Category: History

The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 7

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22. 

A railway lantern in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This gas lantern is from Bilston station.

Read about Bilston station here.

A railway lantern in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This gas lantern is from the station used by the royal family when they visited Sandringham.

A railway crest in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This cast iron plaque carries the crest of the East Lancashire Railway, which operated as an independent company in the Accrington, Blackburn and Burnley areas between 1844 – 1859.

Read about the East Lancashire Railway here. 

A small locamotive in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is thought to be the oldest surviving 10 1/4 Garden Railway locomotive in the world.  Built in Birmingham, 1900, by Grimshaw for Captain Holder’s Pitmaston Moor Green Railway.

Read about Holder here.

Read about Pitmaston House here.

A locomotive model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a model of the 0-4-0 locomotive Mary.  The original was built by W.G. Bagnall Limited, Engineers, Stafford.

Read about W.G. Bagnall here.

A train model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Train models in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Bundy time clocks in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

These two clocking-in machines were made by the International Time Recording Company around 1920. They were quite laborious to operate.

Read about the International Time Recording Company here.

A gas fire in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Flavel Windsor, Model No. 536, Gas Fire is shown here without the ceramic elements which radiated the heat out into the room. This Fire is part of the West Midlands Gas Collection.

Read about Flavel here. 

A kitchen in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Part of a designer 1950’s fitted kitchen.

A gas stove in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A gas stove in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The two Gas Ranges above were some of the many made by Birmingham foundries about 100 years ago.  They were part of the West Midlands Gas Board (later to become British Gas) collection given to the city in 1962.

Read about the West Midlands Gas Board here.

A gas cooker in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Cannon of Bilston in the West Midlands introduced their first gas cookers in 1895 and became a leading brand in this domestic kitchen appliance. This particular gas cooker style was in popular use by the 1950’s in homes across the country.

Read about Cannon here.

Washing Dolly

This is an early attempt at trying to make washing easier at a time before washing machines.  The dolly was used to agitate laundry and placed in a tub with hot water and soap.  This one was made in Tyseley, Birmingham.

Read about the washing dolly here.

A washing dolly the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Before the 1950’s most houses had a mangle to domestically squeeze excess water from washed clothes.  This one was made by F.J. Cocks, 6 Worcester Street, Birmingham.

Read about the Mangle here.

This mangle was made by J. Bentley of Birmingham and dates back to around 1875 – 1925. 

Read about the Mangle here.

Mangles

A mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A washing machine with mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Timesaver Washing Machine, circa 1910, comes fitted with a Wringer (also known as a mangle).  It was principally made of wood.  This machine came from the Stourbridge area.  

A washing machine with mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Made by W. Summerscales & Son (later to be changed to W. Summerscales & Sons) of Coney Lane Mills, Keighley, Yorkshire in 1865 this design won awards at agricultural shows around Northern England in the 1860’s and it was exhibited at the International Exhibition in 1862.

Read about W. Summerscales & Sons here.

A washing machine with mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A washing machine with mangle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This machine was made in Birmingham by the General Electric Company (G.E.C.) in 1935.  It was powered by electricity.  The growing use of electricity both at home and at work ensured a great demand for G.E.C.’s products and the company expanded both at home and overseas.

Read about the General Electric Company here.

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Local History: The Museum Collection Centre.  

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The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 9.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 10.

Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Grace’s Guide – Official website.  This is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain.  This web publication contains 149,969 pages of information and 235,611 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

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The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 5

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22.

A Rover P5B automatic in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This 3.5 Litre model was built in 1971 in Solihull and restored to concours condition by its former owner.  The mileage shown is only  45,462.  The P5B had a 3528cc V8 engine and was in production from 1967 to 1973 replacing the P5 model (2955cc from 1958 to 1967).

Read about the Rover P5 here.

A Rover 12 Sports in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Built in Coventry in 1936 the 12HP Sports Saloon was typical of later designs in that it was available with three different capacity engines (10, 12 and 14HP).

Read about the Rover 12 here.

Read about the Rover Company here.

A B.S.A. Open Tourer in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

With one of the earliest uses of steel panels in cars,  this 4-seater was built at the Sparkbrook Works of B.S.A. in  Birmingham.  It has the legendary Knight Double Sleeve Valve engine.  

Read about B.S.A. cars here.

A Bean 14HP Coupe in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This 4-cylinder 2385cc built Coupe was built in Tipton in 1927.   Bean industries stopped making cars in 1933 but supplied engine components to manufacturers including Austin Rover until the 1900’s.

Read about Bean cars here.

An Ariel Convertible car in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The Ariel works in Selly Oak, Birmingham, built 1,000 of these cars between 1923 and 1925.  They then switched to making motorcycles as they were priced out of the market by the Austin Seven.

Read about the Ariel Motor Company here.

An Armstrong Siddeley Foursome in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The chassis for this car was built in Coventry in 1935, but the car was finished in Birmingham for the purchaser.  It has a 6-cylinder engine developing 17HP.

Read about Armstrong Siddeley here. 

A Castle Runabout in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This car was a prototype and was made by the Castle Motor Company of Kidderminster.  They made about 350 3-wheeled Runabout light cars.  The 4-wheeled version from 1919 never reached full production.

