Harrold History - Bridgman Doors

Bridgman Doors

The Company was first formed by Mr H C (Bert) Bridgman, and incorporated as a Limited Company in 1954. Bert was known as a demanding boss, but fair, and he took his employees off on trips, sometimes abroad, for a rewarding break. Over the succeeding years, the Company gradually expanded, including into flush-door production.

In 1969 the Company acquired land in Harrold for its purpose-built factory. A new door line was installed for manufacturing suited doors of all types and finishes. For a number of years Bridgmans manufactured prefabricated bathrooms for hotels, but with the demise in hotel building, the company turned to flush door production. A sum of £250,000 was invested in press machinery, reputedly providing the ability to press five fire doors in 3½ minutes.

After such enterprise and investment in facilities and people, it was inevitably a great loss when in February 2000, Bridgman Doors Ltd closed with the loss of about 100 jobs. This ended an era when Harrold, unlike many other local villages, had provided significant employment locally.

The factory site was then developed for housing near to the heart of the village.