Another D-Handled Spade, this time from 1951

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Rhyolith

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Finished cleaning up another spade from my pile of 'needs tlc' tools. This one is by a company I have never heard of "Stockton Heath"... is that even a company? or where it was used? Its rather helpfully marked with a year (1951) along with a broad arrow, so I assume its government/military issue? I still do not know for sure whether broad arrows always definitively mean that.

I would say its quite heavy, at least relative to the Spear & Jackson ones I usually work with. Bugbear will be pleased to note the foot plates ;) Thought the handle is in less good condition than the S&J's, with a split that required some rivet tightening to pull together.

Stockton Heath 1951 Spade by Rhyolith, on Flickr

Stockton Heath 1951 Spade by Rhyolith, on Flickr
 
Hadn't heard of them either, but apparently... ''Stockton Heath Tools have been around since 1770. Their high quality forged garden hand tools are among the world's very best''.
 
Stockton Heath Forge, also known as Caldwells, was located in the village of Stockton Heath, which is just south of Warrington. They were a long established firm who supplied government departments, railways and the like with shovels, picks, crow-bars, hammers and similar. At some point in the late 20th century, they moved to Dallam Lane in Warrington, and continued to trade until 2009, though latterly I think they had their tools made abroad. They had a small retail counter in their Dallam warehouse; I bought a crowbar, a mattock and a couple of very large files from them in the 1990s, for prices much lower than I could find anywhere else. Shame they've gone - but that's the way of the world!

Edit to add - it seems that a phoenix of sorts arose from the ashes - http://gbtoolsltd.com/ - and the Caldwells name lives on, though now located in Flint on the North Wales coast.
 
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