jennyann
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
My second job in l957 was at John Wilson & Sons (Wholesale Grocers) Ltd., whose offices and warehouse were on New John Street West, just up the road from the Lucas factory. It was quite a jaunt from my house and required three buses to get there. Wilson’s was one of several smaller wholesale grocery supply companies in Birmingham in the l950’s. Others would have been Warriner & Mason and Brown, Hopwood and Gilbert, the latter was located almost opposite the Main Fire Station in the City Centre. You could see their delivery vans all over the city. Brown with gold lettering. Another wholesaler at that time was
Ten Acres and Stirchley Cooperative.
Wilson’s was a family business but I can’t remember how many years they were in operation. I believe after New John Street started to be redeveloped they moved to Newtown Row before disappearing altogether in the l960’s. I was only l6 years old and replaced a woman of 32 as Junior Secretary to the Secretary of the company. I suspect paying me cheaper wages had something to with that!!!!. I knew Pitman’s Shorthand since my Mother sent me to night school when I was l4 years old!!!!! at Underwood’s Secretarial College in Albert Street across from the Beehive, I also learned to type there.
Wilson’s supplied a lot of “front room' grocery stores and larger grocery stores in the North West area of Birmingham. Apart from regular Grocery lines they also supplied Provisions such as bacon, lard,butter, etc. The warehouse was very old and the offices were full of pre-war equipment although I did have a new Olympia 88 typewriter which was excellent. The people were very friendly and came from different parts of Birmingham. The company had a small cafeteria that catered mostly to the directors and the warehouse staff. Every morning they would prepare jugs of really excellent coffee for the office staff. I also remember attending a Christmas Party at a hall somewhere along Heathfield Road in Perry Barr.
I used to take the bus along Summer Lane to New John Street and then hop on I think it was the No. 33 or was it the No. 8 … up New John Street.. I explored the area over the lunch times in the summer months and remember walking to Lozells several times and shopping along Lozells Road also going into Hockley and shopping there also. Sometimes the Managing Director, Mr. Johnson would pick me up at the No. 33 bus stop in his big black Humber car in the morning if I timed it right and he drove by. On those freezing cold wintery mornings I would hope and pray he would come by.
I can remember coming home a couple of times and waiting for a bus along Summer Lane and accidentally catching the wrong bus…. the factory special bus stopped and I got on because it was freezing cold. I got some very strange looks from the girls on board because I was dressed in office type clothes and they mostly laughed and made rude comments!!!!! I just laughed back and it was ok.
Many times the traffic jams were just awful at Six Ways Aston…. the traffic backed up down Alma Street and I swear I knew every inch of that street from the Crocodile Works up to the last bus stop before the 5a or number 7 did a right hand turn into Witton Road at Six Ways. I especially remember the traffic jams being much worse when it was foggy…. not just misty but really thick fog. I left the bus at Witton Circle and caught the No. 11 to Marsh Hill. . Over the time I was there I got to know the area quite well. It’s all gone now, of course.
Ten Acres and Stirchley Cooperative.
Wilson’s was a family business but I can’t remember how many years they were in operation. I believe after New John Street started to be redeveloped they moved to Newtown Row before disappearing altogether in the l960’s. I was only l6 years old and replaced a woman of 32 as Junior Secretary to the Secretary of the company. I suspect paying me cheaper wages had something to with that!!!!. I knew Pitman’s Shorthand since my Mother sent me to night school when I was l4 years old!!!!! at Underwood’s Secretarial College in Albert Street across from the Beehive, I also learned to type there.
Wilson’s supplied a lot of “front room' grocery stores and larger grocery stores in the North West area of Birmingham. Apart from regular Grocery lines they also supplied Provisions such as bacon, lard,butter, etc. The warehouse was very old and the offices were full of pre-war equipment although I did have a new Olympia 88 typewriter which was excellent. The people were very friendly and came from different parts of Birmingham. The company had a small cafeteria that catered mostly to the directors and the warehouse staff. Every morning they would prepare jugs of really excellent coffee for the office staff. I also remember attending a Christmas Party at a hall somewhere along Heathfield Road in Perry Barr.
I used to take the bus along Summer Lane to New John Street and then hop on I think it was the No. 33 or was it the No. 8 … up New John Street.. I explored the area over the lunch times in the summer months and remember walking to Lozells several times and shopping along Lozells Road also going into Hockley and shopping there also. Sometimes the Managing Director, Mr. Johnson would pick me up at the No. 33 bus stop in his big black Humber car in the morning if I timed it right and he drove by. On those freezing cold wintery mornings I would hope and pray he would come by.
I can remember coming home a couple of times and waiting for a bus along Summer Lane and accidentally catching the wrong bus…. the factory special bus stopped and I got on because it was freezing cold. I got some very strange looks from the girls on board because I was dressed in office type clothes and they mostly laughed and made rude comments!!!!! I just laughed back and it was ok.
Many times the traffic jams were just awful at Six Ways Aston…. the traffic backed up down Alma Street and I swear I knew every inch of that street from the Crocodile Works up to the last bus stop before the 5a or number 7 did a right hand turn into Witton Road at Six Ways. I especially remember the traffic jams being much worse when it was foggy…. not just misty but really thick fog. I left the bus at Witton Circle and caught the No. 11 to Marsh Hill. . Over the time I was there I got to know the area quite well. It’s all gone now, of course.
Last edited:
