Alongside production of the domestic and power speakers were the units of the Public Address range, many of which were designed to meet Government specifications for use by the Armed Forces, Local Authorities, Police and Fire Brigade. Built to stringent specifications these speakers often performed in extremely difficult and arduous conditions such as coal mines, chemical works, aircraft and lifeboats.

    The burgeoning market for live, amplified music gave rise to the enormous success of the G12, which eventually achieved fame as the guitar loudspeaker used in the Vox AC30 used by the Beatles and many of their contemporaries. However, the G12 was not originally conceived as a ‘guitar’ loudspeaker, and it had been in production since 1936.

    With their ears continually to the ground and their eyes on the market, the Thames Ditton design and engineering staff produced in 1964 what was to be the first of many notable Celestion hi-fi loudspeaker designs. Utilising the name of its birthplace, the Ditton 10 was launched at a critical time when it satisfied overnight a demand that hitherto had been frustrated. Offering the best possible audio quality from its bookshelf size, it was highly commended for its bass response, a quality that the pundits had always maintained could only be achieved with a large and heavy enclosure.

    Celestion’s design team, fired with the success of the Ditton 10, continued the endless pursuit of ultimate sound quality. Their plans were to incorporate an Auxiliary Bass Radiator (ABR) into the system, this passive unit working in conjunction with the bass speaker to extend and reinforce the lower end of the register.

    Resultant of their research and engineering, the Ditton 15 made its appearance during 1966, and confounded the experts with such a low response from a small enclosure. The price was also reasonable, retailing for £28.11.6 a pair. The Ditton 15 was eagerly sought after by the now stereo conscious public, and became the biggest selling bookshelf loudspeaker of its time. This system remained in production for over a decade, during which period about 250,000 were made, and continued in production in modified form as the Ditton 15XR with a slightly extended response range. Around this time Neil McKinlay was appointed Managing Director. Staffing levels at Thames Ditton are estimated at 400.

    As the demand for Ditton loudspeakers mounted, production became a problem at the Thames Ditton factory and it was decided that, as expansion at the present site was restricted by the river and road perimeters, a new location was the only obvious solution. Bearing in mind the considerable business that the company enjoyed, and problems which had been encountered with various docks in the London area, the East Anglian area was surveyed and eventually, after an initial plan to settle in Bury St. Edmunds, a site was acquired on Foxhall Road, Ipswich. New buildings were constructed, existing ones modified and the nucleus of a work force recruited using ex-Thames Ditton supervisory staff to train the new employees. Production began in Ipswich in late December 1968.

    First into manufacture at the new Ditton Works, Ipswich, so named to perpetuate the original site, were the 12" Power loudspeakers of the G12 type. In the early days supply and distribution raised many problems as a vehicle was despatched early each morning from Ipswich to make the 90 mile run through London to Thames Ditton, carrying the previous day’s production. It then loaded and returned by the same route, carrying back essential components for the next day’s production, enabling the supervisor, charge hand and twelve ladies to meet their schedule.

    As the weeks passed the interior of the Ipswich works began to house more and more sophisticated production machinery and more staff were engaged to operate the lines, which were now able to relieve the problems at Thames Ditton in the supply of domestic speakers to the manufacturers.
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