Read about the Castle Motor Company here.

A Daimler 20 Saloon in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Read about the Daimler Company here.

A Clement Panhard in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This light car was marketed in England as a Stirling Dog Cart.  0-65 were built in 1901 or 2 which was before Registration became compulsary.  It was first registered on January the 1st 1904. 

Read about Clement Panhard here.

A Jackson /DeDion Cylinder Wagonette in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This car was built by the Jackson Automobile Company in 1909 and was a single cylinder wagonette. 

Read about the Jackson Automobile Company here. 

A Benz Voiturette in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Built in 1900 to Karl Benz’s system, this Dogcart took part in the inagural Brighton Run, and also again in 2003 when it was defeated by the appaling weather.

Read about Karl Benz here.

Read about Mercedes-Benz here. 

An Austin A90 Atlantic Coupe in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This 1949 Austin Achieved 63 records at the Indianpolis Production Car Endurance event in the USA that year. 

Read about the Austin A90 Atlantic Coupe here.

Read about the Austin Motor Company here.

A DV4 Electric Dust Cart (No. 184) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This 4-ton electric dust cart was used in Birmingham between 1938 and 1971 and was developed as the result of a collaboration between the Birmingham salvage department and Electricars based on the salvage department’s experience with its previous electric vehicles.  They were replaced by diesel-powered designs.

Read about the DV4 Electric Dust Cart here.

A Tip-Cart in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Made in 1945 by J. and A. Inston, Wheelwrights, of  Bartley Green, Birmingham, at a cost of £50.   It was one of the last carts to be made locally using traditional methods.  Its present livery dates from the early 1960’s.

A Horse-Drawn Dog Cart in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a horse drawn vehichle, with a compartment for carrying your dog.

Unknown in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Unknown in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A towbar in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The Land Speed Record Car, the Railton Special, was built in 1937/8 had no Starter.  Instead it was Push Started by a truck linked to it by this Rod which disconnected once the engines had started.

Read about the Railton Special here.  

Read about Railton here.

A Bluebird Tyre in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a Dunlop tyre from Donald Campbell’s legendery vehicle Bluebird.  In July 1964 he claimed the land speed record of 403.10 mph at Lake Eyre, Australia, beating the record set by John Cobb in 1947.  In January 1967 Donald Campbell died in an accident, in his boat named Bluebird, at Lake Coniston, Cumbria. 

Read about the Bluebird here.

Read about Donald Campbell here.

Read about Dunlop here.

A generator in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This generator provided electricity for the Lizard Lighthouse.  It was made by Auguste de Meritens, Paris in 1880.  Turning at 900 rpm it produced 3KW at 32 volts AC and 120 cps. 

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Local History: The Museum Collection Centre.  

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 1.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 2.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 3.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 4.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 6. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 7.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 8.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 9.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 10.

Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter. 

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Scratchpad – Official website.  You can instantly create a free Fandom wiki for an idea of any size, and be up and running in a few minutes.

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The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 9

Image © Frank Parker

Here are the photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22. 

Image © Frank Parker

Doll’s House

Image © Frank Parker

Doll’s Pram

Image © Frank Parker

Toy Pram

Image © Frank Parker

Pram 

Image © Frank Parker

Victorian Pram

Image © Frank Parker

Push Chair

Image © Frank Parker
Image © Frank Parker

Rocking Horse

Image © Frank Parker

Typesetting Machine

Image © Frank Parker

Typographic Composing Machine

Image © Frank Parker

Printing Press

Image © Frank Parker

Leg Vice

Image © Frank Parker

Work Bench

Image © Frank Parker
Image © Frank Parker

Draw Benches 

Image © Frank Parker

Rose Engine Lathe

Image © Frank Parker

Spinning Lathe

Image © Frank Parker

Planing Machine

Image © Frank Parker

Wheeling Machine

Image © Frank Parker

Drilling Machine

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Local History: The Museum Collection Centre.  

 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 1.

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The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 7.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 8.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 10.

Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

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The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 6

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22. 

A motor in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This 7.5 Horse Power electric motor was made by Midlands Railway in about 1890.

A Thesus turbine-propeller engine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Wurlitzer Lyric Jukebox in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This music player was made in Germany circa 1961 by Wurlitzer, a well-known company whose name has become directly associated with the jukebox.

A gramophone with gramophone record in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A gramophone with gramophone record in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A gramophone in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The turntable on this gramophone was driven by a weight mechanism.  It was made by Sporrothon around 1920.

An E.M.G. handmade gramophone in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This model was produced by Handmade Gramophones of London.  It had a massive papier mache horn that was the height of sound perfection before the introduction of Hi-Fi systems.

Read about E.M.G. Handmade Gramophones here.

Read about the Phonograph here.

A music box and stand in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Made by probably the most well-known Music Box Movement Makers, Nicole Freres, in Geneva, circa 1880, this Cylinder Music Box was part of the Liddell Collection.

Read about the Music Box here.

An automatic music box in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A music machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Violano Virtuoso Music Machine was made by Mills Novelty Company, Chicago, USA. in the early 1950’s.  It was electrically driven and had a combined mechanical piano and violin player.

