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Fish hook manufacture in Redditch developed using the same skills as the needle industry and fish hooks were being produced in the town in the late 18th century. This developed in the 19th Century and the largest manufacturer was Allcocks’s which was founded by Polycarp Allcock in 1803.

The original factory was based at the top of Unicorn Hill, but, in 1866, it moved to the larger plant in Clive Road, These premises were destroyed by fire in 1920 and were rebuilt as even bigger premises, a similar part of which still exists (right) and now contains various industrial units. By 1926 the Company employed over 1000 people in the town.