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Ansells Brewery

I remember getting stuck in one of the old goods lifts at the Aston Cross brewery, bit nerve wracking waiting for maintenance to come along
 
I went to a talk on "Birmingham Occupations" at the "Who do you think you are" event at the NEC last Friday and was told that apart from a Gun Quarter (Steelhouse Lane) and Jewellery Quarter (Warstone Lane) there used to be a lesser known Vinegar or Malt Quarter in Aston. This was due to the proximity of the Ansells Brewery and HP Sauce factories. I had not been aware that such a quarter had been attributed to Aston and wondered whether others had come across this term? Dave.
 
I have never heard of this, and it sounds like an invention of someone trying to push their own ideas. Certainly there were a number of vinegar breweries in the area, but also a number of beer breweries as well. In fact originally i would say there were probably more beer breweries than vinegar breweries in the area, but have not heard of anyone trying to push the term "Beer quarter"
 
Born and Bred in Aston and live within a whisker of both factories, I can say with hand on heart I have never ever heard of such a title.....sounds like some dummy making it up
 
Hi brumgun and banjo
Firstly brumgun the pub banjo as mentionioned the manner as been there for donkeys years to my knowledge on the corner of Portland street Aston
And I am very familiar with the pub in more ways than one firstly before 1957 we used to have A kid play with us just cannot recall his first name thou
At this moment there was several of us all played together down the gulley banjo opersite the pub more or less
And I think we had a couple of girls from down the bottom of the gulley I think was called Emma peel ,or Emma so think
And I recall what you are saying about the bedroom banjo on the corner do you recall the horse trough in the middle of the road
And facing was a cafe the kid name ray lived there is mom used to run it we all used to get the bottom end of the cafe as it had two parts
And he would get all his donkey cars out he had loads his mom used to drive a Morris's minor used to make all us kids for a ride in it
I can recall a lot of kids and family's from wainwright street and button factory was a few doors from the pub I worked there for years along with a younger brother
And frenchie whom old man ran the green grocery on Lichfield road
Also may I had I lived just across around the corner from the manner house but also on the corner was the Gallaghers the men's barbers I got my
Hair cut by them when I was five also I lived next door to the widows arms , which appears not many people recall it in the early years
It was around the 1953/4 /5 that it was changed it could have been the same period of the manner house got a make over as I recall
And changed it name. Along with the widdiw arms ran by Albert gammage I think it was he was related to a lady called Nancy gammage
And had a daughter called carol and one Susan whom was there grand father he took it over after the previous gather whom had one leg
And died in 1954 period he was also relkafted to the youths family and Albert Gough was married to a lady called Phillies
Albert got blinded in one eye at buttons factory by acid thrown at him by some bloke
When those two pubs wes made over they done the cross guns next one along on Lichfield road
So you see Banjo tells you the manner it was there for years but before he arrived there it was known as some think else
And it had a deer above it I think it as on a circular plaque but I am sure some one will come up with it and jog my memory
Along with Stan and Albert Goodman of Wainwright street I lived around at 5/92 Lichfield red next to the brewers (Ansell,s and I have seen it grow all along the Lichfield road to upper Portland street knocking down all the courts of Lichfield road from Aston cross And even there frontage office brick by brick
Best wishes Astonian,,,,
 
Same here never heard of that saying I worked at Ansell's for a short while on the bottle conveyor track, job short lived due to the fact I stopped production due to me jumping over the conveyor and getting my foot caught in the rollers which dragged me into the lift and stopped it working( lucky for me ) it took the maintenance chaps and fire brigade chaps to free my foot needless to say I received my cards and a very badly bruised ego.
 
I also lived in Aston and although I can recall the unmistakeable smell when both Ansells and HP were brewing at the same time, I have never in my life heard of the "brewery quarter". Figment of someone's imagination who obviously never lived in the area.
 
It would be interesting to know who it was proposed the idea. We could then ignore anything that particular person said as rubbish
 
Ansells Beer Mats 001.jpgJust came across several old Ansell's beer mats, in the loft. Must have been up there for quite a few years. My dear old Dad loved his Ansell's Mild. Would not visit anywhere unless he could get a glass of Ansell's.

Eddie
 
Does anyone remember the picture that hung in a lot of Ansell's pubs, It was of a portly man sitting at a table and playing a trumpet or cornet.
I would love to see it again.
 
Hi Morris my brother has the very one. It was given us when an old outdoor closed down. I will ask him to take a photo of it for you..
 
Hi brummie nick, yes that's the one. Thanks a lot I have looked everywhere for it. Thanks again Moss.
 
We are off to the van next week and visiting my brother in Tenbury Wells. I will make a point of taking one myself.
 
Ansells-Monks.jpg
Here is another one.
Ansells-Mild.jpg
and another.
 
500miles said:
My dad and grand dad both worked for Ansells brewery. They were both draymen. My Dad was made redundant after the strike in 1981. I think some of the workers moved to the Ind Coop plant in Burton on Trent.
My brother and I used to go to the Christmas parties for the workers children at Aston Cross and then I think at the Mackadown pub. They were very happy times. I remember dad used to get little tickets in his wage packet to spend on beer.
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hi. My dad worked for ansells for about 45yrs, I usti go to the Xmas party's, what fun we had. My grandfather also worked there he was a drayman with the shire horses in fact the family lived on the premises dad was born there. My grandad had the first lorry l believe. Dad also was a drayman untill he went into the office as a time and motion study .my mom and dad met at ansells mom was a shorthand typist. So I grew up with ansells, we all went ro the social club to at Perry Barr, great days.
 
Hi Len, my dads name was Reg Skew , he ended up working at the Talbot a part of ansella untill he retired, it would be lovely to know whether you knew him, he told me many stories of his time with ansells and the pubs he use to deliver too, thanks for replying.
 
Hi Maddy the name rings a bell but I cannot picture him. It was the best job I had until it closed a great lot of friends I had at Ansells
 
After the strike my husband retained his job and moved to a depot in Aldridge as did most of the other workers. After that a depot was opened on the Tyburn road and is still there. We used to go to the Ansells club most Saturdays when our twins were young and played tennis and squash there.
 
G G Jean said:
After the strike my husband retained his job and moved to a depot in Aldridge as did most of the other workers. After that a depot was opened on the Tyburn road and is still there. We used to go to the Ansells club most Saturdays when our twins were young and played tennis and squash there.
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hi,Jean.Its great to see the memories that people have of ansells.we usti fo to the club when I was a child in the 60s, my dads best friend and wife usto run the club then Mr and Mrs Hanson, had many good nights. Mom and dad also went there with the old age pensioners club, they would be delighted to think that people are still talking about ansells ect.
 
Hi Jean which strike was that was it the last one that shut down Aston.The Tyburn road was built before the strike I worked there from when it opened
 
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