Well at long last I managed to visit the Carradice factory today.
Much to my relief it was exactly as I imagined. It is situated right at the bottom of a very narrow road on the second floor of an old victorian factory unit. The customer counter is just that, with only a piece of wood seperating you from the factory floor which I would not have imagined has changed much in the last 50 years.
The lady who came to help us was more than helpfull and we spent an enjoyable hour watching the two and fro of the shop floor while inspecting their range of products. The lady (I regret now not gettting her name) kept saying I think we have one of those in seconds and then coming back with just the item at a great saving.
I just wanted to let the forum know that the reality of a visit is as good as you would imagine and that the service and friendliness does them credit.
They have a reasonable size (if somewhat incomplete) stock of seconds that they are selling at a discounted price (50%) with faults ranging from the severe to the inconsequential(a missing carradice patch for example)
Certainly an enjoyable experience
Andy