Sydney S. Bird & Sons Ltd.
34, Queen Annes Grove, Bush Hill Park, Enfield Middlesex (1920-1925)  Cyldon Works, Sarnesfield Road, Enfield, Middlesex (1925-         )    Factory; Fleets Lane, Poole, Dorset (1953–       )
Head Office; 3 Palace Mansions, Palace Gardens, Enfield Middlesex (1954 -       )

Brands: Cyldon, Bird

Manufacturer of radio components under the Cyldon brand, toys, model steam engines, and sewing machines.

In the early 1960’s they manufactured Bird Brand amplifiers and electronic organs and TV tuners.

Around 1920 Sydney S. Bird (1985 -     ) started selling radio condenser hardware, brass rod, bolts, nuts, etc, and as a manufacturer invited trade inquiries, from 34 Queen Annes Grove, Bush Hill. [1][2]

During the mid-1920s he set up a factory in Sarnesfield Road, Enfield, which he called Cyldon Works. [3]

Cyldon is thought to be derived from an amalgamation of Sydney Bird's two son's names Cyril and Donald. Also, around this time he traded under the name Sydney S. Bird & Sons.

By 1927 he had formed the private company Sydney S. Bird & Sons Ltd.

The company produced a large range of tuning condensers & Temprytes (Grid leak resistors) for the local radio manufacturers and also exported to Australia. [4][5]

During the 1930s, Bird also became involved in toy manufacturing under the Cyldon trade name. He acquired the Prestacon Model Engineering company which manufactured a product similar to Meccano without nuts and bolts and the Morthan "junior" sewing machine company.

He continued producing electronic goods under the brand name Cyldon, and toy cookers and washing machine toys under the brand name Vulcan. The Cyldon name was also used for a range of model stationary steam engines between 1947 and 1951.

In 1946 Sydney S. Bird retired and was replaced as managing director by S. E. C. Bird, who had been the works manager. [6]

In the early 1950s, the Bird factory manufactured a range of turret tuners that could be fitted internally to Band 1-only television receivers.

They were supplied in a variety of forms and IF frequencies, employing series or parallel connected valves as a particular receiver required. ECC84/ECF80 for parallel, PCC84/PCF80 for 0.3amp series and UCC84/UCF80 for 0.1amp series chains.

They could be plugged into the vacated existing RF amplifier and frequency changer valve holders in reasonable signal areas or wired in using the frequency changer as an additional IF amplifier if more gain was required. Twin gain controls were switched into the circuit to balance signal levels at the receiver.

The tuner was also supplied in vast numbers to manufacturers who incorporated it into new receivers.

The increased success of the toys and TV tuners led to Bird outgrowing his Enfield factory. This resulted in the company moving around 1953 to Poole in Dorset on the South Coast of England where larger premises were available.

Within a few years, Sydney Poole became the largest employer in the town, with around 1,000 workers on the books. They developed further products, including door chimes which were sold under the Morphy-Richards "Cyldon" trade name, cine reels, TV tuners, and electronic organs.

In 1962, Bird's companies were merged under one holding company called Astaron-Bird, which was a public company. This encompassed the Sydney Bird Company, Astaron Electronics, and Morthan Ltd. The general electronics side of the business was producing increasingly sophisticated products, such as echo sounders, radar, and marine communications systems.

In 1966, Astaron-Bird commenced making car radios, which were sold under the Radiomobile and Motorola trade names. Around that same time, musical amplification and organs were dropped from the product range.

In the early 1970s, Astaron-Bird was taken over by the Brocks Group.  This lasted until 1981 when the receivers were called in.[6]

[1] Wireless World May 1965, Page 232.
[2] Wireless World & Radio Review Aug 26, 1922, Page 37.
[3] Wireless World Jan 20, 1926, Page 21.
[4] Amateur Wireless Oct 22, 1927, Page 587.
[5] Queensland Radio News Dec 1, 1927, Page 63.
[6] Grace's Guide to British Industrial History, accessed March 2023.