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Foster Brothers Clothing Company Limited

R

RHearn

Guest
My grandfather worked for Foster Brothers. I understand their office was on Bradford Street (B5), and was affected by dust from a coffee factory. I haven't been able to pin down the exact location. If anyone worked there during the 1960s/1970s or has any information or photos I would be most interested.

Thank you
 
Foster Bros in 1962 was at 230 Bradford St, which was between Warner St and Alcester St on the north side. Alfred Birds works were between the same roads, so this would be the coffee firm you mention. The photo below should be on the forum, but I can't find it. To the left of Kirby Beard & Co can be seen 3 buildings. i believe one of those would have been on the site of No 230, though i don't think fosters were ever there at the same time as Kirby Beard.
Mike

BradfordStreetDeritend1954.jpg
 
Thanks Mike. The only other thing I have found out about the building, apart from the coffee dust, was it had large grey steps upto it - which could make sense as the road on the picture looks to be on a gradient.
 
If i remember rightly, Foster Brothers finally ended up at Blossomfield Road in Shirley.

Had the chance of an interview there at one time but didn't bother to attend for some unknown reason.
 
HI GUYS
DID,NT FOSTER BROTHER TAKE OVER THE ZIZZERMANS MENS CLOTHING SHOP
AS I SEEM TO REMEMBER THEY WAS AROUND LONG BEFORE THE MODERERN MAN FOSTERS
AND THEY HAD ONE ON SPRING HILL NEXT TO THE LITTLE TOBBACONIST SHOP
AND THE LIBARY , THE TOBBACO SOLD FOUR LTTLE DOMINO CIGGIE FOR 6d IN A PAPER PACKET
BUT I AM CERTAIN FOSTERS OOK OVER OLD MAN ZIZZERMANS SHOP
AND I BELEIVE ONE YEAR SOME TIME AGO HE WAS OR RELATED TO THE ZIZZERMAN LORD MAOR OF BRUM IN TIME GONE BYE
ALSO A CLOTHEING SELLER OF MENS CLOTHES WHOM BECAME LORD MAYO OF BRUM
WAS THE OWNER OF NELSON CLOTHES OF DALE END WHOM ALSO BECAME A LORD MAYOR
OF BRUM HE WAS OF A JEWISH FAITH I HAVE MET THIS MAN AND A TRUE SINCERE HONEST GENTLEMAM THROUGH AND THROUGH
AND GREED DOES NOT COME INTO IT
HAVE A NICE DAY GUYS BEST WISHES Astonian ;;;;;
 
I'm pretty sure Foster Bros also bought out Adams childrenswear, when it was a family business with a handful of shops round Birmingham - Bearwood being one that I remember.

I've now got a fashion shop in Pwllheli and the premises we took had been a 'Foster Bros' previously and luckily all their rails and fittings had been left. Saved us a bit of money on shopfittings!
 
Re: Foster Brothers Clothing Co Ltd
I remember it well. I started in Albert Road in late 50's working in the Counting House with Molly Hands, Miss Dumelow, Doreen Durham etc.My husband Colin started working with the sales team early 60's in Freeman St. We then went to Bradford St and yes you could fill a jar with the coffee that fell on the cars parked outside. Birds Eye had to reimburse us for the cost of cleaning our cars.
I left around 1965 but my husband moved with the company to Marshall Lake Road leaving in 1969. We had some great times working for Fosters I could write a book. There are lots of names of colleagues we knew at the time and some we still know today.
I would be pleased to know R Hearn who your Grandfather was ? and from anyone employed with the company during the 50's and 60's.
Jane Bishop
 
It was on Marshall Lake Road the contu=inuation of Blossomfield and was close to the Lucas Alternator factory. Now both retail parks.
 
My grandfather, Sydney Weaver and his brother helped George Foster in the very early stages of the company. My grandad retired in about 1966 on his 70th birthday, he was a buyer and at one time head pattern cutter. His brother managed several of their shops around Birmingham including I think their very first store. I must check this out with my mum cos she knows some of the history. I'm not sure when grandad would have started working for the company but my guess is sometime in the early 1920s, if not before ... but he and his brother served in WW1 and I think grandad would have been too young to have worked prior to the war. Hmm, not sure those dates add up, I will have to go back to the albums I have several old photos of the counting house, and my mum remembers loving going to the factory cos all the ladies working there gave her sweets.

I also came across an astonishing momento that we have in our family photo collection ... a souvnir programme from the Great National Horse Show at Madison Square Gardens, New York from 1910 ... and I quote' Photos of the ponies sent by Mr William Foster, from his celebrated stud, Mel-Valley, Moseley, Birmingham' This must have been George Foster's dad.

As my grandad was born in 1896,, I don't suppose there will be many if any people who would remember him, but maybe someone knows the name? If there are any members of the Forster family out there and want to know more about the stud ponies, respond to this and I will get in touch.
 
