8:06am Monday 25th August 2008
A FORMER employee of a Winchester firm that celebrates its centenary next year is seeking past and present staff to share their memories.
Phil Farlow used to work for Whitwam, which had a music shop in the city's High Street from 1909 until closing on Christmas Eve, 1999.
For the 21st century, the company re-invented itself as a supplier of audio and visual equipment, and is now based at Moorside Road, Winnall.
It is a far cry from when Mr Farlow worked at the High Street shop from 1965 to 1970.
Arriving when aged 20, he manned the new hi-fi department that operated alongside sales of sheet music, instruments, and records.
He said: "If you wanted a basic record player back then it would normally cost you between 15 and 20 guineas.
"The really large systems, which were the top of the range, could cost up to £200 back then."
The five years that Mr Farlow spent at Whitwam left its mark, and he was curious to learn more about its history.
The 63-year-old, who now lives in Surrey and works an audio engineer specialising in archives, is collecting material about the company that could be used for a book.
What is already known is Jabez Whitwam, an organ builder from Huddersfield, founded the firm in 1909 and died 15 years later.
His widow, Gertrude, took it over, followed by the couple's two daughters. Ownership then passed to the Harding family, and they remain in charge.
They organised a 75th anniversary party in 1985, as back then, they believed that the store opened in 1910, but have since discovered that it was a year earlier.
Managing director, Mike Harding, said he fully supported Mr Farlow's quest to delve into Whitwam's history ahead of its centenary.
He said: "Quite a lot of preparatory work has already been done, but Phil decided that what we really needed to do was to make contact with the people that used to work here. Hopefully they might have some stories that will be useful to him."
Call Mr Farlow on 020 8942 6788 or e-mail p.farlow@btinternet.com if you think you can help.
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