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Hoods Hardware
- Thread starter BrumBum
- Start date
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
BrumBum,
You don't give any dates or locations. If you did you might have a bit more success with photographs. I couldn't find anything about the company in the London Gazette, so proceeded to search the other newspapers. No photographs, but I can tell you that Mr Hood stood as the Liberal candidate for North Birmingham Constituency in 1905, though I do not know whether he was successful or not. He died in the 1920s and the following appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post dated 5 January 1923.
Maurice
You don't give any dates or locations. If you did you might have a bit more success with photographs. I couldn't find anything about the company in the London Gazette, so proceeded to search the other newspapers. No photographs, but I can tell you that Mr Hood stood as the Liberal candidate for North Birmingham Constituency in 1905, though I do not know whether he was successful or not. He died in the 1920s and the following appeared in the Yorkshire Evening Post dated 5 January 1923.
Maurice
Attachments
yes old hoods ware house was down a street just over the bridge of the summer row just cannot think of the named street
and it backs was on the cannal water sides and three of my school mates all got a job there when they left school
all three of them they told me of intionation they experience by the long termer of employment there
if you come down from old congreive street heading down the hill of what now is summer hill it would be the second street down on your hand or if youy do not recall summer hill which was once known as paradise street
come down from the colledge of food and arts its the second road down turn down there on your right hand
it was a very huge ware house with about five possible six floors
as i said there was four of us good old pals together all lived local to each other and called for each other to get the number 8 bus to ickneild street school Dave Terry , and Edgar and my self , but i went to great charles street for the apprenticeship
of painting and decorating , we where around brum painting the city schools around birmingham
it was a five year course
like i said the all three started there when they closed down the other three started there own business in painting and decorating
which i thought was very strange how all four of us decided we was painters and decorators
and we still see each other now from time to time but thats where hoods was in fact if you walked up to summer hill from the sand pitts
you would walk over the cannal bridge on the main road and you would see alot of advertising board which had been there for years
and the side entrance was next to them best wishes Astonian,,,, Alan,,,,,
and it backs was on the cannal water sides and three of my school mates all got a job there when they left school
all three of them they told me of intionation they experience by the long termer of employment there
if you come down from old congreive street heading down the hill of what now is summer hill it would be the second street down on your hand or if youy do not recall summer hill which was once known as paradise street
come down from the colledge of food and arts its the second road down turn down there on your right hand
it was a very huge ware house with about five possible six floors
as i said there was four of us good old pals together all lived local to each other and called for each other to get the number 8 bus to ickneild street school Dave Terry , and Edgar and my self , but i went to great charles street for the apprenticeship
of painting and decorating , we where around brum painting the city schools around birmingham
it was a five year course
like i said the all three started there when they closed down the other three started there own business in painting and decorating
which i thought was very strange how all four of us decided we was painters and decorators
and we still see each other now from time to time but thats where hoods was in fact if you walked up to summer hill from the sand pitts
you would walk over the cannal bridge on the main road and you would see alot of advertising board which had been there for years
and the side entrance was next to them best wishes Astonian,,,, Alan,,,,,
Post script
trying to recall hoods ware house coming down from congreive street heading towards the sndipptts and springhil
it was the next road to lionell street birmingham B 1 in those days coming down to summerhill once known as paradise street
and right next to the summer row DHSS Office and the bill hoarding over the cannal bridge there next was Hoods ware houseing ,,,
trying to recall hoods ware house coming down from congreive street heading towards the sndipptts and springhil
it was the next road to lionell street birmingham B 1 in those days coming down to summerhill once known as paradise street
and right next to the summer row DHSS Office and the bill hoarding over the cannal bridge there next was Hoods ware houseing ,,,
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Hi Alan,
Many thanks for that information. From 1953 to 1959 (minus National Service in the RAF) I worked for Birmingham City Transport in the Council House Extension in Congreve Street. During all that time, I never got around to walking down Summer Hill as I lived in Kings Heath and any time I visited the garages it would generally be by car. Ironically, many years after I had left, and around 1990, I did walk down there just once. By then it was, I think WMPTE and a former colleague told me that their HQ was down that road. My intention was to meet up with an old flame, who in the intervening years had become their computer manager. Alas when I got to the aforementioned building, they had moved on and the lady in question had taken early retirement, the last of the BCT Head Office from my time to have left.
