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HP Sauce Factory

roberta

i worked too hp when left school in 1969 also the tea girl, i think my supervisor was named fay... i lived 58 cato street north nechells,but left b,ham in 1971 to anglesey,i love looking back, this site as brought a lot of pleasure to me.. thankyou
 
Welcome Pinky if you type Cato in to the 'Search' on the top blue band you will get many theads and posts about Cato St and Cato St North and a couple of pic's too. :cool:
 
Beans!

I can't believe it, but I actually bought some 'cheap' Heinz baked beans from the supermarket - I nearly 'gagged' when I ate them!!! Won't be buying them again. Too much history under the bridge!!!
 
HP Sauce factory sign moves to new home Dec 13 2007


By Patrice John, Birmingham Mail

AN iconic piece of Birmingham's heritage which dominated the city's skyline for 100 years is being moved to its final resting place.
The HP Sauce factory sign, which stood proudly on the outside of the building in Aston, will be placed in a collection at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
The sign was under threat after Heinz announced the relocation of the production of HP sauce to Holland despite a huge Save Our Sauce campaign led by the Birmingham Mail.
Cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture Coun Ray Hassall said: "The HP building was one of Birmingham's most famous landmarks and the signs are a reminder of a very important part of Birmingham's industrial heritage.
"I am delighted that they are going to be in the museum's collection centre for future generations to see and look back and be proud of the city's history."
The Birmingham Mail launched the Save Our Sauce campaign after Heinz decided to move production to The Netherlands in May 2006.

The lengthy campaign was backed by workers at the world-famous Aston Cross plant who were desperate to get the decision reversed.

Heinz bosses decided that the 125-strong workforce in Aston were no longer needed to make the trademark brown sauce.

The Birmingham Mail campaign saw workers, trade union-ists and politicians march in protest at the closure. A huge petition was also collected.

A separate campaign to save the HP Sauce sign was launched by BBC Radio WM presenter Phil Upton who said: "The site of the HP Sauce factory is looked upon with huge affection in Birmingham.

"Its sign marked a gateway back into the city."
 
That's very good news about the HP sign so familiar to so many.The HP factory was a huge part of Aston's history as well as the actual product being
present on most dining tables in the land. Just wish that the Bull Ring Bull sign had been saved in the same way. Oh well. Happy about the HP sign.
 
H P Sauce

watton said:
I can't believe it, but I actually bought some 'cheap' Heinz baked beans from the supermarket - I nearly 'gagged' when I ate them!!! Won't be buying them again. Too much history under the bridge!!!
Click to expand...


Watten Your dad would have "crowned" you if he had caught you bringing Heinz beans into the house.
I worked with your dad on the transport at HP and one of the jobs was to take onion garlic pulp upto North Walsham Norfolk and Blairgowrie Scotland to where the HP baked beans were made. The workers in the canning factory used to say that any inferior beans ie.small were sold on to Heinz.
 
HP Sauce

watton said:
I can't believe it, but I actually bought some 'cheap' Heinz baked beans from the supermarket - I nearly 'gagged' when I ate them!!! Won't be buying them again. Too much history under the bridge!!!
Click to expand...


Watton, Just found a photo of some of the HP drivers, and your dad is presenting a silver salver to Albert Eggison, I think it was for his retirement . I'm the one on the left of the blonde lady without the hat but a lot of hair.
 
Silver platter

Claribel - yes you did have more hair then! (Smile) Many thanks for the photo. remember a lot of the faces, but can't remember their names.
It would be great to see a lot more photos like this, if they are 'out there'. I have printed this one off and put it into my 'collection'. MANY THANKS.
 
Names

I can remember most of the names

George Carter aka Top Cat, Gerry Mann, ? ,DDD, Arthur Millard, Albert Eggison, ?, ?, Tommy Carey, Clive Roach, John Bradley, Paddy O'Gorman, Bob Thompson.

I hope that helps a bit, can anyone help with the other names?
 
My mom was a shorthand typist at HP sauce. That was before the war and she joined up.
She always spoke fondly of her days at HP.
 

Oops - I think I tried to enlarge that last pic too much; Lets turn it upside down and give it another slap on the bottom!
 
I went for an interview at HP Sauce in the 1960's, as a Quality Control technician. I think they'd have offered me a job, but I couldn't stand the smell of the place! The bloke who interviewed me said that after working there for a year or so you don't notice any smell at all, but it wasn't for me.

Big Gee
 
Park lane.

:DanceBallerina4: Watton. Do you remember the Perks family from Park lane?. Ian. I too remember the sheep running down Lichfield road. They had escaped from Thompsons the butchers. I was in my pushchair at the time. I loved their chitterlings when I was a kid. Never have had a sweet tooth. TTFN. Jean. :DanceBallerina3:
 
Gee Gee Jean - sorry, I don't remember that name. I will ask mum the next time I phone her. I remember playing with a girl called Lorraine. She lived down near the chip shop. Also, a little girl called Suzanne, whose parents had the dress shop, on the same side as the newsagents.
 
I used to live in Sandy Lane Aston, the say there was if you could smell HP Sauce it wasgoing to rain, of cause it would because the wind came for the South West, like today we get plenty of wet weather in Devon
 
Lloyd, many thanks for the link. Some very interesting photo's. I particularly liked the one taken from the roof. I wonder how they managed to get them????
 
I don't know, there's no mention in any of the pages on that site I visited of 'getting permission', it may be just - going in uninvited.
 
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