• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Horses/Work oorses/Cart oorses/Race oorses

Pomgolian

Kiwi Brummie
:D Here goes Paul :!: My Dad worked with lots of different types of horses in his life time Show jumpers, Racers, and Cart horses.
He worked for the Co-op at one time on the bread cart and he loved it. The chap he worked with was the driver, because as I may have mentioned in other threads My dad was almost blind and there's the rub :!: Dad was made redundant when the Three wheeled carts came in... Shot just like your oorse - Well that's what it seemed like to him :!:
 
Horses

That story is very sad, Pom. I can't imagine how your Dad must have felt
having to give up something he loved with creatures he loved. My father-in-law was a milkman when he came back from WW2 and
my husbands favourite story is about the occasions when the horse, Daisy,
whom he drove around every work day, couldn't always make it back to the depot where the horses lived and had to be parked in their back garden in
the suburbs!!!!! That was a rare treat for the kids. Giving him carrots and sugar lumps.
 
The old grandad , my great grandad used to be a drayman at M&B one of his horses was called Daisy.

When used to go to see him he would still be driving them even though he was bed ridden and v v v old.

he was a kind old man
 
Milk carts were drawn by horses in the 40s and 50s as most of us here will remember. Also I remember bulk loads still being carried along Washwoodheath road on wagons with two

large wooden spoked wheels and a heavy horse pulling up the hill and down the other side past the Swan. Many canal barges were still pulled by hoses at that time. Seems strange

that this was co-existing with what was even then the jet age. It's not that long ago although todays kids probably regard it as such. I can hear the sound of those heavy horse

hooves now and visualize the driver sitting on the front of the cart with his ratting cap on his head.. and the sacking over the load, as I walked to school. A tram would probably pass

on the way. When you think about it, this is older history to todays kids than the great 14/18 war was to us. A sombre thought.

Regards.
 
A sort of slow clip clop if I remember Rupert from the horses hooves as they walked along the roads. I remember the rag and bone man's horse and cart that came along our road
with several small bowls containing a gold fish. The fruit and vegetable man who also
had a horse and cart. I used to love to watch the horse eating oats out of his feed bag.
 
My Grand Dad worked with Horses for Birmingham Corporation and on the 30th June 1924 he was presented with a Silver Medal for 5 years Accident free driving at the age of 57 which I have in front of me at the moment. I hope to put it on the forum soon :)
 
Growing up in the war years nearly every delivery was made by horse and cart, milk, bread, coal, tatters, and then there were the railway carts from Lawley Street drawn by the big shire horses, also the beer was still delivered by horse and cart. I think Gerry mentioned on another thread how people used to rush out with a bucket and spade to collect the manure for their gardens.
 
Sylvia. Those horse droppings were gold dust. l used to go around Viaduct Street as this was used a lot by the horses from the COOP Dairy in Vauxhall Road, the otherplace was Rupert Street and this was all the railway horses from the goods dept,. part of their stables can still be seen from Rocky Lane. We used to hang on the back of the goods cart going down Henry Street, l used to hate to see the horses loose their footings on parts of the street that was cobble stones more so when they were wet.
 
It was Mayday John all the Horses were dressed up like it or not but it was lovely :)Why can't we bring it back
 
I see the cart is one from the Co-oP on Vauxhall Road. I used to have a friend who worked there. Lovely picture again, thanks.
 
I CAN REMEMBER THE CO-OP MILKMAN IN HALL GREEN CIRCA 1954/56 WITH HIS HORSE DRAWN FLOAT AND I THINK THE BAKER AS WELL.
JOHN
 
Back
Top