Hawleys bakery

[tim eborn]

Well remember the smell of the new bread being loaded on the vans as we walked past along Kyrwicks Lane to the Alhambra picture house on Moseley Rd. Maybe that's why I bake my own with the aid of a bread making machine. I sometimes forget that it's doing its stuff and have the smell wafting through the house. It was a real surprise when our grandson dropped in for a couple of days and mentioned he was doing the same.
So the Spirit of Hawleys wafts through a couple of homes here in Gippsland ,Victoria, Aust.
Cheers Tim.

 

[mmcsadler]

My wife's Aunt passed away recently and we have discovered photos and many documents relating to Hawleys Bakeries at her home. Her husband Ron Francis was employed by Hawleys Bakeries for many years ending up as Sales Administration Manager and was made redundant when the Company closed in the 1970's. He was also editor of the Companies Quarterly News Sheet "Bread-Winner" for many years and there are copies of most of the Issues amongst the documentation. There are also copies of presentations about the Company and its history. In the "Hawleys Bakeries 3" photo attached, he is in the 2nd row from the top, 6th from the right.
Does anyone know any Organisation I can donate this information to as it is part of Birmingham's History and shouldn't be lost?

 

[jmadone]

Excellent pictures and as you say of great historical value.

 

[paul stacey]

Remember them well from the 50's, 60's, there vans were always about somewhere in Brum, great pics, love the blokes cap in the horse drawn van. Paul

 

[sospiri]

mmcsadler,

Delightful photographs. This material and all the documentation should go to Birmingham Archives at the Library of Birmingham. The only fear I have is that they are so short of staff at the moment that it may sit in a corner for sometime before someone gets around to indexing & scanning it and making it available for the public to research.

I also think it is too specialised to make it of interest to Ancestry.com or FindMyPast.co.uk.

Does any other member have any thoughts on this?

Maurice

 

[oldbrit]

Great stuff love the photos

 

[mikejee]

I am sure tha Birmingham archives would accept it, though, as Maurice says, it might take a long time to be accessible., because of lack of staff at present (And for the near future). From my visit to the archives recently, it would seem that the first thing done , in fact, would be to place it in a freezer in order to make sure that all bugs that might be present were destroyed. Then it would depend on what staff were free or, possibly , if any other organization was prepared to fund its examination

 

[Astoness]

welcome mmcsadler you are just the sort of person this forum needs..you can recognise the importance of not binning the sort of historical photos and documents that your wifes aunt left behind..please accept my condolences..

i also think that the archives at the birmingham library would be the best place to donate them to if there is no family to pass them down to...sounds like you have quite a lot but if time permits i would try and scan what you can before handing them over...

thank you for sharing those photos with us and we would be happy to see more if possible...good luck

lyn

 

[Radiorails]

mmcsadler,

Delightful photographs. This material and all the documentation should go to Birmingham Archives at the Library of Birmingham. The only fear I have is that they are so short of staff at the moment that it may it may sit in a corner for sometime before someone gets around to indexing & scanning it and making it available for the public to research.

I also think it is too specialised to make it of interest to Ancestry.com or FindMyPast.co.uk.

Does any other member have any thoughts on this?

Maurice

Good archival material indeed. My view, whatever the shortcomings of the city archives might be, is that they should stay with the city rather than commercial companies like Ancestry (LDS) and similar.

 

[Ken_R]

there was a bakery on Coventry Road Small Heath between Cattell Road and Green Lane in the late 50s-early 60s

Wimbush, surely?

 

[mmcsadler]

mmcsadler,

Delightful photographs. This material and all the documentation should go to Birmingham Archives at the Library of Birmingham. The only fear I have is that they are so short of staff at the moment that it may sit in a corner for sometime before someone gets around to indexing & scanning it and making it available for the public to research.

I also think it is too specialised to make it of interest to Ancestry.com or FindMyPast.co.uk.

Does any other member have any thoughts on this?

Maurice

Thanks for the info - I'm exploring other avenues at the moment but will note your suggestion

 

[mmcsadler]

More photos of Hawleys Bakery premises etc. 1947

 

[mmcsadler]

Hawleys Bakeries News Sheet "Bread-Winner" was produced from Spring 1968 until the end of 1974 with an Annual News Sheet in 1975. My wife's late Uncle Ron Francis was the Editor and we have copies of every edition of the quarterly news letter and some examples of the cover pages are attached.

 

[mmcsadler]

Hawleys Bakeries was taken over by the Express Dairy Company in 1973 and attached are the cover and rear pages of their Express News from Autumn 1973 which had an article covering the take-over.

