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Vintage Television and Video Vintage television and video equipment, programmes, VCRs etc. |
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19th Feb 2015, 3:01 pm | #41 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Wirral, Merseyside, UK.
Posts: 1
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Re: Derwent TV
I remember Vera very well and we exchanged Christmas cards until a couple of years ago. I first met her in Bromley when I worked there in the summer of 1980. I was actually based at Head Office in Liverpool, firstly on placement from my Uni course and then from 1982 in the Personnel department. I really liked Vera and we had a bond as we were both from Lancashire.
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10th Jul 2015, 2:32 am | #42 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, UK.
Posts: 1
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Re: Derwent TV
In the 1960s my mother worked as a field engineer for Derwent Television, based at Derwent House on London Road in Liverpool (then part of Lancashire) until the late 70s. They ceased trading under the Derwent name in 1987 when they were taken over by Bennet's TV Rentals and these too were taken over by Radio Rentals in the early 1990s).
As a consequence of my mother working for Derwent and our living close by, we as a family had several Derwent television sets between 1962 and 1980. They specialised in the sale, but particularly rental, of quality televisions and radiograms as well as premium home furnishings from manufacturers such as Ercol and G-plan. Ercol manufactured some of the wooden cabinets for Derwent-badged TVs and radiograms. Most of the chassis and components for the TVs were predominantly UK-sourced but they also used some USA-sourced chassis and circuits too and for a while also used some Russian chassis and valve-circuit architecture. They had strong links with Philips, Marconi and Plessey (which also had a major manufacturing base in Liverpool, later GEC-Plessey) and subsequently with TI/Thorn/EMI and Ferguson. They were a major retailer and service centre for Marconi radios and particularly radiograms. They had a number of TVs badged with their own name which were predominantly based on the Philips 210 series. The majority of their televisions were names after areas of the English Lake District (Derwent itself being the famous lake). In the late 60s and early 70s their most popular models (based on the Philips 210) were the monochrome 19" Rydal and 23" Windermere. They also produced the 23" Langdale and the Thirlmere which was one of the models with a quality bespoke wooden cabinet. As Derwent were a rentals company (the most popular way to have a TV in the 60s, 70s and early 80s) and they were responsible for the maintenance of units it was in their interest to ensure they were reliable so they benefited from trusted, proven designs such as the Philips 201 and also good build-quality - they would often modify third-party architecture to ensure this. With the widespread adoption of colour TV, monochrome units dropped in price and became less popular and Derwent were slow in recognising this. Oddly (especially by today's standards) when their TVs were nearing the end of their economically serviceable life, rather than selling them on it was usual for Derwent to just scrap the units returned to the premises. |
15th Jul 2015, 5:35 pm | #43 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 7,444
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Re: Derwent TV
Quote:
DFWB. |
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16th Jul 2015, 9:37 am | #44 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Charmouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 3,601
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Re: Derwent TV
There were still plenty about though but you had to travel to get what you wanted, I bought hundreds.
Peter |
24th Sep 2015, 9:39 am | #45 |
Diode
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Torrevieja, Spain
Posts: 2
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Re: Derwent TV
I knew Vera very well lovely lady
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13th Jul 2016, 5:41 am | #46 | |
Diode
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Posts: 1
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Re: Derwent TV
Quote:
All the best to you Peter Layton |
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15th Jul 2016, 11:17 am | #47 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Warnham, West Sussex. 10 miles south of DORKING.
Posts: 9,147
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Re: Derwent TV
Classified advert in 'The Wimbledon Boro News' 2nd November 1956.
I wonder who got the job? |