41 Panton Street

41 (17) Panton Place, Panton Street

History of 41 Panton Street

1901 (17)

George Coleman, journeyman butcher

Sarah A, 47, wife, b Suffolk

Charlotte, 37, sister

Philip Willingham, boarder, 23, solicitor’s clerk, b London

Charles J Bode, lodger, 74, reader university press, b London

Sophia Bode, 62, b Kent

Charles Crosby, lodger, 49, tutor, b Notts

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1911 (17)

George Coleman, 61, widower, journeyman butcher, b Cherry Hinton

Charlotte, sister, 47, housekeeper, b Herts

Daniel Henry Shepherd, 22, clerk engineering department Post Office, b Beds.

William Henry Nobbs, boarder, 26, clerk, school of agriculture Cambridge University, b Cambridge

Thomas Allen White Robinson, boarder, 24, manager scientific instrument maker, b Cambridge

Thomas White-Robinson served his apprenticeship with W. G. Pye & Co., the well-known Cambridge electrical, radio and television manufacturers. Following completion of his apprenticeship, Thomas left the company but re-joined in 1911 as Works Manager and was made a partner in 1919. Towards the end of 1920, George Caedel, who oversaw the electrical department at the company, made a wireless set, and it was this single event that gave Thomas the inspiration of breaking into an exciting new field, shortly after making what could truly be described as the first Pye wireless. Thomas went on to be a leading member of the PYE management team and, with Ernie Root, takes the credit for introducing the famous PYE “Rising Sun” motif on loudspeaker cabinets. In 1928 the radio side of W. G. Pye was bought from the Pye family by Charles Orr Stanley, registering Pye Radio Ltd. As a PLC on 12 February 1929. Pye Radio eventually took over the whole of the factory site, an area of 57,000 sq. ft. eventually increasing this to 80,000 to accommodate new machinery. The negotiations for all of this provided the opportunity for Thomas to join the new company as a Director. For a more complete history of Thomas’ time at Pye’s, please read “Radio Man: The Rise and Fall of C. O. Stanley” by Mark Frankland or “The Story of Pye Wireless” by Gordon Bussey, a member of the PYE history group.

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1913

George Coleman, agent

Daniel Henry Shepherd

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1962

Frank Michael Kirkup