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Wrensons

A

Alberta

Super Moderator
Staff member
Remember their slogan 'Wrensons Best Bacon'.My ex husband worked for Wrensons at their Erdington branch,the Six Ways one(they also had one at the Green.He was sent out every morning to see what the other grocers were charging and then they would undercut their prices by 1/2d.
He delivered orders on his bike with the basket on the front .to the 'posh' houses in Orphanage Road and Holly Lane.He wore a long white apron and I am reminded of it every time I watch 'Open all hours' He spent the rest of the day weighing sugar into blue bags,grinding coffee and slicing bacon.Every customer was known by name and enquiries were made about the health of their family,etc.Their main competition was George Mason.As you say the 'posh people'thought the co-op was for the hoi-poloi.
 
We had a Wrenson's on Hawthorn Road, run in the late 40s and early 50s by a Mr and Mrs Shepherd. The closest rival was an independent, Mr and Mrs Knight (I think), and there was a bigger rival at the Kingstanding Road end in George Mason's. For some reason, my mum always preferred to use Wrenson's rather than the cheaper Co-op branch No 101 opposite Knight's. I think it was because they hinted that they would look after us better in the days of rationing and shortages. I suspect a lot of false promises were made like that. Remember Mr Jones the butcher in "Dad's Army?"
Peter
 
I used to visit Wrensons in Yardley with my late Aunt every Friday. She would buy butter that was sold by weight and broken biscuits from large glass containers.Sugar was also sold by weight and packed in blue bags.
 
Lovely smells everytime you went into Wrensons & George Masons, I called on a lot of their shops when I was a Rep for Eskimo & Ross Frozen Foods.
 
There is a good item about Wrenson's
in Carl Chinn's book on "Brum & Brummies" #1
plus two good photo's Wrenson's had 120
shops in all
 
I remember the "broken" biscuits you could buy from George Mason's in Sheldon.

Does anyone remeber what the name was for bruised apples? You would always ask for them by this name and for the life of me I can't remember it!!!!!!!!!!

oh blast old age!!! :idiot2:
 
Have just come across my mother's old Wrenson's grocery book
.4lb sugar 2/-
1/2lb tea 1-7d
1lb Stork margerine 1-3d
packet salt 3.1/2d
2small tins tomatoes 8d
Lux toilet soap 8d
and so it goes on .Her total grocery bill
came to an average of £3-0-0
this was in the 1960/70s
 
rowan if l remember right the word your looking for is "specks" my mother always asked for a lb of specks shopping at Griffins
 
Wrensons, High St. Erdington

I stated work in Wrensons on my 15th birthday, 1954. Mr Flick was the manager, Les Tristram was the 'first hand'. My first job was to 'skin' 8 Australian cheddar cheeses.
My friend started the same time as me, but at the Sutton end of the High St. Mr Palmer was Manager. There was another Wrensons oppisite were I worked by the side of a Department Store (which I can't remember the name.
I moved afterwards to Stockland Green branch. Mr Skinner was manager, I was also delivering on the shop carrier bike and also calling with customers in their home for grocery orders
 
Fresh-ground coffee and cheese; I can still remember those smells from whenever mum went into Wrensons or George Masons. Delicious.
 
If My Memory Serves Me Correct Wrensons Was In Hall Green Along With The Co-op , Pearks , And George Masons .on Lakey Lane Or In That General Area Circa .1957 Trying To Picture The Road I Think It Was Next To Vernons Newsagents Opp The Gospel Oak Or Was That Masons ????? I Am Sure Of Pearks Since I Took My Ration Book There For Sweets And The Co-op Where I Worked When I Left School.

John
 
My Mom worked for Wrensons in '62, I think it was in the Erdington shop at first then she went on to become a driver delivering the orders to Erdington, Sutton, Four Oaks and Mere Green. Her part time errand boy was none other than Steve Winwood, who later became a member of Spencer Davis group and now a solo artist.
One of her customers at the time was Mr Doug Ellis.
I actually bought quite a few records off Steve as he wanted to buy his first guitar.
 
The Wrensons my exhusband worked in was on the corner of High St/Newman Road Erdington.
He started in 1955 and left in February 1961 as we had decided to get married and needed more money.
He went to work as a bus conductor and in his first week he earned more than 3 times as much as in the shop.
 
just came across this site.

I worked at Wrensons on the green Erdington, starting in 1951 with Mr Palmer the boss.
Finished my time at Wrensons living above and managing the shop at 241 High St Erdington, then left to come to Australia.

I also skinned cheeses, boned bacon, and delivered, and collected orders on the old bicycle
 
Derek Hudson

Iam very pleased to have this web site.

A BIG HELLO TO EVERYONE

I Worked for Wrensons from 1957 to 1968, and how I found this super site was looking for ex Wrenson people, and to try and get some old photographs of the shops.
Already I have had an e-mail from Australia,from a manager who worked in Erdington in those old days.
There is so much to do and see, it is very exciting.

ALL THE BEST.

Derek Hudson
 
welcome

Welcome Derek, I used to love shopping at Wrensons when i was a little girl. The smell of the shop was lovely, Sides of bacon hanging on a rack, watching the assistant patting butter and wrapping it, the glass topped boxes of biscuits. When my Mum did her weekly shop, we always had a tin of peaches with evaporated cream as afters on Sunday teatime. And sugar in blue bags all neatly folded at the top. Enjoy our brilliant site.
 
Hello Derek and Welcome to our site. Our local Wrensons was in Witton, and I can recall shopping there with my mother, and then for my husband and me in later years. The white coats and the bacon slicer, all long gone now.:)
 
Hi Derek,

I remember Wrensons in Lea Village (or Kitts green), I used to go in with my mom or my nan, my mom went to school with the manager and so he used to let her eat ...wait for it.... RAW sausages !! Even now God love her she still is partial to the odd raw sausage, We had a dog called Bob and he was regularly chased out of Wrensons for trying to pinch the bacon etc. Oh happy days eh!

