Hi All,
I notice this thread is a little old, but after reading many things on the site about Townsons this looked like the best place to post.
I’m hoping someone can jog my memory and fill some gaps in.
My grandfather was Harold Goulding who worked for Townsons almost from the day they started and I have many great memories of being around the yard in Oldham, as I virtually spent every weekend and school holiday there.
Even though this was well over 35 yrs ago ('71 onwards), I must have known ‘Stanfield’ and ‘Wheel Nut’ as their posts mention things that I know or remember.
I recall the new site on White Lund in Morecambe as my grandfather moved there to work, and again I spent every school holiday there, going out on the tankers or just being in the yard, under peoples feet !
I remember Roger and I’m sorry to hear he has passed on. We went to his house near Hull several times with grandfather after he retired.
I’m sure I can fill in some of the gaps in the history from things I remember, and if anyone has stories or questions then I’d be more than happy to hear or help.
I would also greatly appreciate any pics of Harold, if any exist, as they’re few and far between in the family.
Regards
Stuart Goulding (Age 47 !!)
Hi Stuart
Nice to hear from you and welcome to t/net.I remember Harold Goulding very well from my days at Townsons I worked with him at the depot in Oldham when he was in charge of the vehicles on contract to Esso T/Park and also the Phillips vehicles and has you quite rightly state he was involved with the Townson family more or less from the start and he was held in high regard by Mrs T and both Roger + Alan.In 1976 when they bought out J L Randall of Heysham he and his wife Marion moved to Morecambe to manage the depot there and it was him and the fleet engineer Bernard Knox who persuaded me to upsticks and move there myself to take charge of the garage also in 1976.When Harold retired (around1979/80) he recomended me to Alan & Roger to promote me to depot manager, if my memory is correct he stayed in the area a couple of year and then didn’t he move to Mablethorpe.I also remember he was into ballroom dancing and every thurs he would travel back to Oldham for a meeting and then off to the local dance club for an evening of dance.He was a man who knew the job (being an ex driver himself) and called a spade a spade has the saying go’es and was well liked with the lads at the Morecambe depot.
Stanfield:
The only Scania Townson had in there fleet.until Sadlers came along in 1980.0
Dont know who the photo belongs to so I hope they dont mind me showing it on here. 
Hello John good memories of Townson , i am pretty sure they did latex work , wasnt there a latex plant near Littleborough ? , they hauled from .
On occasions they would come to Courtaulds at Flint and Greenfield . thank you Trevor pp Thelma deputising for my father !! .
Hi Trevor. They used to carry Latex in the 70/80s for Industrial Latex who are now based on Greengate Middleton but iirc they were at Failsworth at one time,and the plant at Littleborough who they also worked for was Akzo Nobel but this is all flattened now and awaiting development.
Stanfield:
Hi Trevor. They used to carry Latex in the 70/80s for Industrial Latex who are now based on Greengate Middleton but iirc they were at Failsworth at one time,and the plant at Littleborough who they also worked for was Akzo Nobel but this is all flattened now and awaiting development.
hello john thank you for the reply ,have croda still got a place in Oldham ? thank you Trevor
I dont think they have Trevor.
This thread has come back to life. I only worked for Roger when he moved over to East Yorkshire. I stay in touch with his second wife and his daughter and have just been sent some fantastic pictures of the company and drivers. Many of which are on the internet or facebook. 
tastrucker:
Stanfield:
Hi Trevor. They used to carry Latex in the 70/80s for Industrial Latex who are now based on Greengate Middleton but iirc they were at Failsworth at one time,and the plant at Littleborough who they also worked for was Akzo Nobel but this is all flattened now and awaiting development.
hello john thank you for the reply ,have croda still got a place in Oldham ? thank you Trevor
I used to deliver to Croda Bakery Supplies in Oldham, they were cracking lads to us.
Hi John, didn’t Industrial Latex start off or had a place in Heywood in the early seventies and didn’t Croda have a place just off the Oldham ring road near the top of Ashton Road near Primrose bank. 
Malc, were the cracking lads that you mentioned working with the thousands of eggs that they had there. I am not yoking.
Regards Steve.
Hi Steve. Yes you are correct it was Heywood and Croda were on Falcon Street off Ashton Road like you say.
