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Button Industry by Charles Dickens

That's a great find, thank you Viv. I have both Button-Makers and Die-Makers in my tree and didn't realize that the two could be connected. Most interesting.
 
What a wonderful find Viv with a great description of the button trade. I well remember the first time I went to the Jewelery Quarter Museum. I was amazed to see a whole wall with little shelves covered in different dies. The company originally made gold bamboo bracelets. They were two half circles on a hing with a clasp they looked like bamboo they were stamped out into the shape so were hollow. I remember them being quite fashionable. We also had a wonderful demonstration on how metal buttons were stamped out. It is a must to visit if you haven't been.
 
Aidan said:
That's a great find, thank you Viv. I have both Button-Makers and Die-Makers in my tree and didn't realize that the two could be connected. Most interesting.
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Yes Aiden, I think Dickens builds a very full picture of button making from making the dies through to sewing the buttons on to cards. I too have a few button makers in the family, so it was a great treat to stumble across this detailed account. It's so good to be able to read accounts from the period too. Regards Viv.
 
In Mere Green, Where Sainsbury's now stands, there used to be a factory where I worked called Edward Gill Ltd, and there they used to produce a multitude of buttons made manly out of metals - Brass, Copper- Nickel silver, and Steel, and some were stamped with real obscure names such as Portsmouth Harbour Police, Pembroke Dock Police, Belfast Harbour Police, plus many had names of the works Police around Birmingham, Lucas, G.E.C. Dunlop, and many others. They had a big room with shelves with dozens of pidgin holes where they stored the dies and punch tools. And old Bertie Button(The Storman's nickname) knew where everyone was kept!! The company is still going after many name changes, but no longer produces Buttons
 
I remember you working there I was a bit young though...:D I didn't realise they produced buttons. How great they are still going even if it's not buttons, they produce something made in Brum:)!! Thanks for that nice piece of local history...yes you are old enough now to remember history:D.

Viv if you do decide to visit it's best to book as it's a guided tour...but as I said very good!
 
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As a young app. electrician I had the bad fortune to regularly have to visit a Button making factory in River St Digbeth although it was fascinating to watch the buttons being made the product being used had to be cleaned of any remnants of meat left on the bone this required steam cleaning and was overwhelming for my delicate nose the obnoxious smell filled the factory and the local streets so you could have approached blindfold and would have known where you were. Dek
 
I think I have some idea Dek. Once went for an interview with a gelatine company, and they also showed me over the glue factory they owned (in London i should add). I'd hate to work in that sort of smell
Mike
 
hi all, i worked at Buttons Ltd, at Warstone Lane, hockley about 1957, as a toolmaker, some of the carding machines made in victorian times were a masterpiece of engineering, although at my time there the linen buttons were in decline, some of the hand made forming dies were a work of art, i saw many exibition cases of military buttons made for various British regiments thrown away,now, much to my regret. Regards Ted Jones
 
Hello Ted welcome to the forum how wonderful to actually work in one of these places that produced buttons in the Victorian era. From posts here we now know how important the button industry was in Birmingham. I remember cards of linen buttons I may still have some. Thanks for posting your memories.
 
hi all,the tools we had to make to produce the metal buttons were in fact small combination tools, which would blank and raise/form the shell of the button,i could still produce the same tools now from memory, and again you would be hard pressed to improve on the design today, it was a very easy going factory, more like a family, everyone knew other people there, very laid back, I worked with a guy called Roy Stansbie, he would cycle every day from i think either Perry Barr or Barr Beacon, very instructive years and a great pity it all finished the way of so many other industries.
 
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