A SALISBURY man who has retired from the only job he has ever had after more than 50 years of service said it was “the end of an era”.

Steve Henry had his last day at facilities management firm Emcor UK on December 21, 53-and-a-half “enjoyable” years after taking up his first position.

The now 71-year-old joined the company straight out of school in July 1964, aged 18, when it was known as Arthur Scull and Son in Bristol, and he earned £6 a week.

Charlie Henry, Steve’s uncle, had worked for the company since 1923, and Steve’s son Ross also worked there for about six years.

“Three generations have clocked up nearly 100 years, it’s the end of an era really,” Steve said.

Steve started in the role of assistant to the company secretary, but after a year he was asked to move to the wages department.

“I thought, ‘a job is a job, at least it will buy me some time’,” he said. “But two years later I was made the payroll manager for the south west region.”

In the mid-70s the company was taken over by Drake and Gorham and moved to Salisbury.

Steve worked in offices on St Ann Street, where he had been responsible for merging the company’s payroll departments, and became the payroll manager.

“I must say, of all the years I have had working, the best enjoyment I have had was working in that wonderful house,” he said. “It was very special. It was one of the most enjoyable times I can think of.”

He had various roles including project director and credit manager, and at the time of leaving he was the revenue manager.

The company, now based in Eastleigh, became Emcor UK in the 1990s, but Steve remained in Salisbury with his wife Pam and their three children, and the couple now live in East Gomeldon.

Steve said: “We have stayed in Salisbury all of that time. I have never regretted it, I have loved every minute down here.”

He said he had seen “enormous changes” in his time at the company, from being the first person to ask if he could spend £5 on a pocket calculator for the department, to being the first to use a computer for his role.

“It’s quite remarkable - it’s been really enjoyable and exciting to go through all of that and see the changes,” he added.

Reflecting on his time at the company, Steve said: “I think I have been very fortunate, it’s unusual as people seem to move on much more quickly now.

“1964 was an amazing year, it’s the year I joined the company and the year I met my wife, and she has been with me all the way through. My three children have had the benefit of growing up in Salisbury, so it’s all worked out perfectly.”

Emcor UK chief executive Keith Chanter thanked Steve for his long service. He said: “It is remarkable for someone to have worked for a single organisation for an entire career.”