Philips Colour Television Receivers 1967 to 1983

Mullard & Combined Electronic Services (CES)

Combined Electronic Services or CES, 604 Purely Way (as it was know to many) was synonymous with the Philips TV brand during the period under consideration by this website.

Amalgamated Electric Services Ltd, Waddon Factory Estate, Croydon, Surrey (in 1964).  Created circa 1960, to handle the parts and service operations for Philips group brands: Philips, Stella, Cossor, Ada and Peto Scott.

AES became Combined Electronic Services Ltd, in 1968, after the Pye group was taken over by Philips and the Pye radio & TV service company (Radio & Television Services Ltd) was combined with AES Ltd. In 1976, CES Ltd became known as Philips Service.

In the early 1990s, the UK Philips spares warehouse at 604 Purley Way, Waddon, was closed.  All UK spares were then delivered from the central stores at Eindhoven, Holland.

Mullard. Founded as a valve manufacturer by Captain Stanley Mullard in September 1920 as the Mullard Wireless Service Co Ltd. Production started in Hammersmith and two years later, moved to larger premises at Balham. The Dutch NV Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken company took a 50% share in the company (Mullard required funds to develop his company) in 1924 and acquired full control in 1927. In 1929, Stanley Mullard resigned as MD of the company but remained connected with it (as a director) until he retired in 1970 (aged 87). . He died on 1st September 1979, aged 95. He joined Ediswan in 1915, saw service in WW1, where he was involved in transmitting valve development. In 1920 he set up the Mullard company, to produce these.

By 1946, the Mullard HQ was at the Philips HQ at Century House, Shaftesbury Avenue, London.

Circa 1950, the name was Mullard Electronic Products Ltd for equipment and Mullard Ltd for valves, CRTs and components.

In the mid-50s, Mullard Ltd had the following wholly owned subsidiaries:

The Mullard Radio Valve Co Ltd, Mullard Blackburn Works Ltd, Mullard Overseas Ltd, Mullard Equipment Ltd, Mullard Telecommunications and Marine Telecommunications Ltd. At this time, Mullard had factories at Mitcham (in Surrey), Blackburn ans Simonstone (both in N E Lancashire). It also had factories or feeder units at: Fleetwood, Rawthenstall, Lytham St Annes, Southport, Padiham, Hove, Whyteleafe and Waddon.

In 1957, Mullard moved into a new HQ building at Mullard House, Torrington Place, London, WC1, where they were until the 1990’s, when they relocated to Dorking (but by then, as Philips Components Ltd – the name change took place circa 1988).

The Mullard brand was dropped in favour of Philips Components on 27th April 1988.

Mullard had an association with the (British) Ever Ready company, insofar as valves were concerned. All Ever Ready branded valves were supplied to them by Mullard and Mullard nominated one member of the board of directors of Ever Ready.

In the UK, Mullard/Philips manufactured a wide range of electronic components and assemblies, including valves, semiconductors, CRTs, wound components, magnets, ferrites, loudspeakers and tuners. They also made a valve tester.
Mullard factories:

Blackburn – Philips Road, Blackburn, Lancs. Valves, capacitors, delay lines – in 1973. Opened shortly before the start of WW2.

Crossens – Balmoral Drive, Crossens, Southport, Merseyside (in 1974). Magnetic materials.

Dunfermline – Queensferry Road, Dunfermline, Fife. TV components and sub-assemblies (in 1979).

Durham (opened in 1972) – Belmont Industrial Estate, Durham. Colour CRTs. LG Philips (the CRT/LCD joint venture between Philips of Holland & LG of South Korea) announced in March 2005, their intention to close this factory by July 2005, with production moving to China.

Hazel Grove – Bramhall Moor Lane, Stockport, Cheshire. In 1979 – power and microwave semiconductors. Originally, a GEC semiconductors site (in 1960 & 61).

Mitcham – New Road, Mitcham, Surrey. Night vision and low level TV devices, modules, professional tubes, colour tube rebuilding, central applications laboratory and materials laboratory (in 1979).

Southampton (Millbrook Trading Estate), opened in 1957 for the manufacture of semiconductors

Stockport (Hazel Grove), Blackburn and Thornaby, Yorkshire (in 1969) – semiconductors

Simonstone – Simonstone, Burnley, Lancs. CRTs and glass

Thornaby (in 1973) – varicap TV tuners.

Washington – Stephenson Estate, Washington, Co Durham. Deflection/convergence wound components for CRTs (in 1978).

Croydon Service Dept, PO Box 142, Beddington Lane, Croydon, CR9 4NA. In 1958, they opened a new Service Department at Purley Way, Croydon.

Mullard valves were favoured by Ferguson, Pye, Bush and (of course!) Philips. There was also a company called Mullard Equipment Ltd. which sold Philips Industrial products in the UK, as well as making their own (e.g. “Norbit” logic modules- still giving sterling service in certain BBC transmitters!). In 1964, the name changed to The MEL Equipment Co Ltd and was sold by Philips in 1990/91 to Thomson CSF of France. Thomson merged MEL with Redifon (whom, by then, they also owned) to form Redifon MEL Ltd. When Thomson CSF changed its name to Thales in 2000, they Redifon MEL name went. In 1946, Mullard opened research laboratories in (Salfords) Redhill, Surrey and they were expanded in 1957 (still in business as Philips Research Laboratories).

Mullard Equipment Ltd, Manor Royal, Crawley, Sussex (new factory opened in 1961). In 1964, its name was changed to MEL.

Mullard Radio Valve Co Ltd (in 1957), New Road, Mitcham Junction, Surrey.

Mullard Radio Valve Co Ltd (in 1957), Queensway, Waddon Factory Estate, Croydon, Surrey.

Mullard Blackburn Works Ltd – formed in 1951.

I am most indebted to Dazzlevision for providing the historical information for this page.