Read about Mills Novelty Company here.

A player piano in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

A player piano, also known as a pianola, is a self-playing piano and is both a musical instrument and a machine.  The pedals operate a mechanism which plays the piano by means of a perforated roll.  This example was made by George Steck & Company, USA in 1925.

Read about the Player Piano here.

Read about Steck here.

A pump organ in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The pump organ, also known as a Harmonium, is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame.

Read more about the pump organ here.

A barrel organ in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Chamber Barrel Organ was made by T.C. Bates of Ludgate Hill, London in about 1830.  It was once owned by a Clergyman but the tunes it played are not listed in the museum’s files.   

Read about the Barrel Organ here. 

This television and radio set is from the early 1950’s.  Television sets were still quite rare in houses at this time, and this one may have been bought to watch Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953.

Read about the Television Set here.

A television/radio set in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Decca Decola projector television in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

An early example of a projection television set which retailed at £325-0-0 in 1949. A Morris Minor car in the same year cost £349-0-0.

Read about Decca here.

A projection television in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Peto-Scott Television was introduced in 1950. it cost £71, 3 shillings and 4 pence when new, plus £16 Purchase Tax. Peto-Scott Electrical Instruments were based in Addlestone Road, Weybridge in Surrey.

Read about Peto-Scott Electrical Instruments here.

A fish and chip fryer in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This fryer dates back to the mid 1920’s and was made by the Birmingham firm Walker & Husler.  It was used in a shop in Handsworth, Birmingham.

Read about Fish and Chips here. 

A potato sorter in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Harvested potatoes were put onto this machine.  The chats (small potatoes for animal feed), and medium sized ones for the next years seed are sorted into chutes.  The larger potatoes climb up the slope and fall into a sack at the end.

This is Berkel’s Model 2 slicing machine made by the Slicing Machine Manufacturing Company, Ponders End, Middlesex around 1950.

A bacon slicer in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A kidney dialysis machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

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Local History: The Museum Collection Centre.  

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 1.

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The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 7.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 8.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 9.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 10.

Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Grace’s Guide – Official website.  This is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain.  This web publication contains 149,969 pages of information and 235,611 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

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The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 4

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22.

Image © Frank Parker
A Chopper bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Chopper bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Chopper bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A Chopper bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Chopper bikes are one of the icons of the 1970’s.  This one (minus its red gear knob) was made by Raleigh, Nottingham and has three-speed Sturmey-Archer gears.  It was bought second-hand in 1975 by a Stirchley man.

I used to have a friend who used to give me a backy on his red one of these but I always wanted the blue one shown here, of course.  I had another friend whose Brother had a Raleigh Grifter I used to have a go on but it was no way near as COOL as the Chopper was.

Read about the Raleigh Chopper here.

Read about Raleigh here.

An Ordinary bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This bike was made by Carter of Stratford-On-Avon and was often called the Penny Farthing because of the size of its wheels.

I remember having a dream in the 1980’s about seeing a man on one of these.  He was Victorian and had a top hat on.  As he passed me he tipped his hat and waved at me!

Read about the ordinary bike here.

A iron bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Velocipede iron bike with wooden wheels is also known as the bone-shaker and was made by the French company Micheaux around 1870.

Read about the Velocipede here.

Bikes in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Bikes in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Bikes in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A bike sidecar in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a sidecar for fitting to a bike or tandem to accommodate a child.  It was used by a family in Walsall.

A Gresham Flyer tricycle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

After the Second World War, the Gresham Flyer, made by the Aberdale Cycle Company, became very popular.  Advertisements described them as the safest tricycles in the world.

Read about the Aberdale Cycle Company here.

A Two-Seater tricycle in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This two-seater Tricycle is circa 1860.  The passenger faced backwards.  Note the iron rims to the wheels, the direct drive and the Twist Grip brakes. 

A B.S.A. bike in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This bike is circa 1920 and was made by the B.S.A. Company.  They purchased the rights to the B.S.A. name from Birmingham Small Arms Company.

Read about the B.S.A. Company here.

A Pluvier moped in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a Pulvier Moped made by the Berini Company in Italy in 1958.

Read about the Berini Company here.

An Ariel Pixie scooter in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This scooter was made in 1965 by Ariel Motorcycles in Bournbrooke, Birmingham.

Read about Ariel Motorcycles here.

A school desk in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This common school desk was acquired in 1954 with an integrated seat, lift-up top and inkwells. 

A bench in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A street in Aston model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A dentist's chair in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Dentist’s chair may have been associated with a dental X-ray machine also held in the Museum Collection Centre but they have no details on record.

A clay coffin in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This bath-tub coffin was excavated by Leonard Woolley at the site of the Ur in southern Iraq.  The body was laid in a foetal position.  This example dates from about 500 BC.

Read about Woolley here. 

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Local History: The Museum Collection Centre.  

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 1.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 2. 

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The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 5.

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The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 7.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 8.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 9.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 10.

Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required. 

