) of HHA, which possibly meant Heavy Haulage Anthracite. The total cost was £2 9s. 4d., which in 2020 values is around £90.

Newspaper Items

Advertised under Apartments To Let in the Norwood News – Saturday 6th August 1927

TWO Rooms, one as kitchenette; suit one adult; apply after 7 p.m.-22, Glebe-avenue, Lewis-road., Mitcham.

Norwood News – Friday 22nd March 1929

FELL AND BROKE HIS LEG.

Mr. Dionysius Williams (67), of Glebe-avenue, Mitcham, was walking along Christchurch-road. Colliers Wood, on Monday. when he fell and fractured his left ankle. He was admitted to Wilson Cottage Hospital, Mitcham, and detained.

House for sale by local builder G. Reader from the Norwood News – Friday 7th July 1939

SEMI-DETACHED freehold house, £650, total cash payment, balance 15s. 7d. weekly : good position, bus at end of road,near Colliers Wood Tube Station; 3 bed,reception, bath and w.c.: garden.—APPLY G. Reader. 53, Glebe-avenue. Mitcham. after 6 p.m.

In the 1954 phone directory, no. 54 is listed as R.C. Bingham, newsagent.


Minutes of meetings held by the Mitcham Urban District Council are available on request from the Merton Heritage and Local Studies Centre at Morden Library.

Maps are reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland.

Bryans Ltd.

Factory that was in Willow Lane, which started trading as Bryans Aeroquipment Ltd. It changed its name to Bryans Ltd and later Bryans Southern Instruments.

There isn’t an entry in the 1938 directory, but a comment below suggests that the firm was established around 1939.

Timeline of events

1947 Fire at a rubber dump near the factory.

1955 Board Appointments

1957 Expansion

Name changed from Bryans Aeroquipment Ltd to Bryans Ltd. in 1963 according to Flight International, 29th August 1963.

1965 Luftwaffe contract

From Flight International, 13th January, 1966, page 72

Mr. J.R. Bryans is relinquishing his post as chairman and managing director of Bryans Ltd, of Mitcham, Surrey, and becomes a director of Seltronic Group Ltd. Mr Bowman Scott, managing director of Seltronic, has been appointed chairman of Bryans and Mr. David Ince managing director.

From Flight International, 4th June, 1970

Test equipment Merger

Bryans Ltd of Mitcham, Surrey, has sold its interest in aviation test equipment to Negretti and Zambra Ltd and will concentrate henceforth on the market for scientific instruments.

The Bryans product range will now be handled by Negretti & Zambra (Aviation) Ltd. which has a wide range of interests in the aviation field. The existing worldwide agency network established by Bryans will remain unchanged, but within the United Kingdom all enquiries should be addressed to the Bryans Aeroquipment Division of Negretti & Zambra (Aviation) Ltd, 73/77 Lansdowne Rood, Croydon CR9 2HP.

The 1973 Computer Users Yearbook said that the computer department had 5 staff, the D.P. manager was Miss S.M. Harrington. An NCR 500 C computer was used.

From Flight international, 5th October, 1979, page 1137

New formation team

The aerospace interests of Negretti & Zambra (73-77 Lansdowne Road, Croydon, Surrey; telephone 01-688 3426) have been brought together into a single entity. N & Z (Aviation) has absorbed the aviation activities of the Aero Engine Instrument Division and of the Bryans Aeroequipment part of associated company Visual Engineers. Design and manufacturing facilities operate at Aylesbury, Croydon and Southampton Airport.

1986
According to Advance Power Supplies (APS), Bryans Southern Instruments was bought in 1986, which was then bought by Low & Bonar Ltd in November that year.

1989 photo on Merton Memories showing a ‘TO LET’ sign.


Equipment ads

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