A Period of Rapid Growth

Gas Mask production in the 1950s

The post war years were a period of rapid growth which saw Avon transformed from a single company to a group of companies. In 1951 a factory was opened at Bridgend in South Wales to manufacture gas masks which were being stockpiled for the Government. By 1954, 1,000 people, over half of them women, were employed at the plant which, at the peak of production could produce over 50,000 gas masks in a week.

The 1950s marked several interesting developments. Following World War 2, Europe was trying to rebuild. Nearly everything they needed came from the United States and was paid for in dollars. This caused a dollar shortage in Europe. Because of this, an arrangement was made in 1952 with Sieberling Tyres of Akron, USA, for Avon to manufacture their giant car tyres at Melksham for export to Sieberling's non-US customers who, because of the dollar shortage, found it easier to pay in Sterling.

At the same time, the first Avon tyre was manufactured in Sweden. A/B Gummifabrik made an agreement to manufacture Avon tyres. This meant that the heavy cost of transport and potential importation problems into Sweden were no longer a hindrance

In July 1953, a tyre remoulding factory was opened in Nairobi, Kenya and later extended to take in the production of cycle tyres and footwear components such as resin soles which could be marketed in the "Near East".

Also that year, in August, the City of Bath commissioned Avon to provide white rubber road marking blocks on all roads in the city for permanent delineation of bus stops, halt lines and the broken white lines along the centre of roads.

In 1956, when George Spencer Moulton and Company was acquired, the pioneers of the rubber industry in the West of England were united. Founded at Bradford on Avon in 1848 by Stephen Moulton, the company had achieved world renown for the design and development of its products for the railway industry. Subsequently, automobile and aircraft products had been developed, as well as tennis balls. The acquisition included the jointly owned French company, Societé Française des Caôutchoucs Spencer Moulton, located in Paris and later moved to its present site in Malesherbes where it is now known more simply as Avon Spencer Moulton. It also included Abbey Mills and Kingston Mills in Bradford on Avon.

It was in 1956 that the Group decided to implement what was then considered at the time to be the largest project in its history - the modernisation and expansion of its complete tyre manufacturing processes. This was successfully carried out over a 5-year period and productivity was increased by 50 per cent.

Also in 1956, Avon acquired J W & T Connolly of High Wycombe, manufacturers of wheels, hubs and axles for the agricultural industry.

In 1957 Avon bought Henley's Tyre and Rubber Company of Gravesend, Kent and the manufacture of Henley tyres was transferred to Melksham.

Avon's entry into the highly demanding sport of motor and motorcycle racing led to a long-lasting association with Geoff Duke and other leading international riders and drivers. As early as 1951, his outstanding career was already going from strength to strength on his Avon-shod Norton motorcycles which had established him as Number one in the World. In the six years 1958-63 every world solo motorcycle champion chose Avon tyres and many world records were broken by machines fitted with Avon tyres, including the Le Mans 24-hour race and the World Sports Car Championships won by Aston Martin.

Geoff Duke

The Avon Red Rover c.1969

January 14th 1958 saw the first Avon television commercial. This 7-second advert proclaimed "The tyres that are best are made in the West by Avon of Wiltshire and Wales".

In 1959 work began in Melksham on the development of inflatable dinghies. Manufacture was transferred to Abbey Mills at Bradford on Avon in January of the following year and the first range of four dinghies (Redstart, Redcrest, Redseal and Redshank) were exhibited at the London Show.

In 1960 plans were put into place to change the course of the as part of the Melksham factory was showing signs that it was threatening to slip into the river!. The straightening of the river's course would also help to avoid a build-up of silt beneath the town bridge. A new weir was also erected incorporating a "fish ladder" which allowed salmon and trout to continue to swim upstream.

The Bridgend factory had ceased gas mask production in 1957 and the workforce had dwindled to 500 with manufacturing switched to production of footwear. By 1960, 120 tonnes of boots, including 5,000 pairs of wellingtons, were being made each week.
In 1960 Avon's continuing dominance of the world motorcycling scene was emphasised by John Surtees, who in the Senior TT in the Isle of Man achieved for the first time an average lap speed of over 100 mph. George Brown also set a new world record for the one kilometre standing start on his Avon-shod Vincent Special.

The Sportsman shoe, manufactures at Bridgend, was a best-seller