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Roast chestnut vendor !!

H

Heath Street

master brummie
Is this my imagination! I am sitting at my computer attacking the family tree once more when I had this vision of a Roast Chestnut Vendor somewhere in the centre of Birmingham in about 1950's - A bridge comes to mind, an uphill walk, long road - my dad, my mum and brother walking from goodness knows where to... its a long time ago but very vivid - Val a former Heath Street resident - many years ago.
 
Not chestnuts but potatoes is my recollection. I think there was one near Snow Hill station but I guess there were a few scattered around the city centre. I understand these purveyors and their apparatus still are in use in some cities but back in the 1950's you were able to smell them by the smoke from their chimneys as well as the cooked foods.

You have probably caused many folks here to put on their thinking caps so hopefully we may yet see some more posts giving geographical locations in the City.
 
Hello, I remember potatoes at the bottom of the ramp from New Street station in the 60's. Little potatoes, no butter but covered in salt and handed over in a small paper bag. Possibly, as I don't like roast chestnuts, I wouldn't have been on the look out for them. Anne
 
Yes there definitely was one in Stephenson Place, bottom of the ramp as you came out of New Street Station. I think this one was there for a very long time. Viv.
 
yes viv he was there for years at that location..i used to love the smell as i went past...

lyn
 
Oooo Lyn now you're talking ... I remember them especially at Christmas, you could see the glowing coals inside the truck thingy. Viv.
 
Vivienne14 said:
Oooo Lyn now you're talking ... I remember them especially at Christmas, you could see the glowing coals inside the truck thingy. Viv.
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that right viv i remember..even now when i do baked spuds in the oven the smell takes me back to not just the vendors up town but also of bonfire night...we always had half the street in our back garden because it was so big..massive bonfire after weeks of collecting and mom would always do baked spuds and road chestnuts and oranges for all who turned up...sorry for rambling on but they were such happy times and certain smells bring it all back to me

lyn
 
I can smell them taters now
 

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Great memories Lyn and Viv: I remember the Hot Chestnut men (always men) both at Snow Hill and New Street. The smell was heavenly and often you couldn't resist
buying some. I found this article and comments from the Birmingham Post about Hot Chestnuts in Brumhttps://www.birminghampost.net/tm_headline=it-s-chest-nut-the-same&method=full&objectid=16453677&siteid=50002-name_page.html

This link is about Street hawkers of the past and their vehicles, etc. It's a great read with illustrations. https://www.igg.org.uk/gansg/00-app1/trade-st.htm
 
hi jenny oh yes of course there was a ventor at snow hill although i dont recall him i have read about it...

thanks jim..its baked spuds for us on monday night lol
 
I remember the hot potato vendor at Snow Hill at the station entrance. Lovely little potatoes in a triangular paper bag with a touch of salt. I have never forgotten them.
 
Remember the potato man by the New Street ramp, am sure there was a chestnut seller by the old outdoor Bull Ring markets/ St Martins, at least at Christmas, dad and I used to go "up the Bullring" to get the turkey from the market on Xmas Eve and had some to eat on the way home - while poor dad was struggling under the weight of the turkey lol
Sue
 
To everyone that replied - It brought back the smell, atmosphere, dark nights, chilly weather and feeling of comfort! Strange, the picture of Potato Man didn't seem to ring a bell - I could see a Brazier - would that mean Chestnuts! Sure Health & Safety would have something to say now... Val
 
Theoretically the hot potato man would have been around more often that the hot chestnut one, on the assumption that potatoes are usually available all year around where chestnuts usually are not. I can't see anyone buying enough chestnuts for an all year round supply, but of course, I could be wrong.

Maybe we have purveyors of these products who have not yet read these posts, or descendent's of them?
 
Heath Street said:
Is this my imagination! I am sitting at my computer attacking the family tree once more when I had this vision of a Roast Chestnut Vendor somewhere in the centre of Birmingham in about 1950's - A bridge comes to mind, an uphill walk, long road - my dad, my mum and brother walking from goodness knows where to... its a long time ago but very vivid - Val a former Heath Street resident - many years ago.
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I remember the chap that used to have his mobile oven on Navigation St near the 62 bus stop, at the junction of Hill St, that was an uphill walk.
They were usually burnt to a cinder but we still bought them!
 
l remember we had a bake potato man on the corner of Burlington st and Newtown Row.opposite Griffins the greengrocers...it must have been early '50s...it was lovely to get off the bus or tram on a cold winters day, buy a hot baked potato in a three cornered bag not to forget the salt....sometimes it was good for a hand warmer as well,... nothing like todays baked potatos filled with so much "stuff" one can barley taste the potato...Brenda
 
I recall a chestnut seller with his oven on a wooden cart based at the junction of New St, Corporation St & Stephenson St.
The aroma was always delightful....
 
