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Cox's Bakeries

BrumBum

master brummie
I wonder if anyone remembers Cox's bakeries. My Grand-dad worked for them from before WW1 and into the 60's. The bakery he worked at was at the junction of Icknield Port Road and Coplow Street. I am attaching a picture of how it looked. I think it is just open land these days. As children, we would visit every Saturday with Dad and go inside the bakery to see Grand-dad. Then we would buy some cakes from the Cox's shop next door (I always got an almond biscuit with a rice paper base) before travelling to see one aunt and uncle in Ryland Street, Ladywood and another aunt and uncle in Dawlish Road, Selly Oak. cox's bakery.jpg
 
hi brumbum nice photo....i dont know that area but maybe someone else may remember it...my first thought when i saw the photo was that the building looked liked it may have been a pub at one time..

all the best

lyn
 
hi brumbum nice photo....i dont know that area but maybe someone else may remember it...my first thought when i saw the photo was that the building looked liked it may have been a pub at one time..

all the best

lyn

Good morning Astoness,

You must be a light sleeper! I see what you mean about it having been a pub at some stage. The corner position reinforces that possibility I suppose. When I used to go in to see Grandad at work it was just a large space with ovens and a stone floor. The floor was usually wet since by the time we got there they were clearing away after the morning's baking. I am attaching a photo of my grand-dad at a pretty ritzy retirement bash they threw for him when he retired after 50 years working there! Grand-dad is on the left as you look, the chap who baked his retirement cake is in the centre and the owner, Mr Cox, is on the right. In Grand-dad's papers I have a copy of the reference letter or testimonial that Cox's bakery provided when he enlisted to fight in WW1. Imagine, they required references to send people into that vision of hell.

TWK retirement 001.jpg
 
morning brumbum and yes i can be a very light sleeper..at which point i sneak on here when no one is looking:D what a smashing photo you have posted..i have one of those testimonials from the place of work which was found by my brother during one of his skip diving times lol i have posted it on the forum as i would love to return it to the family but so far none have come forward...agree with you about the vision of hell..my grandad was in france in WW1 and i have the greatest admiration for those who fought for this country...i guess a kellys directory look up will determine if the building used to be a pub but if your grandad worked at that location before ww1 it may not have been one...will try and find out..i think this is your grandads corner as you say all gone..shame as the other 2 diagonal corners are still there

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.4...ouRfsjESm6v9GzNdpw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

lyn
 
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Looking at Kellys, ( probably 1 year out of date), up to between 1900 & 1903 the corner plot (no 269) was a pub, with the bakery at 268. Then for a short time the corner plot was the Welcome Mission room, but between 1910 & 1912 Cox, the bakers seem to have taken over both sites. The pub was called the Sportsman
 
excellent info mike thank you...why is it i have a nose for pubs:D this will also be useful info for brumbum...now all we need to do is find a photo of the sportsman which would have to be an early one

cheers mike

lyn
 
Astoness and Mikejee.

You are both investigative genii. Thanks so much for your input. I have tried to find a photo of the former Sportsman, but with no success. However, it has given me chance to trawl through a whole range of Brum pubs that are no more - some of them really impressive architecturally, others less so. I can't think the former Sportsman would have been at all impressive, so best to think of it as I knew it - a wholesome bakery. My grand-dad would have preferred that too. He was tee-total!
 
Good morning Astoness,

You must be a light sleeper! I see what you mean about it having been a pub at some stage. The corner position reinforces that possibility I suppose. When I used to go in to see Grandad at work it was just a large space with ovens and a stone floor. The floor was usually wet since by the time we got there they were clearing away after the morning's baking. I am attaching a photo of my grand-dad at a pretty ritzy retirement bash they threw for him when he retired after 50 years working there! Grand-dad is on the left as you look, the chap who baked his retirement cake is in the centre and the owner, Mr Cox, is on the right. In Grand-dad's papers I have a copy of the reference letter or testimonial that Cox's bakery provided when he enlisted to fight in WW1. Imagine, they required references to send people into that vision of hell.

View attachment 113521
In 1968 I got a job at Cox's bakery shop Icknield Port. I worked with a lady on afternoons called Ethel. Most of the bakery staff had gone home by the afternoon. When there was a vacancy for mornings I moved to work with a lady called Irene. It was a lot busier and noisy. They used to push the trays through the hatch into the shop with hot bread and a assortment of cakes. They were renowned for their custard tarts the like of which I have not tasted since. Also they created dripping cakes with toffee on top.
The room above the shop was where all the birthday and wedding cakes were decorated and the room on the corner of the building was where all the cream cakes etc were finished off. The shop did very well for trade from locals, factories and people waiting for the number 95 bus outside the shop.
They had shops in Winston Green, Dudley Road, Cape hill, Harborne and Newtown shopping centre, all of which I worked in. The last two Harborne and Newtown had cafés in them. The Dudley Road shop was quite busy and people used to come in and ask for half of a sliced loaf, which I got quite good at judging.They were happy days and I am sorry they have gone.
 
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