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Wrensons

Steve6426 said:
I bought an old Wrensons bike a few years ago and I have since had it restored. It has the original basket with 'W' painted on it and the original signage plate in it's original paint (light blue on white/cream)...it's a real jem. However, it was painted a purpely blue colour when I bought it and that's the colour it's been restored in but I can't help thinking...should it have been black? Does anyone know what colour Wrensons bikes were? I bought it in the black country somewhere, maybe Brierley Hill, but have no idea what area it originally came from.
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Derek Hudson ex cooks lane tile cross
WRENSONS CARRIER BIKES WERE BLUE, BOTH VARIETIES.

Derek Hudson
 
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I cannot speak about any other shops in the Wrensons chain but I worked at the Bristol Road Northfield branch and made delivered on a black bike, small front wheel, large basket with a stand at the front, and a black plate on the cross bar in black with Wrensons in white lettering, this was in 1962.
paul
 
Hello, would this be Colin Scott???? the manager from the Glebe Farm Wrensons about 1959.

Please reply Colin if it is, I would love to hear from you.

Derek Hudson
 
Hi Derek, Good to see your more recent comments. I have not been on the forum for a while as have little left to say. As we plan our Diamond Jubilee Event we are looking back at prices around 1952/3 and cannot believe the comparison with todays prices. However as has been said the wages were also so low. When I started at Wrensons in 1958 I earned £3.5s.0p. (That is £3.25p in todays money) for a 40 hour week. Even as a manager in 1965 I only earned £15 per week for a 40 hour week (although I worked several hours extra for no pay to keep the wage bill down.)
Best Wishes Ian Leggett.
 
Hello young Ian,
Very nice to hear from you, just back from the winter spent in the Canaries, SUPER WEATHER.

Yes I was earning £4.10.6 in 1958 and £15.00 a week as a manager at the Radleys, the hours were long because you enjoyed it.

I remember Danish Tub was 2 shillings and ten pence a pound about 15p per lb. and Blueband two and six a lb at that time New Zealand cheese was two and ten pence a lb

You could buy a dozen small eggs for one and six.

Do you remember Colin Scott???

Best wishes Ian to you and your family.

Derek
 
Hi Derek, Winter in Canaries? You missed our lovely snowy and sunny winter (variety is the spice of life you know).
I vagualy remember Colin Scott. I am trying to remember who had the branch on Coventry Road Sheldon. He was the father of my wifes sister in law. I did not have much to do with the other managers only seeing them at managers meetings. A group of us did play TenPin Bowls at Sutton Coldfield for a while. Regards Ian.
 
Just found this thread, and very interesting it is.
eggo's (#10) mention of Wrensons at Stockland Green reminded me that my sister Dolly worked there for a while.
While there she nearly took her hand off with the bacon slicer. could have sued nowadays.
 
Hi Austin K2, Yes I remember those lorries also.
I think I may have mentioned the cutting oif fingers in my long article on working at Wrensons. Look back to 2010.
I had numerous near misses and actual cuts while cleaning these revolving blades while holding a muslin cloth in one hand pressed against the blade while turning the handle with the other (No electric cutters yet). It was just doing the job. If you cut yourself you just got a plaster and covered it up and got back to work, no big deal.
Regards Ian.
 
We used to do our shopping at Wrenson on Station Road, Stechford. It was called Meredith's then became Wrensons and then Mason's. Used to be opposite Love's the greengrocer's. I used to take the 'book' up on a Friday after school with some money and pay for last weeks groceries and then wait while the current list was made up. Then I had to cart it down Lyndon Road home.
When we moved to Hall Green in 1957 I still had the same thing only Wrensons was on Baldwins Lane parade of shops. Was I glad when me dad bought Mam a walkie basket for one of their anniversaries!!
 
hi pebab, i also worked at wrensons around 1965, i was at the bearwood branch, i cant remember the managers name, i did the bacon cutting and ham boning, unwrapping the big cheeses, i also used to deliver the groceries to the posh people up lightwoods hill on the bike, i remember once being sent to warriner and masons warehouse further down bearwood rd to get supplies of currants and raisins for the christmas shoppers, what happened was there was so much weight in the front basket i had to push the bike all the way back to the shop, however i went down one kerb the bike tipped forward and the contents of the basket went all over the road, still remember after all these years, happy days, john
 
Bishopsmate said:
We used to do our shopping at Wrenson on Station Road, Stechford. It was called Meredith's then became Wrensons and then Mason's. Used to be opposite Love's the greengrocer's. I used to take the 'book' up on a Friday after school with some money and pay for last weeks groceries and then wait while the current list was made up. Then I had to cart it down Lyndon Road home.
When we moved to Hall Green in 1957 I still had the same thing only Wrensons was on Baldwins Lane parade of shops. Was I glad when me dad bought Mam a walkie basket for one of their anniversaries!!
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Good to hear from someone who remembers Station Road Stechford as it was the first store I managed as an 18 year old. It had a very friendly customer relationship. It was a little later than 1957 above as I was there about 1962. Regards Ian Leggett.
 