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Sheldon’s EMU – Official website.  This website began as a collection of articles, letters and emails about European motorcycles, the result of research and correspondence dating back to 1994.  It now covers several thousand different marques, many of which have extensive archives including images and specifications.  The site relates to vintage, veteran and classic motorcycles, scooters and mopeds, with numerous pages on road-racing and off-road competition machines.   There is a wealth of information for motorcycle enthusiasts, restorers and historians, and the site continues to amass data at a steady pace.

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Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22.

A giant shell in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A computer punch card machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Early Computers used cards with holes punched in them to enter both the Program and Data.  Various Machines like this one were needed to prepare the cards.

Read about punch cards here.

Read about punched card readers here.

A computer console in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

The ICL Orion computer console used by the Metal Box Company, Worcester.

Read about the Orion here.

A Dennis fire engine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A fire engine model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is a model of a Leyland Cub fire engine built in 1936.  The real engine could pump 700 gallons of water per minute and had a 50-foot extending ladder.

Read about Leyland Motors here.

A fire pump in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A fire pump in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Read about fire pumps here.

A logboat in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This logboat (also known as a dugout canoe) was found in the River Tern at Oakley Park in Staffordshire.  It was carved from a single piece of oak.  Such boats were in use between 1600 BC and 1000 AD.  People at first thought it was a water trough and this can not be ruled out but the deliberately made holes in the sides suggest a boat is more likely.

Read about logboats here.

A ship's figurehead in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A ship's figurehead in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
From the 19th Century, this ship’s figurehead, carved from wood, is typical of female figureheads of the time. Figureheads have been used for thousands of years and have been found on even Viking and Egyptian ships. It is unclear why they came into use, but it seems their purpose might be more spiritual or supernatural.
 
This was another favourite of mine visiting museums back in the day.  This was in the Birmingham Museum and Art gallery.

Read more about Figureheads here. 
A canal boat lamp in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This domed head mast-head lamp is from a canal boat and was painted by Thomas William King.

A canal boat water can in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A canal boat water can in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

A pair of large metal jugs from a canal boat painted by Thomas William King, circa 1955.

Read about Thomas William King here.

Canal boat models in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Read about Narrowboats here.

Click here to read about The Allcotts (my family on my Mom’s side) who have had a history with canal boats for over 200 years. 

Paddle steamer lamps in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

These three copper lamps (port, mast-head and starboard) are from the paddle steamer Lucy Ashton and a steaming light, made in Birmingham.

Read about paddle steamer Lucy Ashton here.

An engine order telegraph in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is used to send instructions to the engine room.

Read about the engine order telegraph here.

A ship's lighting unit in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A ship's lighting unit in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A bottle filling machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Barnett and Foster machine was used in 1910 to prepare bottles of Mineral Water for use in the Grand Hotel in Birmingham.  Bottling your own water is still a common practice today.  

Read about Barnett and Foster here.

Screw jacks in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Blog Posts

Local History: The Museum Collection Centre.  

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 1.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 2. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 4. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 5.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 6.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 7. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 8.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 9.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 10.

Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

Made In Oldbury – Official Website.  This website explores unique archive materials in Sandwell in relation to local industrial heritage.

Grace’s Guide – Official website.  This is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain.  This web publication contains 149,969 pages of information and 235,611 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

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The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 2

Image © Frank Parker

Here are more photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22.

The HP Sauce sign in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sign hung on the HP Sauce factory in Aston, Birmingham until the building closed down in 2007 and was demolished.

Read about HP Sauce here.

A bust of William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture of Shakespeare was made by John Michael Rysbrack (1694 – 1770).

Read about Shakespeare here. 

Read about Rysbrack here.

A bust of Commodus (161 AD - 192 AD) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Commodus was the Roman emperor from 177 AD – 192 AD.

Read about Commodus here.

Read about Roman Emperors here.

Read about the Roman Army here.

Read about the Roman Empire here.

Vitellius was the Roman emperor from the 19th of April AD to the 20th of December AD 69 following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil war known as the year of the Four Emperors.

Read about Vitellius here.

Read about Roman Emperors here.

Read about the Roman Army here.

Read about the Roman Empire here.

A bust of Vitellius (15 AD - 69 AD) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A bust of an unknown Roman in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This Bronze sculpture from the 15th/16th Century, Florentine, Italy, is of an unknown man in Roman armour.  The Roman Empire wore standardised dress and armour, but this was not part of their culture and there were many differences in detail.  Surviving fragments of clothing suggest the basic tunic of the Roman soldier was red or undyed wool. Senior Roman soldiers wore white cloaks and feathered plumes.

Read about the Roman Army here.

Read about the Roman Empire here.

A bust Charles Lockey (1820 - 1901) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Lockey was the tenor soloist in Mendelssohn’s Elijah which received its premiere at Birmingham Town Hall in 1846.

Read about Lockey here.

A sculpture of Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture of Albert Einstein is by Sir Jacob Epstein (1880 – 1959).

Read about Einstein here. 

Read about Epstein here. 

A bull sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
The Good Samaritan statue in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This statue was placed in the front entrance hall of Cheltenham General Hospital in 1853, as the result of the exertions of Charles Fowler Esq., the senior surgeon of the Hospital at the time and public subscription.  The commission was awarded to the sculptor, Holm Cardwell, who was born in Manchester in 1820 and studied in Paris and in London, before making his permanent home in Italy.