Hi Malc if you are allowed any chance you can put some of your photos on here I wouldn’t think you will have a problem with Janet or Michelle in doing so.
Thanks for the very kind reply Stanfield…
I see the thread has woken up recently !
The ‘jog’ the memory bit worked when JL Randall was mentioned, as that was the reason for the move to Morecambe, as you say.
Even though I was only a ‘child’ maybe 8 yrs old or so, I remember well being in the yard at Mumps with the different tankers. Some being in the Townson logo and some being Esso. I also remember going out to Trafford Park and being left in the gatehouse while the tanker got filled.
Every day of my school holidays was spent around the yard. I’m sure, as mentioned before, I’ve met yourself and wheel-nut when I was younger.
After the move to Morecambe one of the things I recall clearly was the run to ‘Windscale/Sellafield’ from Heysham. Was it Nitric Acid they used to do ?
I sat in on that run many times as a teenager… and I’m b**gered if I can remember the drivers name ! I wish I could…
So, thanks for the answer, and I’ll try to recall more …
Stu Goulding
Hi Stu
The product taken to Sellafield was Ammonia Solution Day & Night 7 days a week from ICI Heysham.A few drivers names from Morecambe maybe jog the old memory box for you.Ken Holt.Brian Strong,George Booth,Bob Patterson,Billy Halliwell,Stan Gregson,Ken Moss,Tony Pollard,Kevin Bushell,Charlie Smith,Bill Benson,Bernard Deighton,John Lloyd,and Barry Pickles who was in the office with your grandad.
Malc (wheelnut) didn’t work for Townsons he worked for Roger Townson over at Woodbrow Tankers when Roger left and moved to the Hull area after Sadlers took over.
I remember you coming into the yard with Harold he had a brown coloured Cortina at the time P reg iirc.
Stanfield:
Hi Trevor. They used to carry Latex in the 70/80s for Industrial Latex who are now based on Greengate Middleton but iirc they were at Failsworth at one time,and the plant at Littleborough who they also worked for was Akzo Nobel but this is all flattened now and awaiting development.
Hello Stanfield . can remember now the Sedddon 8 tankers of Vitafoam at middleton thank you Trevor .
You mean these ones Trevor
Thanks for the answer Stanfield…
Some names that kinda pop are Bernard D and Bob P !
I recall being in a tanker that broke down near the seafront in Morececambe and the driver , who must have been trusted to allow me as a child to be on board, disconnecting the lines from the trailer and saying ’ that’ll work, we can go now !!’
Imagine getting away with that now ?
And Harold had a ‘Gold’ (lol) Ford Cortina 2000 E. Vinyl roof … KNC 473 P
I think it was a ‘company car’ that he took away when he retired. It was the car I learnt to drive in …
Before this, I think he had a Austin Allegro… also a company car. The reg number will come back to me at some point.
Roger used to have a very poor looking Rover… the old SD1 model … in brown or ‘bad’ gold if I remember !
Like these two below you mean Stuart and yes he had the Allegro when he 1st went to Oldham,a lot of the company cars at the time came from Esso T/park , Townsons used to supply the Esso Managers and reps with cars and when they returned them they used to put them on the notice board for the drivers to buy if they wanted and quite a few did.
Stanfield:
You mean these ones Trevor0
Hi John, I didn’t realise that Townson’s had latex tankers in Vitafoam livery. When I started at Vita in 73 there was a driver called Gill Scott who had been doing the latex job for donkey’s years and he must of been about 64 then. Looking back it must of been a cracking job, one trip a day Middleton/load Trafford Park/ tip Middleton, guaranteed 10 hours. The drivers lunch room was opposite the latex tanker bay where Gill seemed to spend most of his time.
Regards Steve.
LOL …
Yes the Rover looks very much like the one Roger used to drive !
The Cortina looks very similar to my Grandads, but more ‘gold’ !
I’m sure I have pics of both somewhere…
Stu
PBU 654 M
I knew it would come back !
Dodgy bronze/gold Alleggro that Harold used to have …
Hi Steve. Sorry for misleading you but Townson didnt have any vehicles on Vita that is a photo of one of their (vita) motors I found on the net sorry again mate.
John