So I don't know that area at all well, but maybe someone with more local knowledge can locate the street and there might be a photograph somewhere on the Forum that may include Hoods. Thank you, Alan.
Maurice.
Many thanks for that information. From 1953 to 1959 (minus National Service in the RAF) I worked for Birmingham City Transport in the Council House Extension in Congreve Street. During all that time, I never got around to walking down Summer Hill as I lived in Kings Heath and any time I visited the garages it would generally be by car. Ironically, many years after I had left, and around 1990, I did walk down there just once. By then it was, I think WMPTE and a former colleague told me that their HQ was down that road. My intention was to meet up with an old flame, who in the intervening years had become their computer manager. Alas when I got to the aforementioned building, they had moved on and the lady in question had taken early retirement, the last of the BCT Head Office from my time to have left.
So I don't know that area at all well, but maybe someone with more local knowledge can locate the street and there might be a photograph somewhere on the Forum that may include Hoods. Thank you, Alan.
Maurice.
Astonian,
Thanks, you have a good memory and I can sort of see the area you are in. Changing street names does not help and from what I can see the warehouse no longer exists. My Dad worked for Hoods before and after WW2 and I know I went there with him at least once, but it was when I was very small. He drove their travelling showroom for a while. I have a photo somewhere which I will try to dig out and post.
Maurice,
Thanks. It was there during the 30's, 40's and 50's but seems to have disappeared from all records - presumably taken over and merged with another company.
Would this be (from 1932-1940 Kellys):
Hoods Ltd, general merchants, International Exchange, 156 Edmund St
1943-46, Hoods Ltd, paper & general. merchants, 56 & 60 Newhall St
1949-65 Hoods Limited, paper & general. merchants. 63 Summer row (later described as paper merchants and converters)
1967-73Hoods (Paper) Ltd. 5/13 Highgate Square. paper merchants
Hoods Ltd, general merchants, International Exchange, 156 Edmund St
1943-46, Hoods Ltd, paper & general. merchants, 56 & 60 Newhall St
1949-65 Hoods Limited, paper & general. merchants. 63 Summer row (later described as paper merchants and converters)
1967-73Hoods (Paper) Ltd. 5/13 Highgate Square. paper merchants
Mikejee/Sospiri/Astonian,
My thanks to all of you for your help with this. The Edmund Street address ties in best with Astonian's recollections, although that cannot be the place that I visited - I was born after the war. The description of 'general merchants' may fit I suppose, but specifically hardware and ironmongery is what my Dad was promoting and selling from the mobile showroom. I have dug out my picture of the vehicle, including a shot of the interior. At the far end you can see the range of knives on offer. All absolutely fascinating to a young boy and the vehicle itself seemed pretty swish. It all looks so dated now. I know it was a custom-built vehicle (obvious in fact). Perhaps I should start a new thread to see if anyone can identify the coachbuilder. Out of interest, It was mostly maroon from memory. Not sure about the contrasting swirl. Thanks again for your help.
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
BrumBum,
From my examination of the newspapers, they were both importers and exporters and had premises in Bradford, Manchester and a couple of other places, none giving any address! No lettering on that vehicle either - almost a wish to remain anonymous. Obviously it was a wholesale only outfit.
Maurice
From my examination of the newspapers, they were both importers and exporters and had premises in Bradford, Manchester and a couple of other places, none giving any address! No lettering on that vehicle either - almost a wish to remain anonymous. Obviously it was a wholesale only outfit.
