William Hills Farndale, son of William James and Mabel Mary (nee Hills) Farndale (FAR00579), was born in Loftus (census) on 20 January 1917 (1939 Register). The birth was registered in Guisborough District (GRO Vol 9D Page 697).

Guisborough

1921

1921 census - Guisborough

William James Farndale, 39, costing clerk, The Skinningrove Iron Co Ltd, iron and steel makers, Carling How

Mabel Mary Farndale, 37

William Hills Farndale, 4, born Loftus

Redcar

1939

1939 Register – 35 Corporation Road, Redcar

William J Farndale, born 30 January 1882, solicitor’s clerk

Mabel Farndale, born 14 March 1884

William H Farndale, born 20 January 1917, single, constructional draughtsman, ARP Service

Hamsterley, Near Bishop Auckland

1941

Bill joined the Local Defence Volunteers from 29 April 1941 to 20 June 1947. He served with Durham Home Guard, 15^th Battalion.

They lived at Park Villa, Hamsterley, Near Bishop Auckland during WW2.

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1943

William Hills Farndale, married Florence Margery Lowson in the first quarter of 1943 at Durham South Western District (MR), Margery was born on 25 July 1918 and her father, George, was a weighman.

Middlesbrough

1950

Joan M Farndale (FAR01043) was born in 1950.

1956

Anne C Farndale (FAR01079) was born in 1956.

1957

Susan M Farndale (FAR01091) was born in 1957.

Darlington

1975

Bill Farndale founded Kohlangaz with Doug Mitchell in 1975. They launched the company from Parkgate, Darlington, next to a butchers shop, and their next unit was the old Co-op funeral premises in Branksome Terrace. Between 1975 and 1982 staff numbers increased from two, the founders, to 15 as Kohlangaz continued to expand. The company built a new factory in Whessoe Road in 1980 and, after further expansion, moved to the present unit on the Yarm Road Industrial Estate in 1981.

Scorton

1982

Bill Farndale retired to Scorton.

1992

Darlington and Stockton Times, 27 June 1992:

FOUNDER DISMAYED AT COMPANY CLOSURE.

The glowing embers and flickering flames which lit countless British living rooms now cast a dark shadow over Kohlangaz, the coal effect gas fire company, founded by two inventive engineers.

Mr Bill Farndale, aged 75, from Scorton, and the late Mr Doug Mitchell, invented the revolutionary fires after hearing about the huge log effect fires used in on Hollywood film sets.

Despite the best efforts of the British Coal advertising campaign, “Come home to a real fire”, Kohlangaz became one of the largest “fake” fire companies in Europe, with a £5m turnover in 1988.

Mr Farndale, who founded Kohlangaz with Mr. Mitchell in 1975, is dismayed and surprised at the decision of parent company Glynwed to lose the northern factories. “From a personal point of view, I am very sad of course to see the company Bill and I founded in Darlington leaving town after nearly 20 successful years. The closure decision came as a great surprise and seems a pity, since they're leaving Darlington with 60 fewer jobs but creating 40 more vacancies elsewhere,” he said.

Mr Farndale and Mr. Mitchell were working as engineers for Power Gas Corporation in Stockton when a friend mentioned the 1970s fashion for log effect fires in the United States. “Film makers in Hollywood first used the log effect fires for safety reasons and convenience during shooting,” said Mr Farndale. “These fires, which were very large and baronial, started life on Hollywood sets, but as soon as the public watched the films they became popular in homes.”

The men, both gas and chemical engineers, quit their jobs to decide to work on a smaller, coal effect fire, since coal was Britain’s indigenous fuel.

They discovered that the American fires used a great deal of power when creating the visual “flickering” effect, but not enough to actually heat the room. We decided to base our fires on the traditional British fuel, coal, which in effect meant lopping the corners off log effect fires to make a smaller unit,” he said.

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Mr Bill Farndale, one of the firm’s founders

They launched the company from Parkgate, Darlington, next to a butchers shop, and their next unit was the old Co-op funeral premises in Branksome Terrace.

Their fires proved an overnight success, partly because of the British public's hankering for nostalgia, said Mr Farndale. “We came along just at the right moment, when people wanted to have a coal fire in their front rooms, whether real or not,” he said.

Even the “knocking” British coal adverts failed to halt the company’s rising fortunes. “People couldn't tell the difference between real and fake fires. They just liked the look of the flames because it records the good old days,” he said.

Between 1975 and 1982 staff numbers increased from two, the founders, to 15 as Kohlangaz continued to expand. The company built a new factory in Whessoe Road in 1980 and, after further expansion, moved to the present unit on the Yarm Road Industrial Estate in 1981.

Mr Farndale retired in 1982 and when Mr. Mitchell died in 1983, the company suffered a major cash flow problem, which resulted in Darlington businessman Mr Doug Eynon becoming chairman.

Mr Farndale chuckles as he admits to no longer having one of the coal and gas fires at his home. “There are no gas mains in Scorton so we can't have a gas fire, but we used to have the latest models when we lived in Darlington, I can assure you,” he said.

1994

Florence Marjorie Farndale, born 25 July 1918, died in April 1994 at Richmond.

1996

William H Farndale, married Myra J G White at Richmond District in February 1996 (MR).

2009

William Hills Farndale, born 20 January 1917, died at Richmond on 25 January 2009.