The two figures were sculpted from a single piece of Italian white marble and depict the Good Samaritan tending to the man who had fallen amongst thieves.  The statue remained in the front hall of the hospital on a large plinth until the late 1960’s; the redevelopment of that part of the hospital to provide more space for patients facilities resulted in its removal from the hospital and it was presented to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

The statue subsequently remained in store in Birmingham until 1992, when (thanks largely to the efforts of Mr. Charles Massey, a grateful patient of the hospital) it was returned on a permanent loan to Cheltenham General, so that it would be available to be put on permanent display again, as soon as a  suitable location could be found.  It proved possible to find a site at the entrance to the new Day and Endoscopy Units, which were formally opened in December 1994.

The statue was formally welcomed back to the Hospital by Mr. Clive Thompson JP, Chairman of the East Gloucestershire NHS Trust, on Tuesday 24th of January, 1995.

It is now, in the meantime,  back in storage in the Museum Collection Centre, Birmingham.

  

A sculpture of Louis Florent Cheron in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This plaster sculpture of Cheron as a child by Jean-Baptise Pigalle (1714 – 1785) is dated 1775.

Read about Pigalle here.

A unknown sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Compassion sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture was made by Uli Nimptsch (1897 – 1977).  Marquette for a sculpture commissioned in 1963 and sited outside Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham.  The sculpture comprises two male nudes, one lying down and the other kneeling over him, holding a bowl, a pose suggesting the compassion of the title.  Nimptsch was born in Berlin in 1897, the younger son of a Berlin Stock Broker.  He studied sculpture at the Berlin Academy and spent time working in Rome, Paris and Germany, but left during the 2nd World War for Switzerland in order to protect his wife who was Jewish.

Read about Nimptsch here.

Nan the Dreamer sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture was made by Sir Jacob Epstein (1880 – 1959).  Epstein was born in New York and studied drawing while working in a bronze factory.  In 1902 he went to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian in Paris, before settling in London in 1905.  The sitter for this early bust in 1911 was Nan Condron, a gypsy and professional artist’s model, whom Epstein met at the Cafe Royal.

Read about Epstein here.

The lure of the Pipes of Pan sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture made in 1932 by Gilbert William Bayes (1872 – 1953) is carved from reconstituted stone.  Construction companies like Tarmac had been experimenting with this material since the 1920’s.

Read about Bayes here.

A Tragedy in The North, Winter, Rain and Tears sculpture in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This sculpture by Raymond Mason depicts a scene after a mining disaster in the north of France.  It is made from epoxy resin and painted with acrylic.  He also designed the iconic Forward statue in Birmingham’s Centenary Square which was destroyed by a fire in 2003.

Read about Mason here.

Read about the mining disaster here.

Fairground organ figurines in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A fairground horse in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A weighing machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A weighing machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Weighing Machines

Sign on a weighing machine in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Blog Posts

Local History: The Museum Collection Centre.  

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 1.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 3. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 4. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 5.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 6.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 7.  

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 8.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 9.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 10.

Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter. 

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

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The Museum Collection Centre: Photos – Page 1

Image © Frank Parker

Here are photos I took on my first visit to the Museum Collection Centre on 17/09/22.

In front of the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A telephone exchange model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
A telephone exchange model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Instructions on a telephone exchange model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Instructions on a telephone exchange model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Instructions on a telephone exchange model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Instructions on a telephone exchange model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Instructions on a telephone exchange model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Instructions on a telephone exchange model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Instructions on a telephone exchange model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Instructions on a telephone exchange model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This model demonstrates the Stowger, or step-by-step,  system of automatic telephony.

I used to love having a go on this model exchange system at the old Science Museum when I was younger in the 1970’s, going with my Mom and family, then on my own or with friends in the 1980’s and then with my kids when they were younger in the 1990’s. Good times.

Read more about the Stowger switch here.

Telecom speaking clock Mark I speaking parts in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Part of the earliest version (1936) of the Post Office Speaking Clock.  This MK I version used audio recordings of the time to send a message giving an accurate time check by telephone.

Read about the Speaking Clock here.

Telecom speaking clock Mark III control gear in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Telecom speaking clock Mark III control gear in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Telecom speaking clock Mark III control gear in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Read about the Speaking Clock here.

A K6 telephone box in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Used after 1952 until withdrawal in 1986 in Birmingham.  It contains the last Payphone used in the City before the introduction of STD in 1986/7.

This reminds me of the one over the road from my old house in Hurst Lane, Shard End on the right-hand corner in the 70’s and 80’s.  I remember at one time in the 80’s the coin box was broken and every time you put your money in (2p or 10p) it would come out and usually give you a bit more.  It was like a free fruit machine courtesy of BT! 

Read about the iconic red phone box here. 

A candle light in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
In Tudor times a contraption of stand and jaw was used to clamp round-bottomed flasks of water. These were used to focus and intensify the light of the candles using a similar principle to starting a fire by focussing sunlight with a magnifying glass. They created a very bright light in a small area, and were used by lacemakers and embroiders who needed good light to work from. Using several stands and flasks meant that a team could work together under one candle.