Maurice
Hi Maurice and brumbun
i can tell you thats hoods ware housing was so huge it taken half the damm road
what ever the name of the road it must have been about six storeys high
and it was of a black brick work and yes maurice they was the vans they used
i wonder if this road is still in excistance
If anybody out there whom lives within that area or travelling that way
coming from dudley road to the city and you will be passing the summer hill social security office
its the very first road passing it once at the DHSS Office you see the huge street hhoarding of advertising
Then that is the very street they was in , from that very beginning of the corner to three parts down
you name it they sold it beleive me as you say maurice hey was importers and exporters and
sold her at home best wishes to you both ,, Alan,, Astonian,,,,
i can tell you thats hoods ware housing was so huge it taken half the damm road
what ever the name of the road it must have been about six storeys high
and it was of a black brick work and yes maurice they was the vans they used
i wonder if this road is still in excistance
If anybody out there whom lives within that area or travelling that way
coming from dudley road to the city and you will be passing the summer hill social security office
its the very first road passing it once at the DHSS Office you see the huge street hhoarding of advertising
Then that is the very street they was in , from that very beginning of the corner to three parts down
you name it they sold it beleive me as you say maurice hey was importers and exporters and
sold her at home best wishes to you both ,, Alan,, Astonian,,,,
Hi Maurice and brumbum
I have just looked up on a google map regarding Hoods and if i have read the map correctly
the name of the street Hoods was on was in fact Fleet street
and it started at the top by summer hill and went right down on the left hand side of the road
walking down and in the sixties there was a coffee bar resturaunt opened up as well
right on the very corner of summer hill and fleet street it had two or three steps
to walk in through the door Alan,,,, Astonian,,,,,,,,,
I have just looked up on a google map regarding Hoods and if i have read the map correctly
the name of the street Hoods was on was in fact Fleet street
and it started at the top by summer hill and went right down on the left hand side of the road
walking down and in the sixties there was a coffee bar resturaunt opened up as well
right on the very corner of summer hill and fleet street it had two or three steps
to walk in through the door Alan,,,, Astonian,,,,,,,,,
Astonian,
Thanks. Certainly my recollection was of a very large building, but sometimes childhood memories play tricks, so I was starting to doubt myself. Still, its odd that such a large outfit should have disappeared almost without trace.
Sospiri,
You make an interesting point about no lettering on the van. I doubt that would happen these days. There would be a company name and logo plastered everywhere. Different times I suppose when things were more discreet and understated. There was an occasion when my Dad borrowed a Morris J van for some reason and, as I recall, that had no lettering on either.
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Alan,
Despite a lot of digging, I've failed to find to find a photograph, a sketch or any other information as to what was on that corner of Edmund Street & Church Street. I've also failed to find any other Birmingham address for the Company. When I lived in the UK, and because I traded postcards, I used to buy from the various postcard fairs, most of which had a paper ephemera section. Here you could pick up old leases, wills & other legal documents as well as old company catalogues, which even if you didn't have an interest in the particular company, made an interesting read.
BrumBum,
Not sure whether it is a sign of the times as if you have a look at the many old traffic pictures on BHF, many commercial vehicles had company names and it was cheap advertising seen by lots of people and still is. Whereas newspaper & magazine advertising was an expensive one-off generally only seen by the buyer, and disposed of later. On the other hand, we know that at least one of the directors had some, how shall I put it, unusual beliefs (see my post #2 above). Perhaps this was just another of them!
Do you ever recollect seeing any Hood catalogues? If so, my comment to Astonian above might be work investigating.
Maurice
Despite a lot of digging, I've failed to find to find a photograph, a sketch or any other information as to what was on that corner of Edmund Street & Church Street. I've also failed to find any other Birmingham address for the Company. When I lived in the UK, and because I traded postcards, I used to buy from the various postcard fairs, most of which had a paper ephemera section. Here you could pick up old leases, wills & other legal documents as well as old company catalogues, which even if you didn't have an interest in the particular company, made an interesting read.
BrumBum,
Not sure whether it is a sign of the times as if you have a look at the many old traffic pictures on BHF, many commercial vehicles had company names and it was cheap advertising seen by lots of people and still is. Whereas newspaper & magazine advertising was an expensive one-off generally only seen by the buyer, and disposed of later. On the other hand, we know that at least one of the directors had some, how shall I put it, unusual beliefs (see my post #2 above). Perhaps this was just another of them!
Do you ever recollect seeing any Hood catalogues? If so, my comment to Astonian above might be work investigating.
Maurice
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
BINGO ! This was the sort of thing I was talking about in my previous post. It's also given us a new address in 1953 - 63 Summer Row. It was on eBay, but has been sold now, but the item & seller can still be reached via
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1953-Hoods...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Maurice
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1953-Hoods...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Maurice
Attachments
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Alan,
The building on the corner of Summer Row & Fleet Street is indeed about six storeys and has something to do with kitchens across the front entrance (Google Street View). But it looks like a fairly recent building unless it's been given a jolly good clean up!
