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Bread Vehicles

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Morris "J" Series. I remember these as Scribbans vans in 1950's. Was my Saturday job for some five years around Tile Cross and Lea Hall.
In the 1940's we had had horse drawn bread vans to my gran's house, of the style of #2 above ,belonging to Crown Bakery and Harding Bakery, would often get to have a ride on the cart around the local roads.
 
That's the type of bread van that made our deliveries in the 1950s. I think the livery was a cream and green - not 100% sure - but it most probably was a Co-op van as we also had a Co-op milk delivery and Mum was keen to get the divi. Viv.
 
Another thing I remember about the 1950s van was the driver would open the back door to reveal shelves of bread along each side of the van. Then you'd select your loaf. It was set up very much like a mobile bread shop. We often had a regular farmhouse loaf, but my mum sometimes got a milk roll. These were always uncut bread. Love that bread, still sometimes buy it today. Don't remember any sliced loaves being sold via the van.

On a slightly different note, am I right in thinking uncut bread was called a batch loaf ? Viv.
 
I thought a 'batch' was a type of loaf. Uncut for sure, may have been what we call a tin loaf.
 
What I would call a batch is as #23 above. In 1950's there was choice, of shape, size and flavour but nowhere as much as in a modern supermarket. Most bread sold was "brick" shaped white and unsliced, but was available wrapped or wrapped and sliced, thin or thick, for an extra 1d. Then there were "tin" shaped, a brick with a domed top and the batch. Wholemeal, hovis, and nimble were other varieties but usually as small sized loaves.
 
Don't forget cottage loaves: small lump of dough placed on top of a much larger one. The top one usually had the delightful burned crust.
Some households used bread boards to cut loaves but others - and I guess it was a knack learned by practice - was the cutting of a decent (not uneven or doorstep) slice of bread when the loaf was tucked beneath, usually, the left arm. I presume left handed people used the right arm. ;)
Another knack was sharpening knives.
 
Yes, my grandmother would cut bead under her left arm. Sometimes she would butter it first. My dad would sharpen the knife on the doorstep or the top of the wall.
 
A nice shiny Co-op bread van which would deliver bread to your door ... and was environmentally friendly ...
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I forgot I got these
 

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One of the pictures of the Hawley vans shows it outside a shop called Millers. I wonder it that was the real name of the owners of the shop or a play on words for a bakery shop. :)
 
I'm pretty sure that the man in the Bradford's electric van picture (posing handing a loaf to a boy) is the man I worked with when I did part time there as a thirteen year old, his name was Wally Smith and he lived in Cranbourne Road Kingstanding at the time.
We didn't have an electric van we had an old petrol Morris 10 van BOW14 :)
 
Another photo of the breadman seen in #23 ... both photos were taken in Cavendale Ave.
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Another Co-op electric van as per #40, but this one in action. A happy delivery boy with a good basket full of loaves. This one is OVP 134 - does that mean it's a later or earlier van to that in #40 ? Viv.

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Have recently been researching Lukers Bakery in Woodbridge Rd., Moseley & remembered that this phot has preaviously appeared on site. Worth showing again? Very early phot of bakery delivery cart [labelled Moseley steam bakery] in the background complete with bakers.

upload_2017-10-26_19-48-1.jpegupload_2017-10-26_19-48-1.jpeg upload_2017-10-26_19-48-1.jpeg
 
I like the curious handcart for delivering the ales and stout - so it says. I am unable to read the owner/brewery name though.
 
superdad3 said:
Have recently been researching Lukers Bakery in Woodbridge Rd., Moseley & remembered that this phot has preaviously appeared on site. Worth showing again? Very early phot of bakery delivery cart [labelled Moseley steam bakery] in the background complete with bakers.

View attachment 119502View attachment 119502 View attachment 119502
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Lukers owned the bakery and an off-licence which were separated by an entry.
During the early '60s, I used to work at Lukers on Saturdays, delivering the bread and booze around Moseley and Kings Heath. They also used to cure their own ham which was to die for, especially when served on a Lukers LBW. That a Large Best White.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Another Co-op electric van as per #40, but this one in action. A happy delivery boy with a good basket full of loaves. This one is OVP 134 - does that mean it's a later or earlier van to that in #40 ? Viv.

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Initial letter is the clue. Don't think it indicates a particular year just that N comes before O so the N van is the older.
 
devonjim said:
What I would call a batch is as #23 above. In 1950's there was choice, of shape, size and flavour but nowhere as much as in a modern supermarket. Most bread sold was "brick" shaped white and unsliced, but was available wrapped or wrapped and sliced, thin or thick, for an extra 1d. Then there were "tin" shaped, a brick with a domed top and the batch. Wholemeal, hovis, and nimble were other varieties but usually as small sized loaves.
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Did any of your family sing at the very end of a song. "Ump tiddly batch cake, braarn bread?." and adding sometimes "ever sin a donkey stand on 'is jed!" My nan again!
 
Before the expansion of multinational companies, who bought out the larger local bakeries, there used to be many small bakers in most places. Many of them sold directly from their shops and did not deliver although some made deliveries to small companies who bought from them each day. In a South Devon town, until the late 1960's, there were at least five or so small one-man band bakers. Just one has survived but his premises moved many years ago to a better location near bus and taxi stands.
 
horsencart said:
This a shot from the early days of BaMMOT at Wythall, in the photo are two electric Vehicles The one the left was if Memory serves me correct a former Coop Bread Van? the one on the right was a Ex Hawley,s Electric Bread Van formerly owned by one of the members of this forum, I have footage of the Hawley,s Bread van towing the Chassis of a Midland Red D7 bus
https://flic.kr/p/dRng5R
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great pic thanks


pete
 
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