Read about the Tudor times here.
A Birmingham gun makers workshop model in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Unknown in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker
Unknown in the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

This is another thing I have fond memories of having a go on in the old Science Museum back in the day.   Back then if a museum had a button to press you could bet your life I would press it.  Nothing has changed now I am older, especially in a shop with toys etc.  If it says press me or try me (or even if it doesn’t) then it has to be done! 

Blog Posts

Local History: The Museum Collection Centre. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 2.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 3. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 4. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 5.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 6. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 7.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 8.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 9.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 10.

Notes And Links

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker. 

Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website.

Wikipedia – Official website.  This is a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

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Local History: The Museum Collection Centre

Image © Frank Parker

On Saturday 17th September 2022,  I visited the Museum Collection Centre in Dollman Street, Nechells, Birmingham as part of Birmingham Heritage Week.  I had been wanting to go there for a long time and I am glad I finally did for two reasons. 

Firstly,  this was the road where I used to live in the 1960’s, from when I was born in 1966, up until I left in 1970.  Apart from a very brief return visit here with my Dad in a car when I was in my early days in secondary school (I think?), this was the first time I have been and walked up the whole of it on my own.  It felt strange being here again because I can not recall any of it the first time around because I was a baby/toddler yet I felt at home.  

Secondly,  I knew I would see some things growing up from many visits to the Museum and Art Gallery and the old Science Museum.  I wasn’t disappointed and they brought a smile to my face and good memories of going with my Mom and family when I was younger, to when I was a teenager going on my own or with friends and then with my kids when they were younger.

I didn’t take a photo of everything. I was going to but the place was bigger than I thought it would be, A LOT BIGGER.  I only stayed on the bottom floor.  I was given a map of the place but was too busy taking photos to realise there was another floor to explore.  I am not sure if I saw everything on the ground floor, that is overwhelming this place was on my first visit.

As it was my phone ran out of battery anyway and I was only there for an hour and had to use my spare phone but I did manage to take over 200 photos!

I have edited them and sorted out the best ones to put in the gallery below.  I couldn’t decide if they were to go in my West Midlands History or History category as they cover both so I decided they were worthy of their own album on this page.

I plan to go again for sure as there is a lot more I want to see that I missed out on the first time and have a better look at everything.  If you are into West Midlands History and History like me then I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you visit the Museum Collection Centre in Birmingham, you won’t be sorry, I know I wasn’t.  

The Museum Collection Centre Photos

Click here to see my photographic memories of my day out.  

About The Museum Collection Centre

The Museum Collection Centre is the main store for Birmingham Museum Trust, holding over 80% of a collection of around a million items, many offering a real insight into life in Birmingham and the West Midlands over the centuries.

With only a small percentage of collections on display at Birmingham Museums, or on loan to other organisations, it is the only place to see collection items not normally on display.

A huge number of the objects are held on open storage in one very large warehouse which contains everything from aircraft engines to zoological specimens. Among the hundreds of thousands of objects stored here are steam engines, sculptures, cars, a giant spider crab, a retro chip fryer, and many more. Smaller objects, and objects that need more stable temperature and relative humidity, are stored in purpose-built spaces.

In front of the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Frank Parker

Opening Times

With its mix of fascinating finds and a behind-the-scenes atmosphere, this hidden gem is an intriguing place to explore. It is open to the public on designated open afternoons which take place every two weeks on a Friday. These open sessions last up to 1.5 hours and pre-booking is essential.

Visitors will only be admitted on scheduled open event afternoons and days.

Tickets for the Open Afternoons can be found on the What’s On page.

The back of the Museum Collection Centre: Image © Chris Allen via Wikipedia

Address

Museum Collection Centre

25 Dollman Street

Nechells

Birmingham

B7 4RQ.

Click here to see how to get there.

For accessibility when you get there click here.

Facilities

Free car park.

Bicycle racks.

Toilets, including Disabled toilets.

Lifts to all floors.

A Place Of Work

The Museum Collection Centre is the main place of work for some of the staff who care for, research, or otherwise work with their collections, as well as the volunteers who support them in doing that.  Their teams care for the collections in store (as well as those on display at our other sites) and work on improving the documentation of the collection.

Safety Notice

They want to make sure your visit is as safe and enjoyable as possible so some safety measures will continue:

They support staff and visitors who wish to wear a face covering.

Staff who test positive for COVID-19 will isolate at home for at least 5 days until they have two successive negative tests.

There are hand sanitisers at the entrance and throughout the building.

Contactless card payments will limit personal interaction, but cash will also be accepted.

They have cleaners working throughout the day focusing on touch points and toilets to keep them safe and clean.

Please do not visit them if you are feeling unwell, have any symptoms of Covid-19 or have been in contact with anyone that has had the virus in the last 10 days.  Please contact them if you have any further questions.

Open Day

You can also visit their Open Day which runs as part of Birmingham Heritage Week each year, and includes activities for children, themed tours, and conservation demonstrations.  The annual event will allow you to see a vast range of objects, often with a real focus on Birmingham and the West Midlands.  The contrasting mix of objects and the behind-the-scenes atmosphere at the Museum Collection Centre make it an intriguing place to explore and discover more about museum stores.

