Classycanopies

Pat,

The Marmet video was so nice to watch and all your photos of the prams Im sure you all had such a good time I envy you no time here were busy doing the hay.

So which one of you Prammies is going to break the news to the Queen that her own baby pram and Edwards were made by Marmet ?

I am surprised that they made Millsons, my 2 Millsons the Prince and the 30s one are nothing like the Marmets in build or quality, the bodies of my 2 are sheathed in aluminium the paintwork clouds on the older one sometimes if it gets to warm.. the paintwork is so shiny ,the chrome is such a better quality, when I stand my 60s Marmet Queen and the Prince side by side its easy to see the difference, I suppose for the clients that bought the Millsons all the best of everything was used.

One thing in favour of my Marmets is the lightness to push , the Millsons need a very robust Nanny to push as they are so heavy , I know as I have used them all for my Grandson for walks.

Regards,

Jackie Moss.

Hi Jackie

It was quite a revelation and as you say the build is quite different from Marmet to Millsons/LBC but when you consider that the same firms manufacture things such as cereals for all the major supermarkets, or the same drug companies make the same drugs, albeit differently packaged, for different pharmacies, then it is feasible that large pram producers could produce prams for other outlets.

We all know where SilverCross/Wilson prams were made, we know where Marmet prams were made, as with Manton and Osnath etc but does anyone know where Millsons were made? We know where they were sold, but not manufactured! This could be quite a debate!!

Pat - The Pram Society

©2009

I have been looking at all the fine print in my Millson's catalogue and have found a possibility as to where they were made--Bemrose, Derby as that is where the office of the governing director H.W.H. Millson-Oram was.  Also as Millson predates Marmet in manuafacturing I think they only made the last couple of years as Millson's was going under.  If you look at the chassis, they were the same as the ones LBC used. I have 2 catalogues that sell everything you could need to make a pram--they sold to trades only--Allen's of Northampton is from 1925 and Rambler of Liverpool from 1958 so we know from these that a company didn't have to do anything but assemble a pram --the Allen's one even shows bodies available for finishing!!!! The pram bought for Princess Elizabeth's birth by her maternal GM Lady Glamis is listed as the Cavendish and again in 1960 she bought her own Millson Cavendish for Andrew.    Pedigree for example hada office in London where they handled most business but they were made in Wales--Jackie Moss knows where--myself I can't even say it-LOL.    Royale were another with London offices but were made in Ireland on the outskirts of  Derry as I met a woman in 1992 who worked there!!!! So............  Francesxxxxx

Hi Frances

It's odd that you should raise this topic today!   Yesterday I recovered a Marmet Queen hood, from one of the last models they made with the flat sidebars and shortened hood.     On the inside of the hooding fabric was written "Crescent"  -  which would indicate that the same hoodframe was used on the LBC and Millsons prams and they are identical to the shape I was recovering yesterday.  I know this from having recovered an LBC for Sian and also the Millsons for the Duchess.  The navy lining was also identical to the other two prams and was also in excellent condition being of superior fabric.

When we went to Letchworth we spoke to various people who had worked for Marmet, apart from the grandson of the owner of the factory who told us they had made Millsons and LBC, and one of these people was a receptionist.   She also told us that Marmet had made prams for Millsons and LBC and there was no reason to disbelieve her.

Px

Hello Pat, It's not that I don't believe them BUT I wondered if they only did it the last few years.  There is another possibility mind you.  Originally Lawrence Wilson was a maker and supplier of chassis springs for pram makers when he dedided to go into making whole prams in 1877 SO could Marmet have started the same way as both Millson and LBC were around before Marmet??????    Then there's the story that the Macklem's owners, Deb and Bill Ranger were told by Marmet when they wanted to carry Marmet prams along side the Silver Cross ones, as both companies were family they wouldn't compete against each other so their prams were never to be sold in the same shops.  They went over to the Marmet factory to set up a deal which wasn't allowed once they gave Silver Cross as a reference. When they asked how they were family they were told the original owners wife was a Wilson and Marmet was started for her and her hubby!!!!    This was in the late 70's the Rangers went over. Does give one food for thought!!!!   Francesxxxx