WHEN businesswoman Sarah Taylor found an old photo it peeled away more than 100 years of history - and gave her an insight into her family’s Sale company in its early days.

Sarah, who runs her father John Cow’s business. J C Quirks, was delighted to find an old photograph of the plumbers merchant firm’s delivery service staff in 1907 - the year the company was founded.

A friend of her father’s had found the photograph inside a book a few years ago.

But it was mislaid until Sarah recently came across it among leaflets and paperwork at the firm’s Waverley Road office.

The rediscovered photograph sparked 36-year-old Sarah’s imagination and spurred her on to delve into the history of the business, which is also a bathroom distributor.

Her research revealed that J C Quirks was set up in 1907 by Sale resident Joseph Cobden Quirk, 36, who died in 1928.

The company was later owned by the Willan Group and Sarah’s father, John, bought it 17 years ago.

The only person she has been able to identify on the 1907 photograph is the man to the left of the horse who was known as Old Sam. Sarah said he was a ‘noted character of his time’, known for his good sense of humour.

Sarah said the delivery service today maintains the same spirit: “All our five workers have great characters and are noted for their good humour to our customers.

“It makes me very proud that we are still trading under the same name and we are still located in Sale.”