The Open Day will also include a pop-up shop, meet the experts, curator tours, conservation demonstrations, family-friendly events, story telling, object handling and more.

Refreshments are available to purchase.

Pre-booking is essential. They expect high demand so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Your entry is timed so please arrive at your allotted time, late arrivals may not be able to enter.

Warm clothes are recommended and sensible footwear is essential for all.

Tickets for the next annual Open Day can be found on the What’s On page.

Blog Posts

The Museums Collection Photos: Page 1.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 2.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 3. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 4. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 5.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 6. 

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 7.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 8.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 9.

The Museum Collection: Photos – Page 10.

Notes And Links

The Museum Collection Centre entrance and exit image above is copyright of Chris Allen and was taken from Wikipedia.  It comes with a Creative Commons licence.  

All the above images are copyright of Frank Parker unless stated. 

The Museum Collection Centre on Facebook.

The Museum Collection Centre on Twitter.

Birmingham Museums Collection – Find out more about Birmingham’s collections including art and design, human history, natural science and science and industry categories.  Each category contains sub-categories full of useful information and great photos.

Birmingham Museums Trust’s Digital Asset Resource – Official website.  There is no registration or log-in required to use this website for out-of-copyright collection images  Download free Public Domain image files up to 3mb in size with free Creative Commons licenses.  You are entitled to unlimited downloads.  Also download free Audio Files complete with a license.  These can be downloaded for non-commercial use only and attribution is required.

BirminghamMAG – Official YouTube channel.   Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery provide world-class museums at the cultural heart of Birmingham.

Birmingham Museums – Official website.

Thinktank: Birmingham Science Museum – Official website.

Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery – Official website.

Aston Hall – Official website.

Blakesley Hall – Official website.

Museum Of The Jewellery Quarter – Official website.

Sarehole Mill – Official website.

Soho House – Official website. 

Weoly Castle – Official website. 

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Books: The Allcott’s By Jeffrey Allen

Photos © via various sources

Please note this page has been slightly edited for website purposes from the original booklet and is presented to you with kind permission from Jeffery. 

The original booklet is available to download and as an e-book at the bottom of this page in the Links section and will appear slightly different to what you see here but the content is the same.

About The Allcott’s

In Jeffrey’s own words:

“The Allcott family were typical of the many thousands of people who once turned to the canals for their livelihood during the middle and latter part of the Victorian era. Times were especially hard for the poorest people in society, often moving about in order to find better employment or affordable accommodation, whilst the terrifying spectre of the workhouse loomed ever present should they fail to find both. Not surprising then that the canals should offer a viable alternative to life on land, with their boat providing a ready source of income, and a roof over their head. For most people boats were too expensive to have built, so they turned to well established canal carriers such as Pickford’s, Fellows Morton & Clayton and coal merchants such as Samuel Barlow for employment. Most of the canals by now had been absorbed by railway companies, such as the Shropshire Union Canal and the Trent & Mersey. By the time the Allcott’s entered life on the waterways, the great heyday of canal building was over, but they continued, even into the latter years of the 20th century, to play a key role in the economy of the country.” 

About Jeffrey Allen

Jeffrey is my Cousin via my Mom’s long, lost Brother and it was by chance we found each other, call it fate, call it whatever but everything happens for a reason.

On October 21st, 2021 I decided to join the Canal World forum in the hope I could find anything about the Allcott’s and the long boating history that goes with them, stretching back to the 1800’s.

On November 10th, 2021 Jeffrey messaged me believing we were related via his Dad, Oliver Allcott and, I was happy he did and to confirm that we were indeed related.  We have been in touch since.

For a long time, Mom always wondered how my Uncle Oliver was doing in life and would have loved to know all that I know now when she was alive but, sadly, that was never to be.  I did, however, get to show her family photos and documents that I came by in her final months, before me and Jeffrey first got in touch.

Jeffrey didn’t do this booklet for monetary gain, just as a family keepsake and it was never intended for publication.  I, on the other hand, think more people should see the hard work he has put into it and, hopefully, more information can subsequently come from it in the not-so-distant future.  If you think you are related to anyone mentioned in this post then please contact me here.

Regardless if you are family or not, if you are a lover of history and canal life then you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Front cover is © Jeffrey Allen: Photos © via various sources.

The Allcott’s By Jeffrey Allen

The Allcott’s 

The Story of a Canal Boating Family from Wolverhampton.

Acknowledgements 

A special thank you to my cousins Frank Parker and Janet Terry for supplying me with all the information on the Allcott’s.  Without their kindness and love of family this booklet would not have been possible.

Dedication 

In memory of my grandfather Oliver Allcott, My grandmother Beatrice Violet Allcott, Their daughter Beatrice Mary Allcott, my aunt, And their son, Oliver Allcott, my father. 

