Arden’s Beginnings in the Poynter Family Cellar

In 1964, brothers Frank and Philip Poynter and their friend George Snowball began making cutting dies in the cellar of the Poynter family home in Bredbury, Stockport. Working with a single saw and a workbench in a space of around 10 square feet, Philip and George made dies there after finishing their day jobs at a local printing firm. Frank, a salesman, focused on finding customers, securing orders and selling the dies. The workshop soon proved too small. Within four months, the business had outgrown the cellar, leading to a move to its first premises in Marple in February 1965, where Arden Dies was formally established. The work begun in Bredbury in 1964 was therefore the starting point for the Arden business.