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Midland Cattle Products

Dennis Williams

Gone but not forgotten
This first pic was posted elsewhere some time ago....can anyone identify the roads surrounding this building....which I have never seen any other photo of? Looks an impressive building....I think it may have been in Montague Street...like the entrance shot also included?

16602354_1918309565068472_5681955919493426795_o.jpg 12593999_10207110680996641_4884370925029823673_o.jpg
 
Dennis
the 1913 Kellys lists the company at 95 Digbeth, but thta looks wrong. However the 1936 edition gives an address in Bordesley St, which would correspond to the animal products factory on the c1950 map below (Now realise the bottom left hand corner of your post is railway lines).


map c 1950 showing Midland cattle products factory.jpg
 
I notice, just south of the railway tracks and maybe with a frontage in Digbeth, is a fellmonger with a corresponding yard. There might be a connection with the address quoted in Digbeth.
 
The footprint of the building on Mike's map looks a perfect match. The place must have stunk to high heaven.

Good point Alan - although I had to look up the meaning of fellmonger first! For those who don't know it's a dealer in hides and skins. Viv.
 
the hide and skin new cannal street and the animal product of bordesly street just around the corner of bordesley street
which was manufacturing and producing lard
this was just along the road on new cannal street in fact number 1 new cannal strret was the corner of bordesley street digbeth
and just across the road facing typhoo tea ware housing was the factory i just cannot recall the name of it
it was facing our grand fathers and grand mothers and my mothers house and bed and breakfast house
coffee shop on the very corner of new cannal street and bordesly street
there back gate was the gate way to into the typhoos factory and also the hide and skin yard
the management used to come and asked them to borrow there little jack russell as they had rats running around the yard
also typoo had a slight problem from time to time because the hide and shin was a long yard n the side where you see the sheltered part on the right hand of the wall it came along the wall to the houses there was number 2 , and number 1 new cannal street was the house and coffee shop which had a big step up into the shop and i used to whatch the cattle every sunday morning through the coffee shop windows
some would come right up to the windows and the shop dor windows and the men shuffted them along to the yard
it was about fifty yards passing the shop the stench was terrible all day long
see the shins stack up high and the sheep and the pigs there you would see all the blood all down there yard
Astonian,,,Alan,,
 
Viv,

Working in the animal trade has never been easy and required a strong stomach. My uncle, Jack Whitelam, was for many years a pig slaugterman for Marsh & Baxter, and my great uncle, Garibaldi Sedgwick, in his early working life was a currier, as I have detailed elsewhere on the Forum. Both told some fairly horrific stories although neither were cruel men.

Nevertheless, I'm sure that the animals suffered far less than the cattle at an abbatoir/processing plant in north eastern Pennsylvania, where cattle reputedly went from live animal to fully processed product in one minute and fifty seconds. The company concerned had a volume contract with the Japanese for quality beef and most of the rest ended up as pet food.

Maurice
 
Dennis
the 1913 Kellys lists the company at 95 Digbeth, but thta looks wrong. However the 1936 edition gives an address in Bordesley St, which would correspond to the animal products factory on the c1950 map below (Now realise the bottom left hand corner of your post is railway lines).


View attachment 113149
The 1913 entry you refer to was correct as also was the 1936 entry. The company was formed in 1904.Screenshot 03-23-2022 18.57.36.pngScreenshot 03-23-2022 19.21.29.png
 
I would greatly appreciate it if someone could provide me with information about Midland Castle Products Ltd., including the date of its closure.
 
There are lots of mentions in the newspapers (mainly share price) up until late 1976 when it appears they were taken over, possibly by Thomas Borthwick Meats. It seems to say their bid was accepted but either way there are virtually no more mentions after this.
 
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