• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

H P Sauce --- HP Sauce My Ancestors Legacy

E

emmachisit

Guest
Does anyone remember the vinegar vat explosion of 28 December 1956?
The houses in Tower Road were awash with vinegar as approx 40,000 gallons of the stuff flooded down towards Aston Cross. The tenants were all compensated afterwards by refitting floorcovering etc, but it must have been quite a sight to see cellars flooded and vinegar coming out of the kitchen plug holes.
There's quite a good account of the incident in 'The Road From Aston Cross' by Louise Wright, published by Smedley-HP Foods Ltd, Leamington Spa in 1975. An Industrial History 1875 - 1975.
Also, the book contains the whole history of HP. It may be available in your local library.
I mention this, because I was on duty that night (a young PC) at Bridge St West nick and the smell coming from Aston Cross was overpowering. Like living in a bottle of pickled onions. :roll: :lol:
 
I remember the great explosion of 1956. I grew up in Vicarage Road, at the Ansells end. We seemed to live with that smell for months, it was made worse whenever Ansells opened their steam vents at night. :?
 
:roll: Hello Jean, My but you certainly went a long way to escape the pong of vinegar.
What's the prevailing smell out there now? My sister, Robin, was always talking of the beautiful aroma of trees this time of year. She was there on a short visit back in 1981.
Nice to have revived a memory for you. :roll:
Emmachisit
 
At 5:35 P.M. this evening the prevailing smell here is rain permeated with a lovely clean, sharp, tinge of pine. The temperature is dropping and stands about +5C. The freezing level is about 1300 meters so the ski hills will be happy, however, if we don't get some decent snow soon, we will be having a brown Christmas (unusual for us). Haven't smelt vinegar like that in 40 yrs. :roll:
 
emmachist, Ilived at 173 Tower Road along side the vats that exploded Dec 28th 1956, 6ft of vinegar inour cellar,dust bins floting around the back yard.It stopped me from going to the Springhill ice rink that night,as mom & dad needed all the help they could get to stop the flow geting in to our lounge. My mom&dad had a very funny cartoon printed in the birmingham mail of dad floting on an upturned  table asking about vinegar with his chips
thanks for the memory
 
This is what it looked like from our back garden after the vinagar flood of 1956 SORRY ABOUT THE STATE OF THIS PIC, TAKEN FROM NEWS PAPER CUTTING.
 
Aston, you really are a treasure to have on the site, and you have a wealth of Knowledge.
Thanks for sharing it with us and I mean that from the Heart. O0
 
John, I have had problems sending  H.P. Vat Blast cuttings altogether so am trying one at a time it may be that I have left them full size in order to read them? O0
I also had to convert to black & white as they had browned with age.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top