EDIT: Looks like it is called "Fleet Kitchen" & is a kitchen showroom on the ground floor. Parts of the building are 8 storeys.
Maurice
The building on the corner of Summer Row & Fleet Street is indeed about six storeys and has something to do with kitchens across the front entrance (Google Street View). But it looks like a fairly recent building unless it's been given a jolly good clean up!
EDIT: Looks like it is called "Fleet Kitchen" & is a kitchen showroom on the ground floor. Parts of the building are 8 storeys.
Maurice
Hi Mike with all respects to you ,firstly i never seen your thread about the address,s especialy when you said
summer row , yes thats fine but unless you knew the area and the road and the building as i most certainly did
as a local lad within the area ,and as i said my long time school friends from boy to man
worked there , obviciously you go by records of what access you have ,which is okay ;
63 would have been summer row as listed and that is because all those years ago there front office entrance was on summer row
and you will find the correspondence number consetively to the summer row office street number
and as i said summer row office was next to the cannal and the public path , meaning street path was hoarding boards
huge street advertinsing so you could not directly look down into the water
At the end of the boards directly next to them was hoods front office doors and they must not have been in decades
even when i was a lad at some point they must have stoped useing them
they was a pair of dark green doors and never been washed or cleaned in years prior to the fiftys
so thats how you got 63 summer row but from that very corner thats where the six storey ware house comenced
and as i recall hoods finished in the early part of the sixties i think it because the lads had left by then
and in the seventys there was variuos operators operating small business from there
have a nice day best wishes Astonian Alan,,,,,,
summer row , yes thats fine but unless you knew the area and the road and the building as i most certainly did
as a local lad within the area ,and as i said my long time school friends from boy to man
worked there , obviciously you go by records of what access you have ,which is okay ;
63 would have been summer row as listed and that is because all those years ago there front office entrance was on summer row
and you will find the correspondence number consetively to the summer row office street number
and as i said summer row office was next to the cannal and the public path , meaning street path was hoarding boards
huge street advertinsing so you could not directly look down into the water
At the end of the boards directly next to them was hoods front office doors and they must not have been in decades
even when i was a lad at some point they must have stoped useing them
they was a pair of dark green doors and never been washed or cleaned in years prior to the fiftys
so thats how you got 63 summer row but from that very corner thats where the six storey ware house comenced
and as i recall hoods finished in the early part of the sixties i think it because the lads had left by then
and in the seventys there was variuos operators operating small business from there
have a nice day best wishes Astonian Alan,,,,,,
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
You did indeed, Mike, and what put me off was the listing that they were paper & general merchants, whereas the accent has been on hardware. It seems that hardware has been a very small part of their business, which by the mid to late 60s did not exist at all.
Hoods Paper & Packaging Limited, which was incorporated in 1922 and was at 35 Ludgate Hill in 2001 looks to have been the main part of the same outfit. They later moved to Bevan Way, B66, but according to the various company agencies, have now ceased trading - exact date unknown and nothing in the London Gazette either.
Edit: At the same Smethwick address now is Zero Cases, originally an American company, which could well have gobbled them up. Anybody's guess!
Maurice
Hoods Paper & Packaging Limited, which was incorporated in 1922 and was at 35 Ludgate Hill in 2001 looks to have been the main part of the same outfit. They later moved to Bevan Way, B66, but according to the various company agencies, have now ceased trading - exact date unknown and nothing in the London Gazette either.
Edit: At the same Smethwick address now is Zero Cases, originally an American company, which could well have gobbled them up. Anybody's guess!
Maurice
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Astonian/Sospiri/Mikegee
I think you all deserve credit for taking this to a conclusion and thanks again for showing such an interest. This was an early part of my Dad's life and he went on to do other things, but the van and the name have stayed in my memory and it is good to give them a home.
Sospiri,
The connection to the Temperance movement is intriguing. My grandparents were active in the Temperance movement and it has made me wonder whether this was any sort of link leading to my Dad working for Hoods. Given his grammar school background (not that common at the time) it was not the most obvious job for him to take. Who knows? All in the past.
sospiri
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
BrumBum,
That is certainly possible - birds of a feather and all that. My late wife's family were all Salvation Army members and almost all of their friends were too. My wife was the only exception as she contracted poliomyelitis and at 2 years old also TB. So she spent the first 16 years of her life in various hospitals and institutions and during that time somehow became a Methodist. One of the institutions was run by Roman Catholic nuns and still was in the late 1980s. We went back there at that point - my wife even remembered the ward she was in and met one of the nuns who looked after all those years ago. Work that one out!