I didn't like going in Fosters. You couldn't go in and browse because you got jumped on by an assistant as soon as you walked though the door, especially the Erdington store. No wonder the place was always empty.
 
Hope they were pleased with their purchases. Probably shouldn't say this but Grandad used to made suits for my mum and her sister out of end of rolls and they were gorgeous. If family history is correct, he also used to run up summer frocks for my sister, cousin and me. I know my grandad was so, so proud or working there that it has become a huge part of our family history. Thank for responding Sue ...
 
I seem to remember most of my school clothes were bought from Foster Brothers.

When i had enough money saved from my first job i went out and purchased a new set of proper clothes again from Fosters in Sheldon.

I can't comment on the shopping experience it was a long time ago, but the quality of the clothing was first rate.

Having said that i never shopped there again, i discovered Zissmans and Nelson House plus all the new boutiques that were springing up.
 
I remember Fosters shop in Kings Heath and how my mother always took me there for my school cloths always bought with a provy check. It was great to leave school get a job and pay cash for my cloths at any shop I wanted
 
Don't blame you ... they were old school ... but very natty for their day .... bless 'em, I think they got left behind ... but my goodness, did my Grandad always look the part ... never saw him without a tie or cravat ... and his blazers ... plus fours for golf and sharp suits with waistcoat were something to behold.
 
I can recall there were quite a few Foster Bros Clothing shops. My mother would take me to the one in Erdington High St occasionally.

Looking back, they did seems a very old fashioned type of ‘gentleman’s’ outfitters, aimed at the working end of the market I think. I suspect did they did not move along with the rapidly changing fashion scene.

There were quite a few braches, Erdington, Boldmere, on the corner of Jocky Road and Boldmere Road.

There was also a branch in Swadlincote. South Derbyshire, a mining town at the time; tiny little shop, ever such a nice guy who worked there.
 
Remember the Foster Bros in Kingstanding - junction of Hawthorn Rd and I think Warren Farm Rd.Very old fashioned type of shop. Think it was a double shop front. Inside it had loads of oak wood panelling. Always seemed very dull and uninteresting to me as a child (and as a girl). They sold boys school uniform as well as mens clothing. Nothing colourful at all in the place, mostly grey and black. It was run along the lines of a gentlemen's outfitters. Viv.
 
My Wife worked briefly at the Marshall lake road factory after we moved to Cheswick Green in 1971, stopped work just before first Daughter was born late 72.
 
Hi,
I went to Saltley G.S. 1959-65 and uniform was compulsory and could only be got from Foster Bros in Alum Rock. Therefore they had a monopoly and from what I remember of parental comments they certainly made the most of it. They also supplied the Cashes Woven Name Tapes which had to be sewn into all your clothes.
Cheers,
Stan
 
Apologies to one and all, I have just spoken to my mum and I got most of the history wrong. Foster Bros was founded by William Foster and he ran it with his two sons, Edgar and Frank Foster. My great grandfather, George Weaver was also in at the beginning and Sydney and his brother Arther joined the business too, Arther managed Coventry Road and The Parade but Sydney never went into the retail side, as I say he was more into pattern cutting and buying cloth. Both Sydney and Arthur lived over the shops for years before being able to move into their own houses.
 
Having seen this thread I remembered my mother used to work at Fosters.

I asked her about her time there today and it turns out that she started at the Bradford St premises and was with them when they moved to Marshall Lake Rd.
"Our Mom" was born in 1917 and her memory is not very good now so she can't remember how long she worked at Fosters, certainly she was there in '73 because I phoned her there from N Ireland.
Today Mom told me how there had been some older employees in the place she worked in who were valued by management because they were such good workers. It came about that a young woman trouble maker started there and soon formed a relationship with a union rep, this woman objected to the fact that there were people, past retirement age still working, when there were young people who couldn't get work.
As a result of her "stirring" management were forced by the union to sack the older workers, soon afterwards the trouble maker left to work elsewhere.
Does anyone remember such a thing happening ?
 
Angela said:
My grandfather, Sydney Weaver and his brother helped George Foster in the very early stages of the company. .[/QUOTE
Hi

I am researching our family tree , one of the family lines is 'Fordham' and have always been told that Samuel Brown Fordham was the manager of the first Foster Brothers shop in Birmingham. In the 1911 census, his occupation is 'Manager of Tailor Shop' and living at 192, High St Newtown, Aston. I have found a photograph of a Foster Brothers in Newtown Row, Aston on the 'Birminghmandsuburbs' website https://forum.birminghamandsuburbs.co.uk/index.php?topic=1171.0 (I know this is much later than 1911) however, it seems to match the right address. I wonder if anyone has any information on which was the first shop in Birmingham or whether this shop survived from that time. Any information would be great

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
The Foster Bros. shop at 192 High Street, Aston, was still open for business until the late 1960s when the area was redeveloped.
 
I remember the Coventry Road shop...we only shopped in there when my Mom got a provident cheque once a year !!

Margaret.
 
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