Society launches banner celebrating firm's past (From The Advertiser Series)

Society launches banner celebrating firm's past

4:55pm Wednesday 11th July 2012 in News

A BANNER commemorating a well-known company that played a key part in a town's history has been unveiled at the business' modern version.

Marshall Richards was formed in 1937 in Crook. At its peak, it employed more than 450 people.

Over the years, the engineering firm has been bought by numerous organisations, but is still in existence as part of MRB Schumag, based on the South Church Industrial Estate, near Bishop Auckland.

Members of the Crook and District local History Society created a banner celebrating the firm's history and visited MRB Schumag to unveil it.

Brenda Smith, from the society, said: "We have done similar projects on other factories in the town, and a lot of people have said they wanted to see a Marshall Richards one.

"The factory played a key part in the history of Crook and is still fondly remembered."

Paul Storey, the managing director of MRB Schumag, said: "Marshall Richards was always based around providing top quality products, an ethos that is still with us.

"We are still getting calls from people who have machines we made in the 1940s and 1950s that are still going strong."

Former Marshall Richards employee Nancy Bell, who was secretary to the chief engineer, said: "It was a wonderful company to work for and I am delighted to see this banner celebrating it."