Maurice
That is certainly possible - birds of a feather and all that. My late wife's family were all Salvation Army members and almost all of their friends were too. My wife was the only exception as she contracted poliomyelitis and at 2 years old also TB. So she spent the first 16 years of her life in various hospitals and institutions and during that time somehow became a Methodist. One of the institutions was run by Roman Catholic nuns and still was in the late 1980s. We went back there at that point - my wife even remembered the ward she was in and met one of the nuns who looked after all those years ago. Work that one out!
Maurice
Hi Maurice
i have just found the picture of the hoarding that was on the bridge of the cannal where i said so
if you read the bit i said to mike about the cannal bridge with all its posters and right next to it
there was a office and the front doors was dark green and very dirty inded never been openend in years i thought at the time
when i was there around the fiftys onwards and that was the very corner of the street and block of hoods
i will put the picture of it for you to see
and wwhen you look closely its avertisings cirgars and pianos so as i said and as mike said it must be 63 summer hill
that being the office address but as you seen the building six floors high half way down the street
and the big chimmney yoou see was above there ware house it is what you say i know they done also of goods
you name it they had it even carpits pots and pan,s they had the lot
i presume number below there office of the DHSS would correspond to either 60 or 61 or 62 if hoods are 63 as mike says
those hoarding was there from 1901 through to the late fiftys when they changed the signs to a small size
of boarding adverts it was some time later possibly sevents when when they actualy took them away permantly
and yes it was all dirty black bricks in those days and i know there was different units in the eightys and ninetys
It was the same of Arther prices cutlery of spring hill passage went the same wwhen they finished trading there they
they split the factory into little units for small business
here is the bridge next door and look above the boards and you will see the adverts for the cigars and pianos
which was painted on seperately speak soon Alan ,, Astonian,,,
i have just found the picture of the hoarding that was on the bridge of the cannal where i said so
if you read the bit i said to mike about the cannal bridge with all its posters and right next to it
there was a office and the front doors was dark green and very dirty inded never been openend in years i thought at the time
when i was there around the fiftys onwards and that was the very corner of the street and block of hoods
i will put the picture of it for you to see
and wwhen you look closely its avertisings cirgars and pianos so as i said and as mike said it must be 63 summer hill
that being the office address but as you seen the building six floors high half way down the street
and the big chimmney yoou see was above there ware house it is what you say i know they done also of goods
you name it they had it even carpits pots and pan,s they had the lot
i presume number below there office of the DHSS would correspond to either 60 or 61 or 62 if hoods are 63 as mike says
those hoarding was there from 1901 through to the late fiftys when they changed the signs to a small size
of boarding adverts it was some time later possibly sevents when when they actualy took them away permantly
and yes it was all dirty black bricks in those days and i know there was different units in the eightys and ninetys
It was the same of Arther prices cutlery of spring hill passage went the same wwhen they finished trading there they
they split the factory into little units for small business
here is the bridge next door and look above the boards and you will see the adverts for the cigars and pianos
which was painted on seperately speak soon Alan ,, Astonian,,,
Attachments
i think this is the bridge in alans photo post 26
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.4...vEcCJcLOAsQ5J9y1oQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
lyn
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.4...vEcCJcLOAsQ5J9y1oQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
lyn
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hi maurice
when do you last see that building and how do you mean beyond the old ware house
as i recall it the kitchen and wares was when you walked down that street passing the buildings going down hill
on the top corner facing the ofices as i described there was some kind of weir coffee shop as i recall it
it was towards the ending parts of the ware house i seen this was after they closed down hoods
best wishes Alan,,,, Astonian,,,,
when do you last see that building and how do you mean beyond the old ware house
as i recall it the kitchen and wares was when you walked down that street passing the buildings going down hill
on the top corner facing the ofices as i described there was some kind of weir coffee shop as i recall it
it was towards the ending parts of the ware house i seen this was after they closed down hoods
best wishes Alan,,,, Astonian,,,,