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Bedsteads in Deritend?

J

Joanna

master brummie
A lot of my relatives appear to be lacquerers, bedstead fitters, brass burnishers, press workers etc and lived in the Deritend area.

Was there a big company here that they may all have worked for?
 
Hoskins and Sewell was based in Digbeth, they used to make all the Hospitals beds.
 
Another bedstead manufacturer in Birmingham

I have an interesting salesmans calling card I got from a postcard fair for William Robinson Junior manufacturer of Iron and Brass bedsteads, matresses etc who were based in Northbrook Street Birmingham.

The card was presented by James Andrews

On the back is written what I presume is trading terms of
5% 3 months and 2 1/2 % 6 months carriage forward.

View attachment 10035

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Butler & Beds

Joanna,

I noticed your mentioning of the name Butler in your bedstead makers quest.

My great grand dad, John Butler, 1850, was is the Birmingham bed making trade, but as yet I know not with what company. Just thought that there maybe a link here somewhere. It was a big industry and must have employed many from Brum.

Graham.
 
Hi Graham,

That's interesting, must have been a very common trade!

I will check back through my records and see if I have found a Butler, although I haven't gone very far on one side yet!

(its confusing, my great-grandparents Charles and Ada both had the surname Butler! and her both their fathers were called George Butler :rolleyes:)
 
The Birmingham Bedstead trade is probably the most undervalued Birmingham trade. It began as metallic bedsteads and included the prominent makers, R W Winfield, Hoskin & Sewell, Peyton & Peyton, Tauntons and Whitfields. Some made fire proof safes. Some were brass founders and they drew on a variety of skills to make their products which were used throughout Britain and exported abroad.

One lesser known chairmain of Hoskins, the hospital bed maker was Neville Chamberlain!
 
The Co-op had a bed factory in Belmont Row as well as a furniture works in Redhill Rd Hay Mills, I think they both moved out to Highlands Rd in Shirley after WW2.
 
Hi devon
I have got an old dressing. Table made by the co/op well I say it was made by them because it as what appears to be
A plastic type or bone type name plate screwewd inside the draws which is very old and I reckon it come from that periodgou have spoken about
Best wishes and happy new hear to you. Astonian,,,,,
 
The Co-op Factory still stands, all be it badly damaged by fire. Next to it was the now demolished Co-op bakery. The Co-op factory was built for the New Cooper Cycle Fitting Co, who made cycle fittings. This was another important trade that came to Birmingham and briefly prospered in the last decade of the 19th Century.
 
Hi heartland
As probably the largest grocy business in the city let the co/op have the last word on local shopping co/op grocery shops
Often formed one unit or two /three branch no 1 in Adderly park road open end in 1881 branch 100 open end its doors in 1929
At Acocks Green also located in Ladypool road spark brook best wishes Astonian,,,,,
 
Hi all i've noticed on old 1890 maps that there was a large bedstead manufacturers on the corner of clyde st deritend, and on the opposite corner there was a theatre this would have been opposite, the lamp,would be interesting to hear any info on the theatre.

on a new thread of course about the theatre.
 
The Palace / Imperial was on the junction of Clyde St & High Street Bordesley as stated next to Fishers factory.
 

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Thanks for that info berniew, and the link to the theatre.

Great photos phil, thanks for those. Michael.
 
Just a few of the Bed & Bedstead manufacturers that were within a few minutes walk of Bordesley High Street at the beginning of the last century.

Hoskins & Sewell Ltd High St Bordesley
Repose Ltd Oxford St Bordesley
Charles Osborne Bordesley St
Croft Assinger Ltd Heath Mill Lane
Peyton & Peyton High St Bordesley
Paul Thomas & Co Watery Lane Bordesley
S B Whitfield & Co Watery Lane Bordesley.
 
There was a bedding factory ware house in clissold street just of dudley road in factor was clissold passage
That cut through to new spring street that Burt down in 1957 you could see it go blazing far as Smethwick and the city centre
Just cannot recall the name of it it runs along since of the canal that's takes you the new spring street wharf
Best wishes Astonian,,,,,,,,,
 
The bedstead factory on the corner of Clyde Street was Hoskin and Sewell, Midland Bedstead Works, they also had a tube works in Floodgate Street, a brass foundry in Heath Mill Lane and they also occupied part of the Fazeley Street canal wharf for canal transport.
 
The image of the round-about shows the Fisher & Ludlow factory and next to it was the site of the Peyton and Peyton bedstead factory.
 
Thanks for the pictures. Fancy me not remembering the Palace/Imperial I went to school just up the road from there in 50's. Sometimes threads sort of entwine, Phil's Fisher's picture reminded me of the homemade sweets shop that was just down on the right. Also I confess the "Dolls Club" that was opposite "Fishers" in the 70's. Not that I ever went there!
 
There has been a recent attempt to get the Birmingham Bedstead Factory in Sampson Road North, listed. This building was erected for the use of the Birmingham Bedstead Company in 1886, but only had a brief use in this trade. Whilst it has an attractive facade, English Heritage do no consider it worthy of listing despite it being one of the few surviving UK metallic bedstead works. Another is Troman's works in Bolton Street, which I believe still stands.

Ray Shill
 
The Sampson Road North Bedstead listing was part of a more general application regarding all the buildings on the Wharf. This included the former Cement Wharf structures opened to receive cement by boat, in the 1930's, from Stockton. CRT want to demolish this structure, denying perhaps its commitment to preserving canal heritage. The Bedstead factory is not presently under threat, so I have made an appeal regarding this particular structure to be reconsidered for listing.

Ray Shill
 
My grandparents worked at a Deritend bedstead makers according to the 1911 census they were noted as iron polisher and brass polisher, not sure if it was Hoskins.
They lived in Heathmill lane and their names were William and Anne Birkett
 
Well, the 1911 Census has the Birketts (William & Mary Ann) as polishers (and workers) at 2 Court 10 house Allcock Street, and as they were on the 1939 listing (122 Heath Mill Lane) as polishers, it was likely that they worked for Hoskins & Sewell or maybe Hoskins.
 
An aerial view of the Hoskin’s HQ and factories, Upper Trinity Street in 1973. The office block (centre of pic) is still there (now Borsch) as are some of the buildings to the right (now Crown Catering). Viv.


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thanks viv...i think building on the right corner is the clements pub with coventry road running across

lyn
 
Hi all great picture of Bordesley Palace , my mom met my dad there in the 1930s she said she hated him at first sight because he had bright Ginger hair and of course the rest is history. When we were kids in the 1950s we always called ln there with our gang on our walk to the city centre as it was then derelict and dangerous and only the brave would venture to the front where the stage would have been. Regards Acklam19
 
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