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James Baragwanath & Co

B

BobS

master brummie
I used to work at James Baragwanath's in early 1961. I was a drivers' mate and worked on a Ford Thames Trader.I used to be at work at about 4 o'clock in the morning,walking there from Morville Street in Ladywood.I was 16 years old at the time and not very big and the job was quite hard and cold.I used to work with a driver named Freddy Pratt and he was only a smallish man but I think he must have been made out of cast iron.He taught me that you didn't have to be big to be strong.
Regards,Bob Shale.
 
Hi jim
You are right its a cracking picture from the old days and the old fruit and veg wholesale market hall
I knew a couple of young guys whom worked for them in the old days and one of them used to do the delivery for them on the lorry
I know that glover parted company come the other half and I do believe glovers are still in business I believe best wishes to you and Hillary astonian
 
I worked for them in the 60s when they were just baragwanaths, learned to drive a thames trader there.
 
I wonder if anyone is kindly able to put me in contact with a member of the Baragwanath family who might have a connection to James Baragwanath & Co, fruiterers, who traded in the old Smithfield Market at Birmingham in the early 1900’s. I believe this company was still trading in Birmingham into the 1960’s. I live in France and many years ago my village used to grow and process a fruit called Pistoles - basically a variety of dried plums exclusive to this area in the Alps. It is thought the Pistoles were imported to the UK by or on behalf of James Baragwanath & Co and there is some suggestion that Queen Victoria herself was rather partial to them with her tea. I am therefore trying to ascertain if any documentation or other information exists that can assist my research on this subject. Thank you.
 
I don't know if this is any help but I found this in the London Gazette 17th December 1886
 

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Polly
The Baragwanath Bros. were around in the 1910s at 4-15 Smithfield , 4 Stephenson place and 7 Lower Temple St. They were also wholesale fish dealers . Probably connected to the earlier one though
 
I used to buy from them in the Wholesale Market in 1969-72, mainly bananas which came in wooden boxes, filled with straw and....the odd spider.

Colin
 
I thought the snippet may be useful because Graham mentioned a James Baragwanth importing pistoles or having them imported to the UK. He also mentions the possibility of Queen Victoria becoming fond of them. As Queen Victoria died in January 1901 if there is any truth in the story I would think they were being imported in the late 1800's - possibly by Baragwanth and Unger - or possibly by Charles Unger who seemed to take over the business when the partnership was dissolved.

As Mike found the Baragwanth brothers were not around in the market until 1910 I would think it may possibly be the earlier company Graham is looking for.
Does anyone have any thoughts/information on the earlier company?

I think someone recently put a picture of the Baragwanth stall (1950's or 1960's ?) on the forum - it was the first time I had heard of them.
 
Having worked in the Smithfield Market area for Francis Nicholls around 1959. I was very familiar with the name Baragwanath. I would see their lorries loading up on a regular basis and leaving from their area in the Market. Their old ads mentioned they imported foreign fruit and as you say, Betty, it was probably Baragwanath's that imported the
pistoles plums from France. There was a photo on the forum some time ago of one of their lorries but may be it was lost in the hack.
 
Thank you again everybody for the replies and assistance. Much appreciated. I wonder if anyone knows how I might make contact with a current member of the Baragwanath family.
 
Graham,

I don't know if the genealogists amongst us can make any helpful suggestions on the basis of available electoral role information.

One other possible line of enquiry is via telephone directory entries. The online BT Directory (Google to get the link) tells us that there is nobody of that name listed in Birmingham or adjoining counties. That means EITHER that there is no family member living in the area OR that there is someone there but they prefer to be ex-directory.

This name is apparently of Cornish origin and is fairly unusual. It would therefore be worth searching West Country locations. There are certainly three people listed in Plymouth, for example.

Chris
 
Colin, I remember the market men talking about the spiders in the Banana Room at Francis Nicholls. Ugh.......
 
The earliest I can find them trading is in Kelly's 1888 at Smithfield Market, so in time for Queen Victoria.
In 1891 Census Birmingham, there is a James Baragwanath, born 1857, St. Ives Cornwall, Fruit salesman.

Colin
 
1911 , 88 Alcester road, Moseley

James Baragwanath age 54 born St Ives Cornwall Fruit Commission Agent
Rosetta age 44
all children born Birmingham
Emma 19
Irene 16
Elsie 14
Gordon James 10
William Cecil 9

The male side of the this family possibly died out as Gordon married a lady named Dorothy Webster and they had no children and William Cecil appears not to have married
James Baragwanath died in Cardiff in 1844
Rosetta died in Penzance 1943
Emma who never married died in Cardiff 1947
William Cecil died in Penzance 1960
Gordon died in Birmingham 1978
Finding living relatives would be very difficult.
 
john bev said:
I Have just been given this photograph of Glover and Baragwanath in the old Birmingham wholesale market. I hope it might bring back a few memories for someone. Taken late 1960's View attachment 86229
Click to expand...
My father Ted Warman worked for them. I think they where part of Francis Nicholls then as their logo is on the signage. I worked as a Barrowboy on a Saturday before starting as a salesman when I left school.
 
.When I worked at Marsh & Baxters in the Garage one of the drivers used to work for Baragwanaths.He used to tell us he used the flat back lorrys to do removals quite a few times.
 
One of James Bagawanath's daughters named May married Thomas Oliver Bowen the son of John Bowen the builder. I do not know why she is not shown in Alberta's post of 9 Feb 2014. John Bowen & Sons built the Birmingham Victoria Law Courts and were a well known firm of builders 1870 -1963. See web site www.johnbowen.org I am researching the John Bowen Building company and researching buildings built together with the wider family including the fascinating Bagawanath branch
 

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ColinB said:
The earliest I can find them trading is in Kelly's 1888 at Smithfield Market, so in time for Queen Victoria.
In 1891 Census Birmingham, there is a James Baragwanath, born 1857, St. Ives Cornwall, Fruit salesman.

Colin
Click to expand...
theres a holiday site at St Ives called Ayr caravan site owned by Baragwanaths
 
James Baragwanath was my great grandfather, so it's fascinating to read all the history that has been posted in this thread. One of his daughters (Irene) married my grandfather (Arthur Gilbert)- who didnt't work in the markets but set up an advertising agency in Birmingham (Mundy, Gilbert and Troman). My father started a wholesale business in Birmingham market with John Harris (who also had a family history working in the market) and they diversified into a small chain of fruit and veg shops (Stanways) . Sadly the supermarkets took over control and the shops had to close. I have many happy memories of going to the market 40 years ago at 4 in the morning- so full of life and banter!
 
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