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Kunzle Family

G

graham andrews

proper brummie kid
i am trying to find a bit out about the Kunzel family. where they lived and what they did.
i know they owned the cake business.
but i also believe they were philantropists. That they built ley hill house northifeld, landscaped the grounds ,and thern gave the park to the city when they left the country.
any help welcome on web links, dates, info sources etc.
graham
 
thanks alf
very interesting. just tempts you to ask more doesnt it.there seems to be more about the cakes than the family on the web.
thanks again
 
Graham follow that lead about Kunzels time working in the Houses of Parliment and his Swiss conection.:)
 
:)Alf. My dads cousins Julie and Ada worked there for years and used to take a holiday in Switzerland with the works. They also had the miss shapes and damaged cakes. Not a sweet tooth me but I loved those cakes.
 
thats interesting that they were taken to switzerland..wow that must have been some journey in those days. how long ago was that?
cheers graham
 
I COULD JUST EAT A KUNZEL CAKE, Have you got any, we had them every Sunday for tea Yummyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Cat:)
 
:) It would have been 43 years approx. I remember when I had finished swimming training at Victoria road baths I would call in for my treat. They lived in Park road at the top by the lights. There was an entry almost opposite the co-op, a back to back. I can still see the massive lilac tree [shrub] in their tiny back garden and the coal cellar which used to give me the creeps. The said what a good company it was. Bye for now. Jean. :'(
 
Graham I went there in 1973 and courted a Girl from Zürich for 4 years great free holidays. I've got a couple of photos somewhere I'll put them on the Forum later

Been back since in 1989-90-91 in our Caravan to take my Lads to see a wonderful Country can't describe it here. No wonder he made such good Cakes:)
 
Not yet Graham do you know why he came to be working in the Houses of Parliment.?

Your starter for 10
 
Christian Kunzle -

Confectioner and philanthropist
On the front of the Abbey National Bank, Broad Street, Five Ways

still searching for info on his work in parliament.
 
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My gran and her sisters lived in ley hill house in the 1920s and worked as servants for the Kunzel family
 
My Mother was a friend of the Kunzel family and we used to visit them in Davos when we went over on holidays, sorry I cannot remember anymore about them but I was under 10 years old at the time, just remember the unusual name!
 
A Blue Plaque is on the front of the Abbey National bank, Broad St, Five Ways, Birmingham. Len.
 
gwr said:
My gran and her sisters lived in ley hill house in the 1920s and worked as servants for the Kunzel family
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GWR
thansk for that
how interesting that means the house was built in the 1920's or earlier.
i wonder if it was bulit by kunzles or somone else owned it before them?
graham
 
gwr said:
My gran and her sisters lived in ley hill house in the 1920s and worked as servants for the Kunzel family
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My biological Grandmother - Evelyn (Eva) Holmes also worked for them as a cook/housekeeper. Any further info welcomed.
 
Their cakes were to die for and I am not a great cake lover. My dads cousins Julie and Ada worked for the company for some years and were always bringing the miss shapes home for us.
 
friendsleyhillpark.wordpress.com

Who were the Kunzles?

Christian b. 1879 Switzerland d.1954 Birmingham Christian Kunzle was born in is Davos Switzerland in 1879 the eldest of three sons. For what ever reason he left Switzerland at the age of 17 and cam…
friendsleyhillpark.wordpress.com friendsleyhillpark.wordpress.com
 
Blue plaque for Christian Kunzle in Birmingham. This plaque is on the site of Kunzle's shop which stood where the Abbey National Building Society is in Five Ways Shopping Centre. Kunzle is fondly remembered in the area, not just for his confectionery but also for his charitable work. Kunzle sent hundreds of sick Birmingham children on free holidays to his family home in Davos, Switzerland.
cake.png
 
I've recently seen a reference to a child of the Kunzle family dying - some sources actually say 'committed suicide' - in Ley Hill House / Kunzle House, at Northfield? It is suggested that this occurred in the 1920's. I've had a little look through (albeit rather limited) newspaper archives, but cannot seem to find anything on this strange matter? Has anyone else ever heard anything along such lines?
 
The only death for a Kunzle in the 1920s is for a John George Kunzle, son of above, in 1924 aged 20. His Probate is not listed until 1930.

Can't see anything in the newspapers. His death certificate would have his cause of death.
 
MWS said:
The only death for a Kunzle in the 1920s is for a John George Kunzle, son of above, in 1924 aged 20. His Probate is not listed until 1930.

Can't see anything in the newspapers. His death certificate would have his cause of death.
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Thank you very much MWS! This is probably the matter mentioned... as the date certainly fits. It was only very vague references that I saw (just yesterday), so I was intrigued to find out the details. It was mentioned that it was a 'child' of the Kunzle family involved, but, of course, the terminology used can be terribly deceptive. It was mentioned that they had either died in an upstairs room or fell / threw themselves from a tower room?
 
I did look briefly at the newpapers but didn't immediately come across anything. I did wonder if he had fought in WW1 and come back with what today would be PTSD and that led to his death. Will look again as I would expect an inquest report at least.
 
pjmburns said:
I did look briefly at the newpapers but didn't immediately come across anything. I did wonder if he had fought in WW1 and come back with what today would be PTSD and that led to his death. Will look again as I would expect an inquest report at least.
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i wondered that john but he would only have been 10 when ww1 started..
 
pjmburns said:
I did look briefly at the newpapers but didn't immediately come across anything. I did wonder if he had fought in WW1 and come back with what today would be PTSD and that led to his death. Will look again as I would expect an inquest report at least.
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Thank you! I have found a nephew of the unfortunate chap - an academic in the US - so I have tried to (delicately) broach the subject with him this morning, in an email.... I will post response, if I get any!?
 
pjmburns said:
I read the info wrongly and thought he was 24 when he died.
Probate not until 1930
View attachment 185658
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I did receive a response from the US academic chappy.... but he couldn't add anything at all to the topic. He said he was aware that his uncle had died young, but the family never seemed to speak about him, otherwise, so perhaps that might suggest suicide after all, maybe?
 
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