Trivia: inventor of Acrow prop dies

[Tony Bryer]

From today's Daily Telegraph:

"William de Vigier, who died on December 20 aged 91, was the Swiss-born inventor of the Acrow prop.

Arriving in London in 1935 with £50 in his pocket, Bill de Vigier set up a small workshop under Bow arches in the East End making steel props which were adjustable for length by means of a robust screw thread. His ingenious design was at first too revolutionary for a trade which had relied wastefully since time immemorial on wooden pole scaffolding, sawn to fit each use; for three months no builder would listen to him, but eventually a small number - among them the firm of Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons - began to buy his product.

The solicitor who helped set up de Vigier's company was a Mr A Crowe: de Vigier adapted his name on the grounds that it would be easy to pronounce and near the beginning of any alphabetical listing. Hence the "Acrow prop" entered the language of the building site, finding a multitude of temporary structural uses. Orders multiplied and by 1939 more than 40,000 Acrow props were in daily use in Britain ....."

[Sage]

I daresay that many acrows are still propping up structures after many years, neatly boxed up:-)

K

[Tony Bryer]

In my early BCO days I was somewhat alarmed to go to a nearly complete house and see a number of Acrow props apparently holding up the double garage door lintel. The foreman explained that by leaving them apparently propping something up none of the light-fingered brigade would risk removing them.