Clockmakers with a gem of an idea

The family firm has now passed from father to first son through six generations since the early 1800s. All half-dozen Peplows at the forefront of the firm have been christened William though, for the past four generations, they have been better known by their middle names.

Peplows has had shop premises in Stourbridge, West Midlandas, for nearly 150 years, but its presence in Worcester has been less lengthy.

The firm was the first in the Faithful City for a time in the mid-19th Century and has now been a permanent fixture for the past 50 years.

The Peplow dynasty can be traced back to 15th Century Shropshire, but the family firm began with its founder, William Peplow, born 1794, the son of a tailor in Wellington, Shropshire.

He was put to learn the clock-making trade in 1804, at the age of only 10 and, after serving with the Army in Ireland, and marrying an Irish girl, he set up on his own as a clockmaker at Wellington, in about 1818.

A prize possession of the Peplow family today, is an historical grandfather clock he made in 1824. It graces the Worcester High Street shop.

Several more of his grandfather clocks are still giving useful service today and, from inquiries made a few years ago, 10 are known to survive in various parts of Shropshire.

William Peplow was often out in his pony and trap in the countryside around Wellington, collecting and delivering clocks for repair and doing clock winding for the big houses.

He remained in Wellington until 1885, when he moved to Shifnal, Shropshire, still carrying on his clock-making trade.

There, he celebrated his 100th birthday in 1894, with a grand party, surrounded by his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. However, there wouldn't have been any alcohol or spirits flowing at the celebration because he was a lifelong Methodist and temperance campaigner. He died eight months later.

His eldest son, William, born in 1815, learnt his trade as a watchmaker from his father and also became a skilled engraver. It was he who engraved the brass dials of many of the grandfather clocks built by his father.

And it was this William Peplow, who first brought the family business to Worcester, setting up at 4 Mealcheapen Street, in the 1850s. A romance blossomed with an Ombersley girl, Jane Ann Malpass, and he would walk out several times a week to her home to court her - a total trek on foot of about 12 miles each time!

They were married in 1859, and their first child was baptised at St Martin's Church, Worcester in 1861. The following year, however, the couple, for some reason, left Worcester and set up in High Street, Stourbridge, announcing to the north Worcestershire gentry, through advertisements, William's wish to serve them as a watch, clock, jewellery, and musical box repairer and engraver.

He died in 1885 ,at the age of 71, his father, then 91, attending the funeral and commented: "Poor William, he never was very strong."

William junior was succeeded by his son, William, who was born in 1864, and began learning the skill of watch-making from the age of 10.

He became best-known by his middle name of Henry and was sent to Worcester, in his youth, to gain experience with the then well-known gold and silversmiths, JM Skarratt of Broad Street. It was a firm nationally-known for making railway clocks.

In later years, Henry was often to recall happy memories of life in Worcester during the 1880s, including skating on the River Severn when it completely froze over one winter. Henry was noted as a pioneer cyclist, starting with a "bone-shaker" and then riding to most places on a "pennyfarthing," even the 25 or more miles between Stourbridge and Worcester and to his grandfather's 100th birthday party - a 30-mile trip.

Henry also served for 10 years as a voluntary fireman at Stourbridge, often riding out to blazes on the town's horse-drawn water pump. The family still have a medal presented to "Fireman Peplow" in 1895.

After his father's death, Henry moved back from Worcester and opened a new shop at the corner of Hagley Road and Kidderminster Street, Stourbridge. He began building a reputation as a skilled and reliable clock and watch repairer and, like his father and grandfather before him, went regularly to the larger houses in the area repairing and winding the clocks.

He also climbed many a church steeple to attend to the turret clocks.

Little by little too, he increased his jewellery stock and developed the sales side of his business, assisted by his wife Ada. In 1898, the business moved again, this time to the busier end of Stourbridge town in Lower High Street, and in 1916, fresh from school, Henry was joined by his son, William Augustus (Gus) Peplow, who immediately set about learning the elementary principles of watch and clock repair.

