Description:This group of distinguished looking managers and engineers are pictured on a cold day in the garden with the east front of the Hough in the background. This building later became known as The Old Hough. On the front row in the centre are thought to be members of the Siemens family.
This image is from a glass negative taken around the time the Siemens Brothers purchased the Hough Estate in 1901 Their factory and offices were ready to start production by 1903. The factory and offices are on the left of the picture, just out of shot of the camera. Over the years the Company has been renowned for its electrical products including generators, transformers and switchgear.
The Hough Estate with the house, stables and lodge are clearly shown by the Lichfield Road on old maps of 1889 and the 1900s. During Siemens' time the Hough was initially the residence of the Factory Manager until the New Hough was built next door in 1907. The Manager had his own servants, a groom and a gardener. After the Manager moved to the New Hough, the Hough became known as the Old Hough. It was often used as guest accommodation for visiting company employees and customers some of which were members of the Armed Forces who came to the factory to inspect the production of items required that would be vital to the defence programme during the First World War and the Second World War. V.I.Ps would have stayed next door at the New Hough.
In later years the English Electric Co. used the Old Hough building as part of their Education Department with offices and a library for employees and students in training at the works. In GEC's time most of the building was used as a document storage area for the Pensions Office and the Registrar’s Office. The Old Hough was demolished around 1980 and the land was used as a company car park and a steel plate storage area.
In separate Past Track views there are aerial pictures showing the New Hough and part views of the Old Hough. Also there is a picture of the former stable yard buildings which had been used by the Site Services Maintenance Department for several years until they were demolished in February 2006 to make way for the Hough Retail Park and there is a view of the Lodge which was demolished around 2009. The remainder of the Lichfield Road Main Works buildings at Queensville were demolished in the autumn of 2020 and the site was completely flattened (February 2021), to make way for a housing development.
On a neighbouring site the Transformer Works remains and is still operational (June 2021) as part of the GE (General Electric) group.