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Not sure if this counts as a bread van or a cake van?
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Bread Vehicles
- Thread starter Vivienne14
- Start date
Radiorails
master brummie
Joe Lyons vans were to seen all over the UK. They delivered Lyons products to stores and shops which were mainly cakes and various patisseries. They also had tea and ice cream as part of their range. Lyons Corner Houses (restaurants) were popular and were in many cities and towns. As far as I recall there was a Corner House at Galloways Corner.
Johnfromstaffs
Johnfromstaffs
Does anyone recall Hickinbottom’s (or Hickinbotham’s) bread vans with a child dressed in Scottish attire and the immortal slogan - “Mother likes it, so do I” signwritten above.
Would the vans remain, as they did in the fifties, unadorned by additional rattle can scriptology?
Would the vans remain, as they did in the fifties, unadorned by additional rattle can scriptology?
Lady Penelope
master brummie
Our bread came via the Co-op bread van. It was (if I remember correctly) green with gold lettering on the side. The delivery man (bread man) wore a brown cow gown and carried a very large basket over his arm. We always had a 'tin loaf' and I don't think it was wrapped. I just got a whiff of the bread! Funny what your memory can do.
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
i had a friend who drove one like that.he worked at the coop. we never bought bread. 
Radiorails
master brummie
I am sure you are correct Mike, unwrapped bread . The basket carried by bakers also carried rolls and other things to tempt the housewife. Large families would usually, I believe, just have the bread delivery - no frills of fancies if they could not afford it. Bread then, after a day or so went stale, now after a few days it often goes mouldy!!
Large families would usually, I believe, just have the bread delivery - no frills of fancies if they could not afford it. Bread then, after a day or so went stale, now after a few days it often goes mouldy!!
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
True AlanI am sure you are correct Mike, unwrapped bread . The basket carried by bakers also carried rolls and other things to tempt the housewife.
Most certainly the bread delivered by our co-op rounds man was wrapped in a greaseproof paper. Ironically it was called Golden Crust, but in reality, the crust was soft and stodgy. Mum would use the wrapper to wrap our sandwiched for work.
Pen: the man in the brown cow gown and who a very large basket over his arm was called Les. He worked the round with a younger chap with curly hair.
I do recall Les saying he had worked at the co-op bakery for over 30 years.
Lady Penelope
master brummie
View attachment 146133 i had a friend who drove one like that.he worked at the coop. we never bought bread.
I'm fairly sure that my early memories of the Co-op bread delivery was by a horse drawn vehicle. This would be around 1950 but was replaced by the sort of van in the picture fairly early on. The milk cart and horse stayed for much longer as did the coal wagon.
Radiorails
master brummie
Yes, Lady P, horses did stay longer and were missed by keen gardeners.
Lady Penelope
master brummie
Well remembered Morturn.
Our bread was crusty because it wasn't wrapped. I think we discovered that you are slightly younger than me so that's probably why I remember the unwrapped bread. Sooner or later 'they' decided that housewives preferred softer bread and started to do things to it like steaming it to keep it soft. I wonder if anyone has a picture of the type of Co-op cart pulled by a horse? It'll probably turn out that my memory is playing tricks - do hope not!
As an aside, on the Witton thread, there is a Co-op bakery shown on the map. Wonder if our bread came from there?
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
true. i am sure the stables were in Belmont row....
My dad was a milkman when I was born in 1955. He had a horse and cart to deliver the milk. He said it was quite good because you could get the horse to follow you along the street as you dropped off the milk.
I do recall horse drawn co-op milk floats in the very early 60’s
I do recall horse drawn co-op milk floats in the very early 60’s
Brookfields Lad
master brummie
Interesting vehicle. I think these were electric vehicles (battery driven). Were these vans made by the same company that made the battery driven 'dustcarts' that Birmingham used in the fifties. I like the colour scheme. I am too young to remember these being used. I presume this van was used by the 'Birmingham co-op'. Looks like the registration is - NVP 144.View attachment 146133 i had a friend who drove one like that.he worked at the coop. we never bought bread.
VP was a Birmingham registration.
Bob Davis
Bob Davis
You are right, into the early fifties, Co-Op milk, Bread and coal came horse drawn as did Scribbans bread, Handsworth Dairies milk and the railways deliveries, all pulled by great cart horses who when they got to the top of Court Lane used to mount the grass verge and start to graze, much to my mother's annoyance.
Bob
Michael_Ingram
gone but not forgotten
On the corner of Geach Street, Guildford Street end there was a set of garage/sheds for horse carts. These were for either a local milk firm or bread firm can’t remember which. My brother worked all his life on a bread round mainly delivering in Handsworth. In the late 40s he delivered in Lozells with a horse and cart. He worked for Bradfords. In my last years of school I worked with him on a Saturday, that was in a van then. As I remember a small loaf was about seven pence halfpenny and a large loaf about one shilling and three pence. No bread was sliced or wrapped then and delivered on the step if people were out
Johnfromstaffs
Johnfromstaffs
Bob’s query on Birmingham’s electric dustcarts and electric breadvans used by private firms.
