One of a town’s oldest companies is partly moving out of the county after two centuries, cutting half of its workforce.
Dover Engineering Works, which runs under the Gatic name, is relocating its manufacturing operation to Essex.
The base of Gatic, at Holmestone Road, Poulton Close, which runs Dover Engineering Works
The company, in Holmestone Road, Poulton Close, once employed hundreds of people when it was based in the centre of the town.
But it is now moving its production work out of Kent “in order to meet demand”, cutting 12 of 24 jobs.
The company specialises in manhole, duct and trench covers and frame constructions used in roads, docks, factories and airports.
Bosses say the customer service and technical department will continue to be based in Holmestone Road.
But residents have told of their sadness at the loss of the foundry, with scores of former employees sharing their memories on social media.
Dover Engineering Works in 1984 as seen from Bridge Street. Picture: Howard Law
Some are still in contact with each other decades after retiring or moving to other jobs.
Phil Grant worked for the company at various times between 1972 and 1994 and is in touch with some of the last workers.
The 68-year-old, who lives in the town, was a grinder and assembler when the company was originally based in Charlton Green and moved with it to the Poulton Close area in 1988.
The iron foundry earned its reputation through the making of its Elkington Gatic manhole covers.
Mr Grant said: “They were the best quality, some made in the early 1970s are still in use today.
Phil Grant was at Dover Engineering Works between 1972 and 1994
“I worked there for periods, moving on to other jobs, but kept going back because there was always a good atmosphere between workers. Also the job was well paid and regular and we were well looked after.
“Hundreds of people were there during my time and some people spent all their working lives there, from childhood to retirement.
“I think the move is awful news and it shouldn’t have happened.”
Generations of Dovorians from the same families were employed or were in some way interconnected through the company.
One man Mr Grant worked with in the early 1970s was Bill Claw, who turned out to be the grandfather of his future wife Liz.
The bridge at Bridge Street, Dover, with Morrisons to the right, where Dover Engineering Works was once basedMorrisons at Charlton Green, occupying part of the land of the former Dover Engineering Works
The two men worked together years before the couple met.
Mr Grant added: “Everyone got on and there was no backbiting. We had a social club and would often do charity walks and pub crawls in drag to raise money for Buckland Hospital.
“But it was hard physical work and I had to finally leave because of the effect on my joints and getting vibration white finger.”
This is a permanent and painful numbness and tingling of the hands and arms through regular use of vibrating tools such as grinders.
Dover Engineering Works replaced Charlton Fair at Charlton Green, which moved out in 1850.
Afterwards the company began trading under the name A.L. Thomas and Sons after its founder, Anthony Lewis Thomas. It initially specialised in manhole covers and street lamps.
The north side of Bridge Street had the offices of Dover Engineering Works. It is now a car park and gym
It was renamed Dover Engineering Works during the First World War and was responsible for maintaining the 200-strong fleet of the Dover Patrol.
After the Second World War the foundry was rebuilt so it could expand operations to include large projects for airfields, power stations and oil installations.
The site sprawled from Bridge Street to Crafford Street, alongside the River Dour. The firm’s offices overlapped onto the other side of Bridge Street.
By 1961 it had 220 employees.
But falling export orders eventually led to the official receivers being called in in July 1988 and 155 jobs were lost.
It then moved to Poulton Close in a shrunken size, with just 23 staff relocating there. Its name changed from Dover Engineering Works Ltd to simply Dover Engineering.
The Elkington House retirement complex at Charlton Green, across the road from the now-gone Dover Engineering Works. The site was previously a Royal Mail sorting office
By that November the business bounced back with orders 200% above budget and sales 81% above target.
By then it had a contract with the British Airports Authority for all its airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.
The foundry at Charlton Green was completely demolished by autumn 1988 and replaced by the existing Charlton Green shopping area.
One of the first businesses to open there afterwards was B&Q in August 1989.
That superstore burned down six years later, on November 16, 1995, in a massive fire that could be seen from the hills above. The store was later rebuilt.
The area is now occupied by stores such as Morrisons and Asda.
The rear of Morrisons at Bridge Street, Charlton Green, where Dover Engineering Works once stood
A testament to Dover Engineering Works’ presence at Charlton Green today exists across the road from the original site.
Elkington House, a retirement complex, is named after Vivian Elkington who ran the foundry after the First World War and invented the Elkington Gatic form of manhole cover.
In a statement, Gatic’s parent company Alumasc Group says the business “has a growth strategy centred around accelerating organic growth”.
“In order to meet demand and continue to grow and expand Alumasc’s exports globally, the strategic decision was made to move the Gatic operations to Alumasc’s site in Essex, which would accommodate a larger workforce, new technology and operations,” it said.
“The existing Dover site housed 24 employees and when the move is completed Alumasc will be retaining 12 people in an office in Dover.”