Gus's two sisters, Gladys and Vera Peplow also entered the family firm, the latter managing the branch shop which Henry opened at Halesowen, in 1922.

In his late teens, Gus left home for a few years to gain experience in Bristol, Shrewsbury and Reading, and also to qualify with impressive diplomas as an ophthalmic optician. He re-joined the family firm in 1923, to open optical departments in the Stourbridge and Halesowen shops.

He was married in 1929, to Helen Joyce Hingley, daughter of a North Worcestershire glass manufacturer, and they were to have two children, William Richard and Sarah Alison (Sally).

The outbreak of the Second World War saw the firm move again in Stourbridge - to High Street, where it continues successfully today.

A private limited company was formed in 1941, with Gus Peplow as chairman and managing director, and with his wife Helen and sisters Vera and Gladys as directors.

Their father, Henry had by then retired from an active role in the business. Like the original William Peplow, Henry enjoyed a long life, Until his death in 1963, aged 99.

At the start of the 1950s, his son Gus put in hand a considerable expansion of the family business. The old-established jewellery firm of GH Hunt at 15 High Street, Worcester - opposite St Helen's Church - was acquired in 1950, for a new Peplow shop, and the following year, a further branch was added at Kidderminster - on the corner of its High Street.

Gus Peplow had a wide range of interests. He was one time president of the Worcestershire Archaeological Society, a leading member of the Stourbridge Historical Society, a Freeman of the City of London, a Fellow of the Gemmological Association, an Honours Fellow of the British Optical Association, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, President of his local Rotary Club and also of the Stourbridge and Halesowen chambers of trade, and a member of the Society of Genealogists.

But it is Gus's children, Sally and Richard (christened William Richard Hingley Peplow) who will be best known to Memory Lane readers, having been the figureheads at the Worcester shop for many years and also actively involved in local life.

Richard went to Oundle School, served as a midshipman during National Service in the Royal Navy and spent a year in Switzerland, gaining experience of its renowned watch industry through such companies as Longines.

In 1956, Richard returned to take over joint management of the Worcester business, being joined by his sister Sally, who had business management training behind her.

The following year, the private limited company of WH Peplow (Worcester) Ltd was formed with Richard and Sally as directors and, in 1958, the business moved from 15 High Street to its present prominent position on the corner with Pump Street - premises built in the 1880s and acquired from the late Geoffrey Dorrell of Russell & Dorrell.

Gus Peplow died in 1983, but since then the family business has moved into a sixth generation with the son of Richard and Rosalind Peplow, 38 years-old Francis (christened William Francis).

He trained with two leading British jewellers in Nottingham and Liverpool, spent a time at a watch industry management school in Switzerland, and also had experience with top jewellers in Florida and Paris.

It was at 27 that Francis joined the family business as a director under his father who continues as managing director.

The shops at Stourbridge and Worcester remain as the major outlets of the company though the Kidderminster and Halesowen branches no longer exist.

Richard Peplow is a past chairman and continuing board member of the National Association of Goldsmiths and, for more than 20 years, has been UK representative on the International Jewellers' Federation, serving all sections of the industry - manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and stone dealers.

He has travelled widely in this role to international meetings, visiting Japan and New York last year alone.

Like his father too, Richard is a member of the Silver Society, which deals with the examination of antique silver, and this has taken him on travels to Russia and Denmark. He is an active local Rotarian and past president of the Worcester South club, and is proud of Peplow's sponsorship of Three Choirs Festival concerts and similar cultural events.

Richard is also a keen ornithologist - a hobby pursued by his father and now by his son Francis.

His sister, Mrs Sally Riley is a past president of the Worcester Soroptimist Club and does much research into the family tree as a genealogist.

She and Richard kindly took me on a tour of the Worcester shop with its ground and first floor showrooms, its repair workshop and gems laboratory and to its upper floors, once living accommodation but now offices and the board room with superb views out of the large windows towards Worcester Cathedral.