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J, E & H Player, Bingley Works, Birmingham?

M

Mrsdextrose

New Member
Hello all. I've just acquired a lovely brass ship's foghorn which I'm cleaning up. And as I cleaned it I noticed a maker's stamp: J, E & H Player, Bingley Works, Birmingham. So I googled them. Nothing! Not for J, E & H Player, nor for Bingley Works. I think this is the first time I've googled anything and not had a single page returned.

So I found this group and hope someone here could kindly shed some light on the mysterious Player family... Thank you.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum.

The 1896 Kelly's Directory of Birmingham has a listing for a J.E. & H. Player, 35 Broad Street. They are listed under 'Lamp Manufacturers'.

Suzanne
 
Also found a mention in a newspaper dated 1882 "J.E. & H. Birmingham. Ship and Railway Lamp and Carriage fittings Manfacturers."

Suzanne
 
From Kellys the following can be ascertained (remembering that date of directory is publication date and information can be up to about one year earlier)

1888 No mentioin of firm
1890-97 Player, J.E.& H., Railway lamp manufacturers, 35 Broad St
1899 Player, J.E.& H., Railway lamp manufacturers, Baskerville Passage, Easy Row
1900 Player, J.E.& H., Railway lamp manufacturers, Attwood Passage, Cambridge St

1903-1915. Player & Mitchell, Ship & Railway lamp manufacturers, Attwood Passage, Cambridge St
1921-24. Player & Mitchell, Brassfounders, Sentinel works, Doris Road.
1932. No mention of firm

J,E & H stands for John Edwin & Henry.

Between the 1900 & 1903 Kellys, when the firm changed its name, the firm of William Mitchell, brassfounders, Saltley works, Saltley disappeared, so probably they merged with Players to form Player & Mitchell.

Searching for Player and Mitchell gives a number of their products for sale.
 
This won't help your Player research, but in 1906 there was a Bingley Works in King Edwards Place off Broad Street and was again in use by lamp manufacturers. My history of Genton & Kessler at http://mscrete.com/genton.htm will give you all the details.

Maurice
 
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It does help - this entry:

It seems likely that J.H. & K. PLAYER took over the business shortly after Henry's death and they have the following entry in Peck's Trade Directory for Birmingham for 1896/7:-
Bingley Works - J.H. & K. PLAYER - electrical appliances, fog horns, railway & ships lamps, & ships logs.

Really nails down the dates and is the first mention of the family making foghorns. Thank you!
 
Ha ha - my brain like me is getting old and I had forgotten about that, having being researched some years ago. Glad it helps.

Maurice
 
Greetings All, my grandfather had a brass foghorn which he was very possessive of and following his death in 1978 it got lost / mislaid, he began his fishing / trawling career about 1916. Recently while looking for a rucksack in an attic I came across said Foghorn which was heavily contaminated by years of grime. Following a lot of elbow grease & a half tin of "Pink Stuff" the stamp J, E & H Player, Bingley Works, Birmingham appeared. So, it appears, Mrs Dextrose & I share in the good fortune of having a beautiful item manufactured by J,E & H Player.
 
okeeffejohn61 said:
Greetings All, my grandfather had a brass foghorn which he was very possessive of and following his death in 1978 it got lost / mislaid, he began his fishing / trawling career about 1916. Recently while looking for a rucksack in an attic I came across said Foghorn which was heavily contaminated by years of grime. Following a lot of elbow grease & a half tin of "Pink Stuff" the stamp J, E & H Player, Bingley Works, Birmingham appeared. So, it appears, Mrs Dextrose & I share in the good fortune of having a beautiful item manufactured by J,E & H Player.
Click to expand...
Are you able to post a photograph?
 
Hi all
I’d like to jumpstart this thread again.
I found it doing research on an item handed down through my family.
My foghorn is a later 1920’s steel tinplate type. Mfg ID Player & Mitchell Birmingham.
Its history in the family dates to the 1950’s when our ancestors were involved in dismantling condemned ships at Bath Ontario Canada. Bath is a former commercial fishing port on Lake Ontario part of North America’s Great Lakes.
It wouldn’t have been unusual the find British items like this on Canadian ship of the period.
We were the Dominion of Canada and an active part of the Empire. A large number of Canadian l ships were built in the UK for the lakes trade

Cheers Ron Grice.
 

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hi ron and welcome..thanks very much for sharing that story and the photo with us...most interesting

lyn
 
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