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Market Carts

  • Thread starter Thread starter Geoff
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Geoff

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I remember a barrow makers in Sherlock Street near the bottom of Hurst Street. They made very substantial wooden garden barrows with a special line at Christmas in children's garden wheel barrows. I think they had one on the roof as an advertisment feature.
 
The wheels do look small on it don't they, maybe it's more of an indoor one, for around the market itself rather than a road use one? Just a thought, probably way off line lol!
Sue
 
That brings back memories. There used to be a place in I think Wilton Street, they hired out handcarts and basket carriages. On a Saturday I had to go and get either of those, load it up with tat, and steer it all the way from Berners St to the Rag Market, my uncles went on the bus, then after the market I had to wheel it back to Berners St then return it to the hire place. For all this work I got some dripping sarnies and two bob, me mother took the two bob!!!

Barrie
 
I use one of these barrows during my time working at Birmingham wholesale markets. They are still being used today. Each company has at least one. The one in the photograph is standard size. I have not seen any with larger wheels. I have worked at the market since abt 1985 ,starting at a company called Mack & J V White. Will have to find a photograph .John
 
Used to see them a lot taking produce from the warehouses and cold store to the market. The springs meant that stuff wouldn't vibrate and fall off on the rough & cobbled streets.

Some wheel sizes were different: this one sold at an antique auction for £270.
 
Wholesale Market.jpgMack market barrow..jpg

Here are a couple of photographs of the barrows that are used in the wholesale market today. The idea being that the customer would order his produce from a company in the wholesale market and a porter would take the produce to the customers vehicle. You would often see these barrows taking produce up the cobbled slope that used to run up past St Martin's church up to the bull ring stalls. At one time the porters would have to own a porters licence and would be paid by the customer per job, but today the porters are employed by companies within the market. sadly as you can see in the photograph the work today is done by a fork lift truck. I am glad to say It gives me great memories to say that I pulled the barrow up the cobbled slope to the bull ring.
John
 
hi john
such memories for you ; i reckon being in the front line so to speak ;its sad really how automation as taken over our working life really
and made alot of of human race unemployed did you work on the market very long ;


i can recall the old bull ring from my boy hood days going down the bull ring market years before they introduced market stalls
and they they was all linened up next to each other selling there fruit and veg ; and shhouting ; come on luv try one of these fresh oneapples ; oranges bannanas ; alsorts of goodied and the old ladies selling brown paper bags and theoldwar hero selling boxes of matches or shoe laces
i have a huge print picture on my wall in my loungeof that scene and seing guys selling jokes and the bible and freedom of speech on the soap box

those memorys have stuck with me through all my life the asposehere as well with the old rag alley
as a porter you knew of the bull ring life with in the city ; it was different from other parts of brum even the night life was different it was a world of its own ;
by day the hustle and the bustle of all the people and of a night time there was another mukie side of it
as i know i used to run the pubnext to the church and the traders always came in for aquick pint or two during the day s work also the porters ;
do you recall a guy they called cow boy ; i se old macks truck was in the picture he was old as the hills and istrucks; [ meaning barrows was always seen andflying
up and down the tunnels where they used to keep there products ;
great memories ; astonian ;;;
 
hi john...great to see pics of the old barrows...how times have changed....

thank you posting them...

lyn
 
The barrows are still in use today in the wholesale market,the photographs were taken last week. There must be at least about 100 of them. The fork lift trucks are used for larger orders to be taken further distance easily.
 
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