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ADCOCK In l872 Isaac Dickson Adcock bought a shop in Swan Street, thus starting the pharmaceutical business which transferred to High Street and remained in the family until the 1970s. It is now Savory and Moore. Jim Adcock, the last of the chemists, was a much respected Alcestrian: his wife is happily still with us.
ALLWOOD The Allwoods were part of the town's needle-making history. William Allwood in 1815 is noted in the parish register as a needlemaker and he pursued the trade in Henley Street until his death in l872. His children continued his business and his grandson, Alfred, built the large works in Station Road about 1882 calling it the Minerva' works. Although this factory (the town's largest industrial building) left the Allwood ownership in 1912, Alfred's brother, Marshall, set up his own works both in Birmingham Road and at Ragley Mill. During this century of needlemaking most of the Allwoods were brought into the trade, though some became victuallers and confectioners. The family was a potent force in the life of Alcester.
AVERILL The family is associated with over a hundred years of rope making. Thomas, born circa 1780, spent the whole of his life in Alcester making ropes (died aged 83). The 'rope walk' at the back of the 'Girl Friday' shop in High Street was the family works, though they lived lower down High Street. All the Averills connected with the rope works seem to have been christened Thomas. The first one's father ran a shop but we do not know of what sort: but the family spent the best part of 150 years in the rope trade, until the closure of the rope walk in 1914 (N.B. The naming of the road off School Road as 'Rope Walk' was a curious thing to do)
© Alcester & District Local History Society 1991