W Swire & Sons: The business that served St Helens for 80 years

A large decorating company, it employed dozens of decorators plus plumbers and electricians in its more than 80 years of operation until the mid-1980s.

The business was based in St Helens town centre.

W Swire & Sons

Jeffrey Swire, who was the third custodian of the family to run the organisation following in the footsteps of his father Gerald, passed away during the summer of this year.

Jeffrey, who upon retirement moved to Arnside with wife Barbara who pre-deceased him, died aged 88 with his funeral held at Beetham Hall Crematorium on August 22.

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“He took on 10 to 15 apprentices every year and a lot of people will have gone through Swire & Son,” said Jeffrey’s son Ian.

“He had a few Saints, players, Jonathan Neil, who played at Wembley. One of the stories is that he turned down Jonathan Davies once!”

The company worked on many residents’ homes and decorated the vast estate of Greenall Whitley Public Houses, in the town.

“He did a lot of work in the community, he did a lot and had a lot of friends, he was very popular.

“He never had a bad word for anybody. He was just a nice guy and that came across at the funeral. People remembered him as he was.”

Jeffrey, with son Ian

About W Swire & Sons

The business was launched by Jeffrey’s grandfather William Swire, who had survived been shot twice, in the top of his head and in his leg, in the Boer War and returned to St Helens.

He had three sons and a daughter with his eldest two boys following him into the family business now renamed W. Swire and Sons Limited with its famous motto of “Swire for Solid Service”.

After William’s death, his sons split the business with Jeffrey’s father Gerald retaining the decorating business and Laurence moving the plumbing business into L. Swire and Sons Limited.

Jeffrey was the middle of three siblings, with older sister Marian and younger sister Carole.

Born in 1936, Jeffrey’s early life was spent during the Second World War. He went to Liverpool College and at 15 was playing for the College Colts in rugby union.

At 17 he became an apprentice painter and decorator at W Swire & Sons, where he remained until his retirement 35 years later.

W Swire & Sons

He became friendly with wife Barbara, who was daughter of the landlord at the White Hart Hotel across the road. They got engaged on Barbara’s 21st birthday and married less than a year later with the reception at the Bird I’th Hand, which was Harry Vose’s new hostelry near the Saints’ Knowsley Road rugby ground.

Their wedding even made the northern editions of both the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror as Jeffrrey had surprised his bride-to-be by arranging for a 1914 open top car to whisk them away from St Helens Parish Church.

Jeffrey and Barbara's wedding featured in the national news

Their first house was in Eccleston Park and later moved to Prescot.

An active member of the local community, Jeffrey served as chairman of Prescot Round Table and was also a founder member of St Helens Lions Club.

Jeffrey and Barbara bought a cottage in Arnside, in the Lake District and retired there permanently after he sold the decorating business.

Jeffrey was pre-deceased by Barbara who died in 2017.

He later struck up a friendship with neighbour Maisie who moved in before her passing in 2020.

Jeffrey leaves behind two sons, Ian and Rob, four grandchildren, as well as four great-grandchildren, and two step great-grandchildren.