The Richardson Group history

In order to clear trees from his land, Richardson built a sawmill near the western shore of Lake Michigan on the Mullett River in 1848, with the help of his brother-in-law, Egbert Burhans.

1868: A planing mill and wood products manufacturing division are established.

By 1871, Richardson had given the sawmill its first overhaul; the mill's water wheel and leather belts were replaced with turbines and gears.

In 1876, the Joseph Richardson Company changed its name to Richardson Brothers Company.

In 1881 the company produced its first chairs, and a factory was built for their manufacture the following year.

In 1910, Joseph Egbert Richardson, who went by the name Egbert, succeeded his uncle William Richardson as company president.

1936: Jairus Richardson founds J.S. Richardson to design and produce woodworking equipment.

In 1944 Mr Richardson purchased their first motor cruiser “Mac Nab” from C Paget-Clark.

When he came out of the R.A.F. in March 1947, he re-joined his father in the boat letting business.

Three years after the war had finished, in 1948, the NHS was introduced and the parameters of pharmacy were more clearly defined.

In the following years, he worked with amazing energy to build a strong reputation for his business, in which his wife played a very active part until she gave birth to a disabled child in 1950.

In 1952, a fourth generation of the family took the helm when Bill Richardson, son of Jairus, was named president.

By 1957 the hire fleet had outgrown the Oulton Broad sites, which were Parkers Yard that later became Hamptons, Old Mill House Boatyard on Commodore Road, and 2 boat dykes in Carlton Ham, as well as a boat building yard on Lake Loathing which was sold to Fred Newson.

1959: Richardson Brothers form a joint venture to produce and market high-fashion furniture.

1960-99: Expansion and Modernization

Their daughter Gill had a form of muscular dystrophy which was later to claim her life on Christmas day in 1972.

A major development took place in 1973 when the company reorganized, forming Richardson Industries, Inc., as a holding company for its business segments, including furniture, lumber, and truss units.

In 1974, the whole of the Stalham boatyard, together with the fleet of 244 Cruisers, was sold to the Rank Organisation.

He continued building a fleet of boats which he then started hiring out from Acle in 1977.

In 1980 Mr Richardson purchased a small building site in Stalham High Street, which is now let as light industrial units as is the site at Catfield.

As far back as 1981, the Black Bottom Club had been created as an occasional and not-for-profit music venue which was focussed on the passionate promotion of traditional New Orleans revival jazz.

Although Richardson Brothers would later scale back its presence in the unfinished market, in 1982 Wood & Wood Products reported that unfinished furniture accounted for 20 percent of the company's shipments.

Richco personnel entered raw data on a screen, sent it to Trusswall by modem, and within a short period, they had engineered drawings for custom-made trusses." By 1983 Richco had decided to bring automated design in-house.

In April 1984, Mr Richardson bought the Stalham Boatyard back from Rank.

First, the company suffered a loss in 1986 when Charles Richardson, Sr., formerly head of Richco Structures, died.

On the opening of Auntie Ruth’s in 1990, the flavour of the bands promoted widened considerably and included such acts as La Mar and Amy Winehouse.

In early 1993 the company diverted into a new venture with the purchase of both Mundesley Holiday Centre on the North Norfolk Coast and Brightstone Holiday Centre on the Isle of Wight.

Sadly one evening in August 1995 Brightstone, one of the oldest holiday centres in England, caught fire, destroying the main complex, bringing to an end 60 years of catered holidays.

Next on the list of acquisitions came Hemsby Beach Holiday Village – a self catering site at Hemsby on the east coast of Norfolk, which started trading under the New Horizon banner on 1st June 1996.

In the February 1997 issue of Wood & Wood Products, Barbara Garet described the process used to make the sturdy chairs: "Steam bending makes chairs both durable and attractive.

In March 1998 Scottish & Newcastle decided to sell their Pontins site adjacent to the Hemsby Beach site.

The following year 1999 saw the purchase of another Pontins site, South Downs Holiday Village at Bracklesham Bay near Chichester.

In October 2000 the group purchased the Angel public house in Stoke-by-Nayland.

The first workforce reduction took place in 2001, when 70 employees were let go.

The Waterfront Place in Chelmsford Essex joined in December 2002.

In January 2004, Caesars Arcade on Beach Road Hemsby was purchased.

In 2005 Church Farm public house/restaurant came on board.

In 2006 the group purchased Lowestoft Family Bowl, a ten pin bowling centre in Lowestoft.

The latest acquisition in September 2007 was the Hog in Armour public house in the centre of Norwich.