TO those with ears old enough to recall such things, the defining sound of Abergavenny town was once a fierce factory hooter which would first release, and then recall people back to the grind and grunt of the working day.

The tyranny of the workplace clock may sound almost Orwellian to a generation groomed to toil in a gig economy where remote workplaces and flexi-hours are king, but back in the day Sargeant Brothers’ distinctive clarion call, signalling the start and end of the daily lunch break was as familiar and soothing as cattle baying belligerently on their way to market.

People used to set their clock by the Sargeant sound, and when the day came when the ancient steam boiler which provided the works motive power was put to bed and the signal ceased, there was widespread disappointment and a call for its return.

To keep the people happy the company purchased a ship’s whistle and continued to make its presence felt on the streets of Abergavenny.

It’s a sound indication of just how much this now defunct printing business had a strong sense of belonging to the town in which it operated ever since it was first established in Cross Street in 1870

In the early days it was a small operation with two or three girls engaged in the business of making paper bags and nothing but two or three printing presses to tackle the job at hand.

The company grew, and in 1887, with business booming and Henry Sargeant at the helm, they opened their spacious and state of the art factory in Queen Street. They soon became the principal makers of paper bags in the principality.

In 1909 the firm became a limited company, the factory grew bigger and the workforce soon grew to well over 200. Paper bag making continued to be the firm’s bread and butter until the 1930s when printing and book binding became the company’s focus.

The works shut up shop in 1983 and the business moved to Pontypool. The printers faced the swing of the wrecking ball and Cibi Walk shopping precinct now stands on the site of where Sargeants proudly blew its horn for a number of years. Toot! Toot!