The Co-op van in the picture is a Morrison, or Morrison-Electricar and it seems that the 1938 series of dustcarts were Electricar. I’m going to need to do some digging, but will try to find out when they merged. From memory, I think the older (1932?) dustcarts were made by Garrett, who also did trolleybuses at the time.
My mother occasionally got me to collect bread from Hindley’s on my way home from school. Wrapped in tissue paper, two small batch loaves cost 7d. (7 old pence for 2!) Yet Hindley’s stayed in business, this must have been pre 1959, when we had moved and I had changed schools.
en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org
The Co-op van in the picture is a Morrison, or Morrison-Electricar and it seems that the 1938 series of dustcarts were Electricar. I’m going to need to do some digging, but will try to find out when they merged. From memory, I think the older (1932?) dustcarts were made by Garrett, who also did trolleybuses at the time.
My mother occasionally got me to collect bread from Hindley’s on my way home from school. Wrapped in tissue paper, two small batch loaves cost 7d. (7 old pence for 2!) Yet Hindley’s stayed in business, this must have been pre 1959, when we had moved and I had changed schools.
Morrison-Electricar - Wikipedia
Richard Garrett & Sons - Wikipedia
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I Am Nico
master brummie
I can only remember the bread man not his van. I was tiny he towered above me. A big strong chap with massive arms and a smiley face. " Bread missus" he said. A brown apron. He had rolled up sleeves. He had a big square wicker basket full of bread and he put it in Nan's wicker hamper basket on her step. Why are cow gowns so called please.?
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Johnfromstaffs
Johnfromstaffs
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Richard Dye
master brummie
Lady P, we always got a tin loaf. Does anyone know why it was called that? Because it was baked in a tin or square shaped maybe?
I Am Nico
master brummie
Nan and mum had bread tins for baking. Oblong. Narrower at the bottom.I remember milk loaves. Cottage loaves. One shaped like a corn sheaf for harvest festival. My Dublin friend used to like a Scotch pan loaf. Here.
Richard Dye
master brummie
RR, I remember those days, when bread would get to two days old my mom would make it into bread and butter pudding so as not to have to throw it out!I am sure you are correct Mike, unwrapped bread . The basket carried by bakers also carried rolls and other things to tempt the housewife.
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
Bob Johnson, post: 688102, member: 157"
Interesting vehicle. I think these were electric vehicles (battery driven). Were these vans made by the same company that made the battery driven 'dustcarts' that Birmingham used in the fifties. I like the colour scheme. I am too young to remember these being used. I presume this van was used by the 'Birmingham co-op'. Looks like the registration is - NVP 144.
VP was a Birmingham registration.
[/QUOTE]
Morrison-Electricar was a British manufacturer of milk floats and other battery electric road ... By the early 20th century, the company was known as AE Morrison & Co, and They moved in 1938/39, to Webb Lane in Hall Green, South Birmingham. later changed to stacatruk,then to clark equipment,then to michigen plant. i worked there for a while testing electric trucks.
Interesting vehicle. I think these were electric vehicles (battery driven). Were these vans made by the same company that made the battery driven 'dustcarts' that Birmingham used in the fifties. I like the colour scheme. I am too young to remember these being used. I presume this van was used by the 'Birmingham co-op'. Looks like the registration is - NVP 144.
VP was a Birmingham registration.
[/QUOTE]
Morrison-Electricar was a British manufacturer of milk floats and other battery electric road ... By the early 20th century, the company was known as AE Morrison & Co, and They moved in 1938/39, to Webb Lane in Hall Green, South Birmingham. later changed to stacatruk,then to clark equipment,then to michigen plant. i worked there for a while testing electric trucks.
Richard Dye
master brummie
John, I did not remember them but looked them up out of curiosity, apparently there are still some family members in the Birmingham area.
mw0njm.
A Brummie Dude
Brookfields Lad
master brummie
Thanks for that John.Bob’s query on Birmingham’s electric dustcarts and electric breadvans used by private firms.
The Co-op van in the picture is a Morrison, or Morrison-Electricar and it seems that the 1938 series of dustcarts were Electricar. I’m going to need to do some digging, but will try to find out when they merged. From memory, I think the older (1932?) dustcarts were made by Garrett, who also did trolleybuses at the time.
My mother occasionally got me to collect bread from Hindley’s on my way home from school. Wrapped in tissue paper, two small batch loaves cost 7d. (7 old pence for 2!) Yet Hindley’s stayed in business, this must have been pre 1959, when we had moved and I had changed schools.
Morrison-Electricar - Wikipedia
Richard Garrett & Sons - Wikipedia
two interesting articles there. I didn't know that Garretts were involved in electric vehicle manufacture.
Thanks once again.
Radiorails
master brummie
Once the Museum is open again you can see this and other electric vehicles at Wythall.
www.wythall.org.uk
Birmingham Co-op Morrison Bread Van NVP 144 at the Transport Museum Wythall
www.wythall.org.uk
