Account

About us

Made in Birmingham. Since 1880.

We have been in business for over 140 years and have amassed a reputation for being creative, helpful, and friendly.
Dealing with us is as stress free as it gets!


Who We Are

Harper’s Hill is an eCommerce website set up by a team of creative, skilled, and friendly people employed by an engineering company called A E Harris & Co (Birmingham) Ltd located in the industrial West Midlands, United Kingdom.

Trading since 1880, we have many core skills/capabilities including design, pressing metal, folding metal, laser cutting metal, welding metal, and finishing metal. We use mild steel, stainless steel, copper, bronze, and brass to make our products.

Harper’s Hill designs a range of attractive £25 gifts to more expensive extravagances with approach that puts an emphasis on originality and quality.

We design and make the products ourselves here in the Midlands. Ours is a simple philosophy, we make things we like, and we make them to a quality standard we ourselves would buy.

Our customers tend to be people who seek something different. They appreciate the fact that when they write to us or call us, they are talking to the people who designed or created the products they are buying.


“Real People making real Products”

Our Ethos

What’s in a Name?

Based in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter for 140 years, the latter 55 years of that being in Northwood Street, Harper’s Hill was a piece of ground at the top of James Street joining Northwood Street. Roughly from 1775 to 1790 the famous Scottish inventor and engineer James Watt lived at a house called Regents Place on Harper’s Hill.

The team always liked the idea of working in the same place where such a great inventor would have once stood thinking about his next idea. It is what we do every day and think about what we could design and make next. So that is how we decided on the name for our shop.

If you like things that are a little bit different, welcome to a place you are going to enjoy.


Our History Timeline

We’ve been making quality metal products since 1880, and here’s how…

1880-1914
The birth of the company

Albert Harris, a salesman joined toolmaker Howard Luckock, his brother-in-law to undertake sub-contract manufacturing work and develop their own costume jewellery in all metals. They designed a medal commemorating Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee which caught on, the initial order being 2000 gross (288,000 parts in todays speak!)

A E Harris advert

1914-1924
Adapting to change

The First World War saw a complete change. Costume Jewellery manufacture ceased and their factory was switched to producing components for munitions. The age of the micrometer and blue print had arrived.

A E Harris stampings and labels

1924-1939
Surviving the slump

The great post war slump saw another massive switch. The company shifted to component manufactory for both car and electrical industries which enabled the company to survive the most profound economic depression of the 20th century... just!

A E Harris advert

1939-1950
Support on the home front

Another war brought a move back into munitions and components associated with armaments, mining equipment and vehicles, with Rolls-Royce Motor Car Company developing as a major customer.

A E Harris advert

1950-1965
Heavy investment

A period of rapid growth is seen, as a result of heavy investment in “state-of-the-art” plant and equipment, plus new blood with creative ideas coupled with quick response to customer demands. Larger and heavier components were produced and assembled to customers’ requirements, especially in the field of switchgear.

A E Harris premises

1965-2000
Expansion and relocation

An increased customer base, coupled with yet more capital investment necessitated leaving the premises in Camden St. which had been home for some 85 years into a much larger factory in Northwood St. Expansion continued as other neighbouring premises were acquired ultimately leading to a site area of three acres. Further heavy investment in laser cutting, machine tools and presses resulted in increased demand.

A E Harris laser cutting

2000-2020
A major new chapter

Manufacturers buying in parts from overseas, particularly from the Far East, started to affect turnover. The business base was broadened by acquisition. Chapman Driver Seating, market leader in Driver seats for buses, was merged with A.E. Harris. Now in 2020 a major new chapter has started, after 55 years at Northwood Street, we have bought our new location in Pleasant St. West Bromwich to start another period of development.

1880   

  2025