Hi there, John,
Welcome to Mad Modders.
I lived in Essex for several years and started to get my workshop together there. I bought a lot of the accessories for my Myford lathe from G.A.Dunball in Brentwood Road, Romford, and a lot of tools from W.L.Cooke of Chadwell Heath. I also used to buy a lot of raw material from Harry Jeffries' scrap yard in Mawney Road, Romford.
I know Dunballs ceased trading before I left Essex and the scrap yard changed hands in the early 1990s. How many sources of tools and materials are there in Essex nowadays?