James John…dates back circa 300 years. The first evidence of needle making in its more conventional form was to be found in various monasteries and ecclesiastical centres throughout the county. Bordesley Abbey, founded in 1156, about a mile north of Redditch, was probably the earliest foothold of our industry in the Redditch area.
In 1930 two of the great needlemaker giants Milward and Hall joined forces under a single holding company, Amalgamated Needles and Fish Hooks Limited, who formed in 1932 a separate manufacturing organisation THE ENGLISH NEEDLE AND FISHING TACKLE COMPANY – ENTACO
We are extremely proud of our heritage and we are committed to offering you a quality product. Many members of staff have been employed by the company all of their lives, with a good number having more than 30 years experience and indeed generations of their family before them worked for Entaco. We aim to share with you many reminiscences from needlemakers and fables from our industry in our regular feature “A Needlemaker’s Memories”