In the 1950'ss there was a hot potato man at the top of Carrs lane I think he sold chestnuts as well. I remember in winter people used to stand near his oven to keep warm waiting for one of the buses that started there.
I dont think my mom ever bought one from him, because there always seemed to be a 58 0r 60 about to leave ,
 
I am now confused - did I have Potatoes with little bag of salt or Chestnuts - although I dont really recall ever liking chestnuts!! I've now come-up with another image - its doing the Family Tree thats caused all these little memories - A Horse pulling a waggon down Heath Street with bleeding carcases of Horse Meat? dont remember my Mother ever making a purchase and to think there is all this fuss over horse meat! Val
 
I can smell those baked potatoes and visualise the oven, on a hand waggon in the 50s and 60s smelt delicious but, prefer pots with butter now. In the 70s Mom used to put potatoes in the oven to bake for supper but would never have given us them for tea. Strange how fashions change, I often serve baked pots with chicken and salad. If it didn't include homemade gravy, 'meat juices, flour & gravy browning', it wasn't a proper dinner. Any Aunt who used Bisto was deemed to be a useless cook. How unforgiving were our parents sometimes? I used to stay at my Aunts' on occasion and in order to stay in my Moms good books would confirm what she wanted to hear, that my Aunts could not cook as well as she could. Bless! Anne
 
Yes Anne - what would we do without a Baked Pot. Fill it with beans and coleslaw - bacon - Proper Butter? the list is endless and with the invention of the Microwave - 8 - 10 mins DONE - but they dont taste anything like those cooked in oven for couple of hours, burnt and crispy skins - Its like Crumpets - I like them burnt and black.... dont think my Mom ever did a Baked Pot. Times Have Changed. Val
 
Hello Val. Oooooh.Jacket potato . especially in a gas oven, I'm thinking in the 70's. Loads of Anchor butter and some salt. Perhaps they couldn't cook 'em earlier than then. I can't remember the food we had in the 50's when we lived in the parlour at my Gran's house in Deepmoor Road, South Yardley. However, I can remember we were always given nutritious and filling food throughout our childhood and I have always maintained that 'you are what you eat' and thank my parents for that legacy. Anne
 
Hi Ann
there used to be quite afew chestnuts sellers around years ago i recall the hot spuds and the chest nuts sellers out side the onion fair
when i was a kid living on lichfield rd also in the town centre by the new street station many years ago
on the subject of chest nuts we always had the old gas oven on the go all night on lichfield rd in those days ; especialy bonfire nights
we had the biggest yard up the terrace of cromwell sqaure and all te neibours of the terace always contributed with all there belonging
for the bonfire even the shop leepers along there gae us some think it was almost as big as a park bonfire
our dear old mom would put the spuds nd the chest nuts on at four oclock in the after noon and they would be cooking none stop right through until mid night
until the last person left she gave all the neibours there chest nuts and spuds all night there was twnt house up the terace to feed plus the dozens of kids ;
whom came into the yard for bon fire night some years it would burn all night the ld man and a nebour would stand and watch the fire to moulder before going to bed and beleive me i felt soory for the bin men on monday morning coming and shovelling up the ashes a bits of metal into galvanised bins which they had to carry them days on there shoulders it took them ages ; to walk up and down the big terrace yard nex to thomans the butchers and it was upp a slope ; but they done it and it was shear hard work but my old man used to tip the men each fo taking it all away ;
even today well at least every bonfire night i still buy those chest nuts myself and last week i baked some and shelled them and put them on the bird table
good old days i say ; best wishes Astonian;;
 
Heath Street said:
Yes Anne - what would we do without a Baked Pot. Fill it with beans and coleslaw - bacon - Proper Butter? the list is endless and with the invention of the Microwave - 8 - 10 mins DONE - but they dont taste anything like those cooked in oven for couple of hours, burnt and crispy skins - Its like Crumpets - I like them burnt and black.... dont think my Mom ever did a Baked Pot. Times Have Changed. Val
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Always start ours off in the microwave then after putting salt and olive oil on them finish off in the oven, best of both worlds.
 
hi val do remember the chestnut man but where no idea but i do remember the penny wilk whith his wheel barrow on sundays down herath st,also remember lots more from the late forties onwards ,names like the wilkins,miles,dudley,nerwels,brintonsd,rooms,wainrights the green grocers,smiths the shop opposit, archers a grocers, bournes opposit, ashfords, alice bishop,may owen fish shop suches the paper shop parkers the rag and bone yard,pluss many more.like to know who you are.john bailey
 
johnbailey, you had me going there for a minute. My Dad's side of our family came from Norman St. I expected to see a name I recognised in the list you put up !
 
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