Swavesey & District History Society
April 2026 Meeting
Again, forty people attended to hear Roger Crabtree and Bob Bates tell the story of PYE in Cambridge, 1896 – 2026. Both worked there for many years from the 1950s/60s but in 2010 it became clear that the vast knowledge of the company would soon be lost. So, they interviewed over 60 former employees and in 2019 helped to set up a major PYE exhibition at the Cambridge Museum of Technology, with its entrance on Riverside into The Old Pumping Station in Cheddars Lane.
W G Pye and Company Limited was founded in Cambridge in 1896 by William George Pye who started making scientific instruments in his garden shed. For a few years he was employed at Cavendish Laboratories. In 1922 his PYE company began a subsidiary producing radios which was sold in 1929 to C O Stanley, becoming Pye Radio Ltd (later Pye Ltd). Between 1936, when 40 people were employed, and 1947 the company successfully concentrated on design and manufacture of military equipment including gunsights, aircraft height finders and radar – they also had their own Home Guard troop. C O was both an excellent salesman and a brilliant motivator, and enthusiastically inspired clever technical people to excel. He was a hard worker, a very good speaker and a charismatic leader. In 1922 the first PYE wireless was produced and more manufacturing buildings were built in Cambridge. They started producing record players and vinyl records in the 1950s with artists including Lonnie Donegan, Petula Clark, the Searchers, the Kinks, Sandie Shaw, Status Quo and Brotherhood of Man. In the early 1960s PYE was at its peak with 28,000 employees and a vast range of products. Roger joined PYE Telecom in 1969, producing mobile, one-way, radios for police, fire and taxi companies. Daily PYE buses brought in hundreds of workers from surrounding villages including Over and Swavesey.
In 1947, W G Pye & Co was sold to Pye Ltd. By 1962 there were already signs of looming problems such as deteriorating quality of PYE televisions. In 1966 management ousted C O Stanley and in 1976 there was a fierce takeover battle between Philips and Thorn, which Philips won. In 1996, Philips telecom was sold to Cineven and its name changed to Simoco International. In 2002, various sell-offs meant that Simoco was placed into administration. In late 2002, the radio communications business was purchased by Team Telecom and became known as Team Simoco. In 2010, Team Telecom Group was formed and is now made up of 3 companies, including Simoco Group. The situation has not improved since and by today many of the Cambridge sites are under housing estates.
This was a very detailed presentation from two excellent, senior speakers and which can be followed up at the Cambridge Museum of Technology.
Next meeting – 16 June. Houghton Watermill on the Great Ouse.
Selwyn Richardson
