Herbert George Mullard and the Cowley Concrete company, 1895 to 1976

The talk by RHC Club member, Martin Buckland, told the story of Cowley Concrete, a company based in Abingdon off the Radley Road. It was founded in the early 1920s in Cowley by ‘Bert’ Mullard and operated in Abingdon until the late 1970s after which the site was redeveloped as a housing estate called Radley Green.  Relocating to Abingdon allowed Cowley Concrete to take advantage of the area’s geology which is rich in gravel, a material heavily used in concrete production.

Cowley Concrete as a company produced many products from those that imitated stone, to those used in the construction of transport infrastructure, and to houses and even some art along the way. Cowley Concrete produced beams used in the Chiswick flyover and over the widened lines of the Underground near Kings Cross Station in London. The enormous concrete beams left the factory on long loaders which often proved a challenge for the drivers on the way to their destination with some of the small and bendy roads in the area at the time.

In terms of buildings around to Oxford, they built the earlier version of the Seacourt Tower in Botley, Research laboratories on South Parks Road in Oxford, the Cowley Centre and numerous social houses. Later in life, Bert Mullard became a member of Abingdon Town Council in 1945, later becoming Mayor of Abingdon 1951-53. In 1960 he was granted the status of Honorary Freeman of the borough of Abingdon. He turned later in life to Philanthropy and was a significant benefactor of Christ’s Hospital in Abingdon, a local charity dating from 1553.

Message from Martin: Martin Buckland thanks all those who spoke to him after the talk and added much useful information, particularly about themselves or their relatives who worked at Cowley Concrete. He would be most grateful if they could send their recollections to him at: martin.buckland@outlook.com. It all adds to the history of Abingdon people and employers maintained by the Abingdon Area Archaeology and History Society (AAAHS), and would be of great interest to the Knight family who provided much of the material for the talk. 

Early in 2022, the Group started recording a series of interviews to capture memories about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on people in Radley as a record for future generations. The talk presented the common themes uncovered and the insights gained from these recordings. It was important to do this work as soon as possible as memories and recollections fade quickly.

Of the people interviewed, few of them contracted COVID. Their lived experience varied; for some it worked out well but others had major problems.

On the positive side, online video conference platforms and the internet worked well as did working from home, which for many was the first time this had been an option. In terms of community, the church and village shop were a lifeline for many as was a local volunteer group (SERV) set up by residents.

On the negative side, lack of physical contact with loved ones and family members was a challenge many interviewees faced during the lockdowns. Many people spoke about opportunities that were missed. Some could be rescheduled, but for others, these were gone forever such as attending a funeral or a wedding or attending a year of university.

In general, the rules during the pandemic were adhered to, but there were mixed views regarding the severity of COVID, the government’s role and its trustworthiness. Despite this all the interviewees received vaccines and wore masks. There was a common concern about the knock-on effects of COVID on our nation’s health and impacts on people of delay in diagnosis and treatment. Overall, a very interesting talk and a valuable resource for future historians.

Our speaker on 8 July 2024 was Bob Evans, a local historian and keen rambler. Bob began his talk by explaining that our footpaths and byways are a direct result of human locomotion through the landscape. Some routes between places have long history such as the Ridgeway or Icknield Way, Trod’s on the North York Moors, and Abbots Way in Somerset. Later paths that led to water and other places start to become managed from the Middle Ages, but at this time no legal definition existed and so paths could be argued about. Maps are made to show land ownership, so paths are often left out of them. By the mid-18th Century, the country starts to transition from an open field structure to enclosed land; maps are updated and, while some paths get recorded, lots are lost.

In the late 19th Century, paths begin to become classified and are generally categorised by width and surface. Main Roads (1879) were the widest and best maintained (many became Trunk Roads from 1936); many of the rest had lower status as bridleways at most The ownership of these paths slowly moved to local government, with the larger routes (highways) managed by the district council and the smaller paths (byways and footpaths) by the parish council. Over time – particularly in the late 19th and early 20th century – our paths start to become at risk due to development and growth.

From the mid-19th century, numerous groups (Open Space Society, Peak and Northern Paths Society) start to emerge to seek to protect spaces from being overdeveloped and paths being lost. In the early 20th century, rambling starts and increases the popularity of walking in nature. These groups campaigned for a higher right of access, with the first key piece of legislation, the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, delivering national parks and, for the first time, recording paths. The Oxford area had rambling societies from the 1920s and local champions, notably ‘Colonel’ d’Arcy Dalton. Access was enhanced in 2000 when the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW) delivered the right to roam on mountains, moors, heaths and downs. Thankfully, we enjoy a rich path network in the local area, so take a moment to put on your walking shoes and explore!

Our speaker on 10 June was Sharron Jenkinson to whom we were very grateful for coming at short notice when the original speaker had to pull out due to ill-health.

Economic hardship during the 1920s in Wales was on the increase due to a decline in coal exports after WW1 and cheaper imports from abroad. Pay and conditions continued to decline even for those who still had work, these factors led to strikes and political action. In 1926 the general strike lasted 9 days and the Welsh coal miners’ strike lasted 9 months. This was later followed by a hunger march in 1927 to London from Wales.

It wasn’t long before those facing uncertainty in Wales heard of the job opportunities at Morris Motors, Pressed Steel and MG in Oxford. Welsh migrants in turn told friends and relations to join them and by January 1929, 250 men and boys had been offered work in Cowley. Noting the trend in migration from Wales to Oxford a speculative Welsh builder Frederick Moss arrived in Oxford to take advantage of the increased demand for housing. He was responsible for building numerous estates in the interwar years, including Florence Park which was exclusively for the rental market. Moss later became an Oxford City Councillor and remained a prominent member of the local community.

Amongst the Welsh migrants were former choir members and soon the Cowley Choir was formed. It grew in numbers and reputation becoming the Oxford Welsh Prize Glee Singers (1931) and later the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir (1978). Today they continue to be very active part of the local community and preserve the heritage of the Welsh migrants. The Welsh migrants also had a significant impact on trade unionism and politics in Oxford, by 1937 over 90% of the Cowley workforce were in the TGWU and most shop stewards were migrants. They also influenced the local political scene with Labour becoming a force in Conservative Oxford. There is no doubt the Welsh migrants left a rich and lasting legacy on the City of Spires.