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S Rose & Co

R

Rosesgirl

New Member
S Rose & Co was a clothing and fancy goods warehouse located in Lionel street next to the post office tower .
My cousin Gail started there in 1972 in the Ladies and Children’s department. Mr Wesson was the department manager.
I started in 1974 my first job (same dept) - what an experience. The work ethic was so different back then but has stayed with me for life. Junior staff had to sweep up at the end of every day - taught us good discipline and respect.
Some really funny events happened though - I’m researching now about workplace pranks in 70s blimey the stuff we used to do would be unthinkable now.
Be great to hear if any of you either worked there ( not when it moved to Bordesley Typhoo tea former factory) or knew any one or you’ve 1970s pranks ( clean ones)
Ta very much
 
I started back end of the 70s just before the fire so I didn't get to know anyone much in the various departments (I started as accounts) until the move to the new building. After the fire a lot of departments moved into the building across the road for around a year before we moved to Digbeth.
 
Hi Wam, thank you for your reply.
Nice to connect with a former employee
Even though you weren’t there long - it be interesting to hear any thoughts on what it was like for you . Any funny things - even processes you’d have done in accounts -
I’ve found an old payslip in what’s feels looks/ like tracing paper I’ll post later so funny - I bet your department wrote those .
 
Rosesgirl said:
S Rose & Co was a clothing and fancy goods warehouse located in Lionel street next to the post office tower .
My cousin Gail started there in 1972 in the Ladies and Children’s department. Mr Wesson was the department manager.
I started in 1974 my first job (same dept) - what an experience. The work ethic was so different back then but has stayed with me for life. Junior staff had to sweep up at the end of every day - taught us good discipline and respect.
Some really funny events happened though - I’m researching now about workplace pranks in 70s blimey the stuff we used to do would be unthinkable now.
Be great to hear if any of you either worked there ( not when it moved to Bordesley Typhoo tea former factory) or knew any one or you’ve 1970s pranks ( clean ones)
Ta very much
Click to expand...
do you know what number lionel st

lyn
 
After the fire the company mo
brummy-lad said:
I think this was the building in 2020 prior to demolition.
Click to expand...
After the fire, the company moved into the Ludgate Hill building for a few months. The photo looks a bit like that building. The Lionel St building was much larger than that and went fairly far back. It's possible that the company moved before I started at the end of the 70s because I remember the address as 90 Lionel street. It was between the Post Office Tower and Ludgate Hill then. That building had the Mens & Boys Deoartment and the offices at that time. There was also a building around the corner on Ludgate Hill on the other side of the road that housed the other departments (Ladies, Household linens, Footwear, Fancy Goods). Since the Mens department did most of the business They took more space than all of the others combined.
 
Aah thank you - yes that’s the building .
I went in there some years ago just into reception . The company pre 2020 changed front which had been cleaned up -
Yes you’re right about the departments in the main building- ladies and childrens when I worked there was on first floor next to the other gents floor .
That’s the name too - was that in Kelly’s directory .Ive attached one of my first payslips from August 1974 £12:50p wow I was rich .
Paid my mom £5 for keep and new dress £6 from Chelsea girl and bus fares and I was skint happy days
 

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wow that wage slip took me back..my first wage for office junior in 70/71 was £7.50p..mom let me keep all of my first weeks wage then i think it was £3 a week for keep...boy did i feel all grown up..luckily i did not need bus fare money as i could walk to work

lyn
 
Sounds like the company switched around a bit before I started. I started in 78 when the main building was at 90 Lionel St between the P O Tower and Ludgate Hill. The main building had just the Mens and Boys stuff and the offices - the rest was on Ludgate Hill. After the fire in 79 they moved everything to Ludgate Hill for a while until they could find something bigger. In 1981 (I think) they moved to Bordesley St on the other side of town into part of the old Typhoo Factory. At the end of the century the old directors retired and sold out to another company. The problem was that the new owners were expecting to make a lot more money than Rose's were really making. They wanted a new computer system that would cost a million where the existing one was costing £10-20 thousand a year. They also bought a lot of leather goods for a contract with a well-known high st chain just before that company went broke owing them a million. Rose's went broke in 2001. I was there until the end.
When I started I was working in accounts and back-up on cash desk but then they bought a computer system and I was trained up on that. By the mid 80s I was their computer staff (programmer, system manager and all that - everything from writing the software to fixing the cables) and filling in on Purchases along with back-up on Cash Desk (breaks, holidays etc.).
The part of the Bordesley St building we were using was demolished last year/early this year apart from the front wall. It's now to become the BBC offices etc. fairly soon.
 
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