Sterling Cable Company Limited was formed in 1948 from the merger of two previous manufacturers, one based in Warrington and one in Enfield. In the same year the company bought the Strange & Sons Brewery site at Aldermaston Wharf (now Swan Drive & Kingfisher Close) and transferred their Enfield operations. In 1958 the business expanded by leasing the site to the north of the canal that is now Heron Way and Mallard Way, and opened a further factory in Newbury in 1960 on the site of the former gas works. The Aldermaston site manufactured a wide range of cables for industry, with applications in oil rigs, airports and shipping (including supplying cables for the QE2 when it was built in the 1960s). After a series of mergers and ownership changes, the company became Sterling Greengate Cable Company Ltd in 1982, and was sold in 1990 to BICC (now Balfour Beatty). By this time the Aldermaston site was loss-making, relatively low output and had limited scope for expansion, so operations were transferred to other BICC sites and the factory closed.
(Image republished with kind permission of Grace’s Guide to British Industrial Heritage https://www.gracesguide.co.uk)
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Hello Steve, my father Bill Cornick worked at Sterling Cables in the 60s and 70s and I remember the charity matches you refer to. I helped my mother and others make the sandwiches for the day across the road from the cricket pitch in a big house next to the Butt Inn.
I worked at Sterling Cables from 1973 to ’74, after leaving school.
I was in the PVC shed taking the bookings around to the other sheds..
I prepared co-axial cables (joining) prior to PVC sheaving.
I also worked in the chalk room too, a bottle of orange cordial drink was issued for working in there. 😉
I used the main chipping machine at aged 16, yes, I still have all of my fingers LOL.
Sometimes, the diver of the BOSS forklift truck would let ride from the other side of the factory complex back to the PVC shad.
I worked in the wages department 1966/1967 with Mr Burgess in charge. Can remember the clock cards and helping make up the wages weekly in cash !
My colleagues at St Albans Signalbox preservation trust have inherited the old railway signal (double armed on a wooden post) that used to sit at the wire works gate wall, they are after any photos or information on how this was worked, any information would be brilliant if anyone has any
I met my wife there in 1957. We both worked there.
I worked at Sterling Cables Aldermaston 1967-1969. Where’s the mention of the part they played in designing the cables for the moonshot and landing on the moon? We worked with people from NASA too.
Love to know if the Boss, Pat was still about. I loved working at Stirling Cables on the reception when I left the Wrens. It was brilliant 😊
I believe Surrey County Cricket Club sent players each year (1940s and 1950s, I think) to play on the Sterling Cables ground at Aldermaston. I have various autographs collected at one of these games but I have no idea if the date.
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