:p:);)
 
Hi Derek,

Wrensons seems to have evoked many memories! Indeed, I grew up in Knowle where we were blessed with two! The shop on the High Street is now something far less exciting but it retains the etched 'W' in the window above the door!

As a young boy I longed for the day I was old enough to have a Saturday job riding that blue delivery bike, but when the time came I had committed myself to a life as a newspaper boy; Was this the first of the many wrong forks in the road of life I wonder?!


image.jpeg
Replacement image 1/4/16 - may vary from original
 
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I started work as an errand boy At the Erdington High Street branch Wrensons in 1948. The manager was Mr Armstrong and his assistant Jack Bagnall who later moved to become the manager of the Hawthorne Rd branch.Liptons the grocers was next door but one, and quite often I would be sent there to collect rationed biscuits when our shop ran out. The average weekly grocery bill was £1-5s-0p. I delivered grocery on my bike throughout the area the farthest being Mrs Sadler who lived at the top of Castle Bromwich hill. I delivered grocery for the next two years until horror of horrors the shop decided to deliver by van and I was promoted to shop assistant although I found that I quite enjoyed my new position which I held until I joined the Coldstream Guards in 1950. Happy days
 
I remember Wrensons, I believe there was one on a corner in Icknield St. I, like so many of you remember the smells and the smart shop assistants. Also we had a 'Home and Colonial' on Summer Hill. Stoddards in Icknield St, also had a small grocer shop, with mountains of butter which was cut off to the desired weight. One would be Danish the other New Zealand. Blue sugar bags, I loved watching the expert way they were filled and folded. These are indeed wonderful memories. The food tasted so much better in those days too.
 
there was one on the corner of ellen Street/Hingestion Street, just off Icknield Street, this is a image (supplied by Mac Joseph) of a the very forlorn
looking shop just prior to demolition, I wonder if AKS has an image taken in its hey day?
Image lost
 
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There was also a Wrensons shop in Highfield Road, Yardley Wood the Hall Green border. If customers left their shopping list, it would be made up and delivered to their homes later. The Manager, a Mr Parrek, was a neighbour of ours (he didn't let us have any 'cheapies' though! Anthea.
 
I worked for Wrensons around 1961 as a van driver, a Trojan 15cwt. the garage was in Kent Street.
 
hi all
I remember wrensons, and the maypole, the international stores, peaks or perks, john favors, and many more all gone now. anyone remember wackaden milk and scrivens bakery, all old brummie institutions.
paul stacey
 
I remember Wrensons very well - I used to take the grocery list in on my way to school and they delivered it. I remember the loose tea in sacks and currants and raisons also in blue sacks - the bacon slicing machine and the patting of butter into shapes and a tin of salmon only red of course (my mum) at Christmas - of course that was after the war when things came back into the shops - I ca n almost smell that special smell of Wrensons.
Sheri
 
I bought an old Wrensons bike a few years ago and I have since had it restored. It has the original basket with 'W' painted on it and the original signage plate in it's original paint (light blue on white/cream)...it's a real jem. However, it was painted a purpely blue colour when I bought it and that's the colour it's been restored in but I can't help thinking...should it have been black? Does anyone know what colour Wrensons bikes were? I bought it in the black country somewhere, maybe Brierley Hill, but have no idea what area it originally came from.
 
Thanks John70 for naming Kent St. I had a Saturday job after I passed my driving test. I used to drive up to the depot (which I now know to be Kent St) and pick up a van and drive to either Dorridge or it may have been Knowle. I'd load up the boxes and deliver to the outlying villages. I really liked that job but had to leave when my parents moved out to Tamworth.
 
Hi Dibbs
just like maggie said thanks for that cracking picture
i to remember that shop and brought me memories flooding back especialy when i was a nipper
there was a lady whom lived in new spring street
just up the rd she stopped me one day and called me to her door
and said do you want to earn yourself half a crown son ;;
she was popping her head around the door in her dressing gown
and she said take this note down to wrensons and give it to the man
when you come back bring it around the back door
so i ran down the rd to wrensons as fast as my little legs
would take me
on the note was a pound of butter which in them days they cut and pattered it into block and a bottle of sherry
i ran back with it and around the back door i went
as i went through the back gate she was sitting in the
out side toilet awaiting for her bottle of sherry
she had the half crown in her hand ready to give to me
she shouted here you son ; and reach behind from the door
and said do not tell my daughter will you ;
i of cause said no ; good she replied
will you come back next saturday morning the same time
i was so chuffed i said oh yes ; and i was gleaming with joy
at the thought i hadgot a shining half crown to myself
i ran home and told mom how i had got it
and i told mom; i am to go back next week she said okay
i went back ext week the same run back to wrensons ,
she was waiting in the loo again ; but this time she asked before i go would i nipp along to the coal wharf in clissold st
which is the top of new spring st and get the big hand cart
with coal; well by the time i got back to her house i tried pulling it the pavement but i went flying and twisted my arm around the hops that was onthe hand cart ;the coal fell out and i had to go to dudley rd hospital with a brokn arm
i got five bob of the lady [ two half crown ]
mother came to the hospital to me and asked what had happend
i told her i had to fetch coal for this lady ; she said never again
you will never fetch errands for that lady
thanks for the memory dibbs ; best wishes astonian;;;
 
hi Steve
I worked for Wrensons on the Bristol Road Northfield in the early 60's and the bike I used was definitely black
regards
paul
 
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