Re: Wrensons HELP NEEDED

My name is Roy Knight and I am looking for help in finding a past employee of Wrensons, the details I can remember are as follows

Her name was Betty Lucas possibly now Budd or Bubb she married a driver called Patrick who worked,we where at the Birchfield Road Perry Barr shop 1956-58 she was born on the 6th June and was last known to be living around the Witton area.

Many Thanks for any help Roy
 
Re: Wrensons HELP NEEDED

H:) hello Roy,
I worked in the other Birch field Road branch in 1964, the manager at the perry Barr shop was Mr Pretty I don't remember the lady you mentioned Happy days in Wrensons for ten years, take care, Regards Derek Hudson
 
Re: Wrensons HELP NEEDED

hello Derek I also worked 57 birchfield rd the managers in my time was mr willkinson and mr barnes thanks for your reply
 
Hi, My dad was Mr Hughes, manager of the Station Rd shop in Knowle, and he was friendly with Mr Parsons, Leamington. I`ve got a picture somewhere of dad and mom with Mr and Mrs Parsons at a Wrensons social. I think it must have been in the mid 50`s. Wrensons shops had such a unique smell and the staff were so friendly.
 
I mentioned in a much earlier post that I worked, just for a few months in 1953, at a Wrensons store. It was a very good working environment to be sure and it was solely because, at a that time I saw a more interesting future in pharmaceuticals, that I left. I recall my interview for the job, a very pleasant experience but of course at such a distance in time I cannot remember the gentleman's name or the place of the interview. The main thing that I remember is that as a very young person I was given a lot of freedom of thought and my suggestions were welcomed and often taken on board, compared to many of today's retail outlets where everything seems to be programmed - even the staff.
Wrensons, were not limited solely to Birmingham, but most of their outlets were in Birmingham, with a few in the West Midlands, so they can be regarded as a Birmingham company I believe. A shame such pleasant and caring companies had to succumb to changing trading conditions.
 
I remember Wrensons on Broad St , manager Mr Tumelty a true gentleman . He was at church St Peters off Broad St every Sunday . I too remember the smells of the coffee , cheese etc , I also remember the zip wire carrying money in containers across the shop ceiling height . What days they were , the best thing though is we can remember these gems and record them. What character is in the shops nowadays absolutely nothing I'm glad I was born when I was, we have supposedly progressed from the backwoods to the present , for what they don't even grunt an acknowledgement at you nowadays .
 
The first photo is a good photo of how things often were before pre-packaged supermarket methods came into force. The sides of bacon and the hams and legs take pride of place. Notable are ten men and just two women; often the other way around today.
Second photo I suggest might be 1953. Flags and bunting for Coronation year. Interestingly the shop next door has large outdoor hanging lights, probably electrical by this time.
 
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Jennyann, what a great photo, it looks to me like the corner of Gravelly Lane and Somerset Rd Erdington. Its a 2nd hand/antique shop now.
 
Hello all
The page from the 1937 Birmingham telephone directory that has the entries for Wrenson's shops. The photo above would have been 168 Gravelley Lane, ERDington 1528. The list of shops shows that they were quite extensive.

https://flic.kr/p/QDs6oL

Mike
 
jennyann said:
View attachment 127916
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At that greengrocers just up beyond Wrensons, after the war I came down on the bus S76 and waited in the queue to buy bananas, the first I had ever seen. We were allowed three or four. I had to wait until I got home to find out how to eat them that was late 45 or early 46, the picture brings back many memories, the bus stops were behind the cameraman, ok your starter for 10, ....and the car is a.....?..
Bob
 
hi. was there a wrensons on aston rd,corner of phillips st. i used to go in there for mom.it smelled like bacon all the time
 
mw0njm. said:
hi. was there a wrensons on aston rd,corner of phillips st. i used to go in there for mom.it smelled like bacon all the time
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Hi
I loved the aroma that permeated the air in Wrensons. Masons had the same aroma too. I used go with my Nan to the shop on Kings Road / Finchley Road Kingstanding. Sugar would be weighed and put into a dark blue paper bag.
Such happy memories of being with my Nan, she was so lovely!
Regards
Linda
 
same here linda...i well remember the smells from the cooked meat shops along the lozells road...i was fascinated by the bacon and meat slicer..always expected the assistant to chop off a finger lol...happy days indeed..it was a different world back then

lyn
 
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