Welcome to Stanwood Radio, when we get time we will be creating an online radio store here. In the mean time, if you are looking for a VHF radio, chartplotter or sonar, or other marine chandlery items, please go to www.goodboatshop.co.uk.
Stanwood Radio Ltd was an electrical retailer and television rental company, founded by Bernard Wood in 1946. The company was very successful, and at its peak in the 1960′s had over 60 shops across Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk. The business was bought out in the 1970′s and became part of the Rumbelows chain. A couple of Bernard Wood’s grandsons thought it would be fun to resurrect the company as an online retailer, as they already operate online with their boat chandlery business. Please watch this space for developments…
Standwood founder Bernard Wood, and his son Gerald Wood
I was thinking about shops from my youth that are no longer around, remembered Standwood, googled it and found this site. I grew up in Basildon in the 1960s/70s and remember the Standwood shop on Southernhay.
Thanks for the comment David. I’ve heard from a few former staff members and customers with fond memories of the company. Its nice to know its still remembered all these years on!
Hi I worked in the Basildon shop as a cashier, George was the manager nice man would do anything to keep happy customers even give his home phone number so if a tv did not work they could ring him and he would take out a new one even Christmas day, they would and he did, his trade was sign writing. I moved on to the Billericay branch and had a spell at Radio Maintenace in Basildon where the main bus station was. It was from there they sent me to London for a 4 day course at E M I lovely experiance that was, still have all the course paper work. I went back to Billericay 2 years ago the shop is now Waitrose. Also went back to Basildon what a change from the 1964 plus,years since I was there. However have some lovely memories. Best wishes to all who remember Stanwood Radio Sylvia
Hello,
I was an apprentice radio & tv engineer at Stanwood Radio Ltd, Staffa Road, Leyton from 1965 to 1971. I remember the time I spent there with great fondness. I still repair TV’s but they are a bit different to the old 405 line monochrome sets I worked on in those days. It was great to see the old Logo again, I haven’t seen that in many years. Good luck on your new venture, if you are going to try to sell tv’s you are going to need it in these hard times.
Best wishes
Peter Norris
Hello again,
Just found these photos, I don’t know if you have seen them yet.
I thought you might be interested.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ricwood/2101267201/in/set-72157603674963544/
Peter
Hello Peter, thanks for leaving the comments. It’s always great to hear from people with such fond memories of the company, and I’m constantly surprised by how many of you there are out there! The photos are actually some of my dads old snaps, I scanned them in and put them on flickr a year or two back. We’ve had a few people contact us through them too.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ricwood/sets/72157603674963544/with/2101267201/
As for selling TV’s, yes your absolutely right, its a very cut throat game these days. After I left school I spent a few years working for Bennetts, they went into administration last year and have since been bought up by Hughes. I think the plan is to specialise in the radio market for now, and have some fun with the brand. We already sell a lot of radio equipment through our marine chandlery business so it will be pretty straight forward for us to move into this area.
Thanks again for commenting, its always a pleasure to hear about the old business and the people who worked there.
Richard Wood
Hello again Richard.
Thanks for the reply.
I didn’t expect you to reply so quickly.
Looking through your photos reminded what my father used to say, that he used to play snooker or billiards with your Gradfather Bernard (Bunny) in one of the arches under the station in Midland Road Leyton. Also the photo with the Thames van parked outside the shop reminds me of some of the old vans I had to drive. Bedford Dormobiles with sliding doors that regularly fell of if you pulled them too fast, they also only had a drivers seat, so if you were a passenger you sat on one of the Tv’s that we were delivering. It wouldn’t be allowed today.
The Good old days.
Peter
Hello Peter, yes, he was a keen snooker player. We still have a couple of medals he won playing at the club.
Richard
hello Richard,
Wow this took me back,I started work at Waltham cross,branch 35,in 1967 as a shop boy on £7.00 for a 46 hour week.In my 6 years working for Stanwoods I progressed to manage Tramway avenue Edmonton,formerly Superb radios,and Cheshunt ,branch 54 which was my home town.I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Stanwoods actually married my cashier at Cheshunt, something of a tradition.I only met your grandfather,BG as we called him a couple of times and was impressed that he found time for even the the youngest of his employees.
Best wishes Albert Davison
When I was at school I used to do ‘van spotting’ of any Stanwood Radio vehicles I saw – and there were a great many around Woodford. There was a workshop in New Wanstead with a slope outside where the vans parked. At the time there was a mystique about TV for me that made it seem innovative and exciting.
Stanwood Radio provided the PA system at my school’s ‘Speech Day’ and we rented my then favourite brand of TV (‘Pye’) from them.
How did they train their TV engineers and was a high degree of expertise necessary to repair valve sets? Can you list the shop and workshop locations at their peak?
I’ve just been chatting to Roger Sowden, who has kindly sent me some photos of his days at Stanwood’s. I’ve set up a photo page with these, and some other photos we have, so all can have a look.
Photo Page
If you have some photos that you would like to share please get in touch, I’ll be happy to add them to the collection.
Richard Wood