The Hill Brush Company
was established by Fred and Bill Coward in 1922, after some earlier
experiments with brush making by Bill. Their interest in brush
making was possibly inspired by the fact that their Father had,
amongst other occupations, produced wooden brush stocks.
The
founders of the Company were later joined by their respective
sons David and Richard, and Bill's son-in-law Brian Thomas. The
company is now run by the third generation. One of David's sons
Philip is Managing Director, and his other son Martin is Financial
Director. Richard's son Peter is a non-executive Director in
the UK, and Vice President of Hill Brush Inc, the USA subsidiary
corporation.
The Company originally specialised in dairy and
agricultural brushes, and within a few years many of the streets
from Hampshire to Cornwall were being swept with brushes that
had been made by Hill Brush. They also produced brushes for milk
bottles and were one of only two manufacturers of this type of
brush outside the United States, exporting them to many parts
of the world.
The business began in a very small building, which
has now been demolished, near to the centre of Mere, in Wiltshire,
England. It quickly grew, and in 1927 moved to Lordsmead Mill,
a disused silk mill, where the waterwheel provided power for
the drills that bored holes in the brush stocks. The brushes
were all hand made at this time. The factory moved to its present
9.6 acre (3.9 hectares) site in Woodlands Road, on the southern
side of Mere in 1935/36.
The company is unique in having its
own brush fibre-dressing department which was started in 1926,
and now processes all types of natural fibres from many parts
of the world including Sierra Leone, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia,
Mexico, China, Lesotho and Brazil. Many of the natural fibres
are also mixed with synthetic materials. The fibre dressing department
enables the company to offer special mixtures at short notice.
Whilst the company's use of synthetic fibre has increased in
recent years, this has mainly been in the manufacture of specialist
brushes, such as those used in food production or catering establishments,
and in hospitals.
Automatic brush making machines were first
introduced in the 1930s, and since then the most up-to-date machinery
has been installed. The company's machines are now computer controlled
and there is a policy of continually updating its machinery.
In recent years very sophisticated production equipment has been
installed to manufacture various types of brushes that were not
previously made. The company now produces over three million
brushes annually.
Our engineering workshop not only repairs machinery,
but also builds specialist machines for all parts of the factory.
Much of the fibre-dressing and wood-working machinery was designed
and built by our own engineering workshop.
The woodturning department
was started in 1950, and now mainly manufactures specialist brush
backs and products. Most of the wooden brush backs are now imported
from the Far East and Eastern Europe.
The company is registered
with the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) who ensure that timber
felled and supplied from FSC accredited forests is replanted
so that these forests are conserved for future generations to
enjoy. Hill Brush has an FSC chain of custody accreditation (TT/COC/1562)
and is able to supply FSC timber products and brushes to order.
Hill Brush originally specialised in making wooden backed brushes,
and although it is still one of the largest manufacturers of
wooden brushes, a large range of plastic backed brushes for the
food industry are also produced, mainly from the company's own
moulds. Leather backed brushes have also been developed for the
equestrian market! Hill Brush also manufacture brushes for customers
using plastic mouldings provided by those customers. Other wooden
products such as parts for elderly and infirm people's aids (bath
seats, chair raisers, etc) are manufactured and assembled.
In
1952 the company was honoured by a visit from Her Majesty the
Queen. This was the second Royal visit, the Prince of Wales having
visited the factory in 1932. The company has been a Royal Warrant
Holder since 1981.
In 2001 the company purchased Champion Brush
Inc. in Baltimore MD, USA, the foremost manufacturer of horse
grooming brushes in North America. This is now incorporated with
Hill Brush Inc. which is run by family member Peter Coward. Hill
Brush Inc. distributes UK manufactured Food Service brushes and
Equestrian brushes, as well as manufacturing its own Equestrian
brushes.
In 2003 Hill Brush acquired the
business of Herrewege Brushes of Stockton-on-Tees, who were one
of the company's major competitors for wooden industrial brushes.
The business brought with it a large number of new products to
the Hill Brush range. The Herrewege business was relocated from
Stockton to the Hill Brush site in Mere.
The company has been a member of the British
Brush Manufacturers' Association for many years and David Coward
was President of the Association from 1976-1978. Richard Coward
was a member of the Industrial Relations Committee for many years,
and for four years headed the Employer's Negotiating Committee.
Philip Coward was President of the British Brush Manufacturers'
Association (B.B.M.A.) from 1992-1994, and has been a member
of the Association's Industrial Relations Committee. He was also
President of the European Brush Manufacturers' Association (F.E.I.B.P.)
from 1996 until 1999 and again in 2001. The company is also a
member of the British Hardware and Housewares Manufacturers'
Association, the British Wood Turner's Association, the British
Equestrian Trade Association, and the International Sanitary
Supply Association.
Almost two thousand different products are
now produced and these are supplied to over one thousand customers
in over 40 countries world-wide.
The company is committed to
a policy which is sympathetic to environmental issues, and strives
to minimise the environmental impact at all stages of production
and where possible uses environmentally harmonious components.
For instance all of the natural vegetable fibres used by the
company are harvested, and the gathering and processing of these
fibres helps to support many local communities in third world
countries.
