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Davenports

yes i do lyn, i run a pub called the city tavern located at fiveways in birmingham. We have recently been reopened as the first of a new estate of davenports houses and am therefore looking for any material in relation to the brewery, bottling plant and the pub estate itself

mark
 
mark..im sure ive posted one on here of the whole of the davenports yard full of the waggon and horses taken early 1900s but i cant locate it at the min...pretty sure its davenports anyway but cant be certain..:rolleyes: if i cant find it on here i will have to go through all the old carl chinn papers i have to find it again...if you can bare with me i will have a look tomorrow...

lyn:)
 
mark ive just remembered the pic was of the m and b yard not davenports...i will however do a search for you tomorrow and post anything i think may be of interest to you...

lyn:)
 
I may be wrong but I think Greenalls first took over Wemk, promised not to close it, closed it then took over Davenports promised not to close it and then did.
I spent mauch time in the burns unit at the ccident Hospital as a lad, and there was always an unusual smell which I thought was cottage pie as that seemed to be all we got. Never touched it all my life then I went round a brewery and smelled the smell again....Malt. Now happily I drink beer and eat Cottage pie.
Didn't they do a very strong lager which I used to buy at Xmas,,,,,,brilliant
 
that sounds great lyn, i will look forward to seeing what crops up, and many thanks again for the permission to print
mark
 
just quickly found this one..hope its of use...davenports bath row...

lyn
 

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  • Lee Bank Davenports Bath Row .jpg
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Hi Lencops,

That link of yours to the Davenport's site is a total revelation. Not only for the technical stuff about how beer is brewed (of massive interest to me, as I quite like beer.....), but also the amenities provided for the staff. The typists' rest room is a revelation - better than my lounge, in fact! Modern company management would have a pink fit if it was ever suggested to them that they provide places like that for their employees. Most companies I visit these days don't even have a halfway-decent reception - just an alcove with a phone and a list of numbers. Davenport's must have been a very, very good place to work.

Big Gee
 
Lencops,was indeed an interesting site.

Does make you wonder why they ever got taken over? A brewery their size is in the perfect position now that the big boys have gone.
Reminds me of Sheapard Neame here in Faversham Kent.Good local products,and a good selection of interesting pubs.
 
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History
Mr Baron John Davenport 1868 - 1939
Mr Baron John Davenport was the chairman of Davenport’s Brewery. The brewery, which was founded by his father in 1885, was situated on Bath Row in the centre of Birmingham. Baron was an astute businessman and took a prominent role in the direction of the company. He was described in a newspaper article dated March 1930 as being ‘public spirited and kind hearted’ and ‘an ideal employer’. Baron provided excellent working conditions for staff at the Brewery.
Baron Davenport showed signs of social concern when, we are told, he was disturbed by the sight of children waiting outside public houses while their parents drank inside. Following this he had the idea of ‘Beer at Home’ whereby beer was delivered to customers’ houses, at first by horse and cart, and later by motorised vehicles. Baron hoped that this would encourage people to drink at home rather than in public houses. In 1935 over 175,000 customers were taking regular weekly or fortnightly deliveries from the Brewery. It became famous for this service and indeed the slogan ‘Beer at Home Means Davenports’.
He established the Charity on 16 July 1930 with £100,000 - £80,000 in shares in Davenport’s Brewery and £20,000 in cash. The Brewery was taken over by Greenalls in 1986, with the Charity being a major shareholder. Over the years investment specialists have managed this endowment increasing the fund’s value to almost £30m today. At the moment this is producing an annual income of just over £1m.
In 2005 the Charity celebrated its 75th Anniversary. To mark this occasion special grants from the Charity, amounting to £75,000, were presented by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. This was posted by Kevkronk on a charities thread, Thanks great post. Len.
 
