Time Period: Early 20th Cent (1911-1932)

In 1928, the family (Webber) who made leather footballs in South Norwood, decided to create shuttlecocks.

In 1930 the Reinforced Shuttlecock Limited company was created. In 1936 they were creating 40000 shuttlecocks made of cork and feathers.

The business was based in station road and then moved to Stanley works building in 1939. The company opened the first USA shuttlecock manufacturing plant. The business moved to Sandwich in Kent in the late 1940s.

In order to guarantee the supply of top-quality goose feathers which were only available in China, RSL in 1980 entered into an arrangement with the Chinese Government whereby they set up a factory in Canton, China with the Chinese providing the raw materials and RSL the experience and machinery which had been perfected over the years.

You can read more about the shuttlecock from page 26 onwards in this issue of The Norwood Review by clicking here.