Butchers Transfers

[Astonian]

Hi guys
does anybody recall a firm called butchrs transferes they are or was situated on the moseley rd birmingham 12 just past or oppersite the mosely rd swimming baths
they have ben there for donkeys years i reckon from at least the 40s
does any body know what they actualy do or produce they did have a picture of a globe above it
i would be very please if some one could give me info on it
the building i think was apart of a church or school at one in time
best wishes astonian

 

[BernardR]

Re: Butchers transferes

Hi - I worked at Butchers for a few months back in 1958. Next tot what was the Mosley School of Art. May still be there but not been tat way for a while.
They made Transfers for all sorts - Railway Carriage Non Smoking signs printed on both sides. Transfers for the china industry - The signs on vans and lorries - including some that had gold leaf - a very specialised work. Oddest were some garish flowers that were used on Iron Bedstead still being made in the late '50's for export to Nigeria. Bicycle transfers etc etc etc.

No trace of a church as far as I recall. What I loved was that the letterhead showed the factory with gardens next to it - that was where the art school was.

 

[BernardR]

Re: Butchers transferes

Building to the left is what used to be the art school and that to the right was once a house but changed to offices for Butchers.

View attachment 65985

Photo courtesy of Google Earth

 

[Astonian]

Re: Butchers transferes

Hi bernie
many thanks for that valuable information do you know how old the company is and is it still working there
do you know i thought it was or had been some sort of school so i was right in my thinking it was a school
once again bernie many thanks astonian

 

[BernardR]

Re: Butchers transferes

Butchers has been there for many a long year but was never a School - that is next door. Looks as if it still a going concern but not does self adhesive products rather than transfers. Much of what they did when I was there was printed off stones but they were slowly moving over to more modern methods.

Started in 1896 and have now moved to new premises - see here https://www.bppscreengraphics.co.uk/

 

[Phil]

As far as I understand it JH Butcher built his house on Moseley Rd (see photo) some time prior to starting up in the transfer business. The book I read said that he started up elsewhere (no mention of where) but when he decided that he needed to expand he thought why not build next door to my own house.

This he did in 1909, and eventually when the factory encircled the house he decided to move out and the house became offices. They did have a close working relationship with the School of Art next door as many of the ex pupils became employees.

The second photo shows some of the lithographic stones as mentioned by Bernie.

Phil

 

[john knight]

Re: Butchers transferes

My only connection with Butchers was when I was at the Art school 1953-6 we would chat the girls up that worked there.

 

[mikejee]

Re: Butchers transferes

From the following it looks as if J.H.Butcher was originally a metal merchants, went into tubes for cycle making, saw a market for transfer printing onto cycles, and eventually dropped the metal side of the business to concentrate onto printing
1908 J H Butcher & Co, transfer printers, 52-60 Steelhouse lane
1904-5 J H Butcher & Co, cycle transfer printers & metal merchants, 148 Edmund St
1903 John Herbert Butcher & Co, metal merchants, 11 Court ,Thorpe St
(At 148 Edmund St there is Artistic Engraving Printing Co. Limited, but no Butcher)
1900 J H Butcher & Co, transfer printers & metal merchants,International Exchange buildings, 148 Edmund St
1897-99 J H Butcher & Co, weldless & brazed steel cycle tube manuf., 90 New St
1897-99 John Herbert Butcher, iron merchant, see Guthrie, Butcher & Cof
1895-99 Guthrie, Butcher & Co, iron merchants & agents, 90 New St
1892 Guthrie J. B. Son & Co. iron mers.& agents, 90 New street – No J.H.Butcher
Mike

 

[Bill Parker]

Re: Butchers transferes

Building to the left is what used to be the art school and that to the right was once a house but changed to offices for Butchers.

View attachment 65985

Photo courtesy of Google Earth

That building has quite an Art Deco feel to it, any idea when it was built Bernie?

 

[BernardR]

Re: Butchers transferes

My only connection with Butchers was when I was at the Art school 1953-6 we would chat the girls up that worked there.

Oh is that so John? Some of my colleagues used to comment upon what some of the girls and boy at the college go up to not realising that they were being watched from the top of the Printing works.

Did you know 'Chunky' Lemarquand and Colin do not know his surname but his nickname was Dracula as a result of catching a cricket call in his teeth? Don't ask why Chunky was called Chunky please.