 

[mmcsadler]

End of an Era

 

[mw0njm.]

I lived just up the way from the bakery in Athole St. I was about six years old and got mugged outside the bakery by two older lads who took the few pennies I had and my shoes. When did the bakery close? Was it taken over by a bigger company?

sorry to hear that. i like the street. name.

 

[robroy]

Hi The pictures of Hawleys bakery garage are dated 1947..Pic #42..But they must be at least a decade later.the Land Rover in the Garage is 1958..at the earliest. I think the repair garage for Hawleys was in Oughton Road opposite the rear of the Friends Institute .

 

[Radiorails]

The Bedford delivery vans were a very late 1959 and 1960's product.

 

[mmcsadler]

The photos had the year 1947 attached to them so that's what I assumed - wrongly as it turns out

 

[mmcsadler]

Hi The pictures of Hawleys bakery garage are dated 1947..Pic #42..But they must be at least a decade later.the Land Rover in the Garage is 1958..at the earliest. I think the repair garage for Hawleys was in Oughton Road opposite the rear of the Friends Institute .

Text and photo descriptions modified

 

[mmcsadler]

The Bedford delivery vans were a very late 1969 and 1960's product.

thanks - photo descriptions modified

 

[Mikel]

I started working for Hawley's in 1963 or 64 as a roundsman driving one of those Brown vans. My round was basically Stourbridge but it started along the Pershore Rd, then on to Quinton via Clapgate Lane which was just a track then on the way to Stourbridge via Wallheath and Kinver. I eventually became a relief roundsman working in Coventry, Leicester and Nuneaton if the drivers never turned up for work or were on holiday. We delivered to shops, factory canteens etc but not to houses. The small cream vans did house to house delivery. Whilst on the Stourbridge round I saw houses being built in Wordsley where my wife and I bought one in 1965 the year I left Hawleys. I believe Hawleys eventually became Wonderloaf but not too sure about that.

 

[zepher Frank]

My dad worked for hawleys delivery door to door..
Late 50s.lived at Perry Bar.
I was watching on the buses first film lastnight and a hawleys van went past.
In the background...
Odd as I thought it was filmed in
Luton...

 

[Julie403605]

I started working for Hawley's in 1963 or 64 as a roundsman driving one of those Brown vans. My round was basically Stourbridge but it started along the Pershore Rd, then on to Quinton via Clapgate Lane which was just a track then on the way to Stourbridge via Wallheath and Kinver. I eventually became a relief roundsman working in Coventry, Leicester and Nuneaton if the drivers never turned up for work or were on holiday. We delivered to shops, factory canteens etc but not to houses. The small cream vans did house to house delivery. Whilst on the Stourbridge round I saw houses being built in Wordsley where my wife and I bought one in 1965 the year I left Hawleys. I believe Hawleys eventually became Wonderloaf but not too sure about that.

Hi, my dad passed away this week. He was a roundsman for Hawley's around the beginning/mid 1960's. We lived in Kitchener Rd, Selly Park and I wondered if you remembered/knew him please, Dennis Hickling. He was 86. I know he had one of the vans with sliding doors. They used to open and close by themselves as the van went around bends. Think they were an orange colour

 

[paul stacey]

Condolences on your Dad Julie, he lived a good long life, Hawleys were an exceptional bakery, Regards Paul

 

[seagull]

thanks for that photo,my grandparents owned the bakery,has any one got any more?

 

[seagull]

yes,it was brought out by grand metropolitan

 

[seagull]

yes,it was brought out by grand metropolitan

Was your Grandparents Mike and Janet then ??

 

[seagull]

and one more

View attachment 117922

I used to clean those out for the wholesale drivers on a Saturday and made around £12 - £14 on a Saturday in 1964 - I was only 9 years old then and helped a driver from when I was 13 up to 18 years old. My dear old mom worked in the accounts office there they used to call the counter room. Hawleys was based corner of Kyrwicks Lane/Moseley Road and had a branch in Ruislip. My goodness, these pics bring back memories which feels like another lifetime.

 

[seagull]

Hi, everyone, there was a bakery on Coventry Road Small Heath between Cattell Road and Green Lane in the late 50s-early 60s, i seem to think it was Hawleys. There was also the bakery at the Swan Yardley who delivered bread to Wash Lane where I lived but I cant remember if it was Hawleys, the name sounds familiar though.Angela.

No not that one Angela - Hawleys was Moseley Road/Kyrwicks Lane