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Highgate Brewery goes into administration but insists beer will still be made. With Thanks to the Birmingham Mail. Len.
Sep 23 2009 by Tom Scotney
A HISTORIC Midland brewery today insisted it will carry on making its famous beers – even though the company has collapsed with unpaid debts of more than £1 million.
Highgate Brewery in Walsall, which makes Highgate Dark Mild as well as the Davenports range of ales, went into administration last week, and was immediately snapped up by two property developers.
But managing director Bob Norton said he had been promised by the new owners that the flow of beer would not be interrupted.
The brewery, in Sandy Mount Road, Walsall has been making beer since 1899.
Its Highgate Dark Mild is one of the best-known beers in the region. And in 2002 it revived the famous Davenports brand. The Birmingham beer used to be known for its television jingle of “beer at home means Davenports”, but had disappeared from pubs in 1986 when the brewery on Bath Row, Birmingham was closed.
Highgate Brewery has collapsed after getting into severe financial difficulties, including unpaid excise duty of more than £1 million. After going into administration it was bought by property developers Simon Toon and David Dindol for just £80,000.
Mr Norton said it was “inevitable” there would be redundancies among the 25-strong workforce at the brewery, and he was not sure if he would be staying himself. But he said the directors had told him drinkers would still be able to get Highgate and Davenports beers for years to come.
“It’s business as usual,” he said. “The current orders are being met and their intention is to carry on brewing.”
He said the effects of the recession on spending, the smoking ban and the rise in beer duty had left the brewery with no option but to go into administration.
Highgate used to be owned by Birmingham pub giant Mitchells & Butlers. It came close to closure in 1995 when its owners decided they wanted to close what was then the smallest brewery in their company.
It was saved by a management buyout, and was later bought by the Global Star pub group.
The brewery was also linked with about a dozen pubs around Birmingham, including the City Tavern near Five Ways – the only untouched Victorian pub in the city centre and the only pub still to carry the Davenports brand.
The pubs were owned by a different part of the company, and are not included in the purchase of the brewery.
 
  • End of the road for Davenports beer. With Thanks to the Birmingham Mail. Len.
Jun 16 2010 by Tom Scotney, Birmingham Mail





highgate-brewery-267970333.jpg

BIRMINGHAM’S famous Davenports beer is set to disappear after the Midland brewery which made it shut down.
Walsall’s Highgate brewery, which first opened in 1898, has gone into liquidation, costing 20 jobs, after hitting its second financial crisis in ten months.
Highgate, which operated from a Grade two listed building on Sandy Mount Road, Walsall, bought the Birmingham beers after the Davenports brewery on Bath Row in the city centre ground to a halt in 1987.
Two Midland pubs run under the Highgate & Davenport name.
The City Tavern on Bishopsgate Street, Five Ways, and the Elms in Church Road, Wolverhampton, will continue to trade.
City Tavern landlord Chris Evans said he was seeking clarification about how the development would affect the future of the pub.
“I’ve been told not to worry but I’m not quite sure what’s happening at the moment,” said Chris, who took over the pub only a few weeks ago. “We have Davenports Original and Highgate Mild, which are average sellers. I won’t know anything else until I meet the people at the brewery.” Davenports is one of the most famous names in Birmingham’s industrial history. It was best known for the catchy “beer at home means Davenports” jingle on 1960s TV adverts.
The brewery also made deliveries at home.
Highgate reintroduced the deliveries last year when the company was taken over by new owners. The Black Country company was formerly the smallest brewer in the Mitchells & Butlers empire.
Last September it went into administration, owing the taxman more than £1 million. It was bought by property developers Simon Toon and David Lindol for £80,000, but they were unable to stop it from going into compulsory liquidation. Insolvency specialist Peter Darcy, of KJ Watkin & Co, has been confirmed as overseer for the liquidation.
He said: “The company has ceased trading and all employees have been made redundant.”
A meeting of creditors has been set to go ahead on Friday.
 
Thank you Government. The smoking ban has attacked one of the finest parts of real british culture......the pub!!!!
 
Which is the reason I guess that 'JD Wetherspoon' pub chain continue to expand? Not the smoking ban but the failure to change that has done for most. Lets us not forget that people's habits have also changed over the years. I used to go to a country pub for a drink and a meal. I now am more likely to have friends round or go out for a meal at a restaurant rather than a pub.
 
JD Wetherspoon expand cos they create big megapubs, enjoy economies of scale and sell cheap beer (I'm not knocking them). Not much relevance to the village pub, or local.
Of course habits are changing thats because of government social engineering, and if they reduce the drink drive limits any more that will be thr death knell of pub culture.
 
Davenport's

Does anybody know what happened to the bust of Baron John Davenport that stood in the foyer of the Bath Row Premises. Thank You.
 
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I wonder if it's in storage at the museum stores in Dolman Street. I will do a bit of detective work and ask a few people.
 
Thank you Wendy. i am suprised that i have not made contact with anyone who is researching the surname Davenport in the Birmingham area, whether or not they have connection to the brewing family.A few years ago now i made contact with the last surviving Brewing family member Mr Eustace Davenport, after a family fued over as far as i can remember over the sale of controlling shares , Eustance' wife destroyed all family archives and photographs. My 3rd x Grt grandfather may be the brother Robrt Davenport.
I would always be interested in contacting anyone doing this family history.
Thanks Clive Davenport
 
I don't know anyone researching the family but I will try and help. There are a lot Davenports buried at Key Hill. If you send me some names I will check for you. If you don't want to post the names on the forum please send me them by instant message. Wendy.
 
Hi All,

This is my first time I have tried adding photo's, I hope it's a success.
This magazine dated May 1948 belongs to my sister and I thought interesting they had stretched limo's back then.

Charlie
 
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