Introduction

The Allcott family were typical of the many thousands of people who once turned to the canals for their livelihood during the middle and latter part of the Victorian era.  Times were especially hard for the poorest people in society, often moving about in order to find better employment or affordable accommodation, whilst the terrifying spectre of the workhouse loomed ever present should they fail to find both.  Not surprising then that the canals should offer a viable alternative to life on land, with their boat providing a ready source of income and a roof over their head.  For most people boats were too expensive to have built, so they turned to well-established canal carriers such as Pickford’s, Fellows Morton & Clayton and coal merchants such as Samuel Barlow for employment.  Most of the canals by now had been absorbed by railway companies, such as the Shropshire Union Canal and the Trent & Mersey.  By the time the Allcott’s entered life on the waterways, the great heyday of canal building was over, but they continued, even into the latter years of the 20th century, to play a key role in the economy of the country. 

Family History

Allcott is a surname that existed in Nuneaton, Bedworth, Atherstone and Caldecote since the 17th century.   Allcott derives from an Old English word eauld meaning old, and cot meaning a shelter or cottage; hence ‘a dweller in an old cottage.’   The name has its highest frequency in Herefordshire and the West Midlands.  In Nuneaton for example, it first appears in records of the Quarter Sessions and Indictment Books for the years 1631-96 and the Hearth Tax of 1662.  Albert Allcott was born at Hartshill, North Warwickshire, on the 17th of May 1843 to William and Sarah Allcott.  Sarah (nee Buckler) was born at Bedworth on the 1st of October 1809.  William was a labourer, whilst Sarah looked after their six children: Thomas (b. 20 March 1832), William (born June 15th 1833), David (born 1836), Hannah (born 1837), Sarah (born March 25th 1839) and Eliza (born 1841).  Hartshill is a large village and civil parish in North Warwickshire.  It borders the districts of Bedworth and Nuneaton, which is two and a half miles northwest of the village.  The combined population of Bedworth and Nuneaton by 1863 was in excess of 8,600 people, and many of those were employed in silk ribbon weaving.  Hartshill also borders Ansley to the south-west, where there was a coal mining colliery established in 1874; Mancetter to the north-west, Caldecote to the east, and the parish of Witherley in Leicestershire to the north-east.  The market town of Atherstone is three and a half miles to the northwest.  Hartshill had good communications with the rest of Warwickshire and neighbouring counties.  There was a canal wharf on the Coventry Canal, (14 miles from the Coventry Basin), which served the Jees Granite & Brick Co. Ltd., which also had its own quarry.  William Allcott may have worked for this company as a labourer.  There was also a railway, part of the Coventry and Nuneaton branch line, with a signal box and sidings.  

© Unknown
Hartshill bridge and canal wharf circa 1900: © Unknown
Hartshill Wharf circa 1910: © Unknown

Not long after Albert’s birth, the family moved to Foleshill, where Sarah died in the later part of 1848 aged 39.  By the mid-19th century Coventry was the centre of the ribbon trade, and at one time employed an estimated 30,000 workers, using steam-powered looms as part of a large-scale manufacturing process.  William Allcott Snr. remarried two years later on the 22nd of June 1850 to Rhoda Ball from Nuneaton.  The 1851 Census shows the family still living in Foleshill.  William, and his son William Jnr., now aged 16, were both employed as coal miners, whilst Rhoda was a hand loom weaver, and Hannah, aged 11, was employed as a silk winder.  Ten years later, both Rhoda, and her step-son Albert, now aged 18, were employed as silk weavers, whilst William was working as a day labourer.  William and Rhoda had eleven children together, three boys, Henry (born June 5th 1852), Frederick (born February 28th 1858), and Joseph (born October 28th 1867); and eight girls, Emma (born September 23rd 1849), Matilda (born November 23rd 1854), Ellen (born May 8th 1856), Mary (born February 3rd 1859); all these children were born at Bedworth.  Sometime after the birth of Mary in 1859, the family moved to Nuneaton, where Rose (17th of May 1863) was born, along with Sophia (22nd of May 1872) and Rhoda (31st of July 1869).  Sadly, little Fanny Allcott (born 1861, Nuneaton), died when she was just three years old in 1864.  Rhoda passed away in 1873 aged 47, and a year later William died aged 68.  At least four of their youngest children, Rose, Sophia, Joseph and Rhoda, would not have been old enough to support themselves without their parents or older siblings. 

On the 26th of March 1877 Albert Allcott, now in his mid-thirties, married Elizabeth Franks at the parish church of St Matthew, Lower Horseley Fields, Wolverhampton.  His marriage certificate gives his occupation as a labourer.  He may have worked for the Minerva Iron & Steel Company founded in 1857 by Isaac Jenks, who owned the Beaver Works at Lower Horseley Fields.  The company exported 80% of the UK’s steel to America and had 21 puddling furnaces, 4 mills, and several forges.  At one time the canal carriers Pickford’s had a wharf directly opposite the steel works at Horseley Fields. 

But just four years later at the birth of their son, Albert Charles Allcott, (at Canal Street, in the town of Coseley, Wolverhampton), Albert Snr. is now a ‘boatman.’  Albert Charles was christened on the 8th of January 1882 at St Mary’s Church, Wolverhampton. 

Minerva Works, Horseley Fields 1876: © Unknown
Albert Allcott: © Family photo

Wolverhampton was particularly noted for its iron manufacture, consisting of locks, hinges, buckles, corkscrews and japanned ware; a type of lacquer similar to shellack polish used by furniture makers.  The technique of applying a heavy black lacquer originated from India, China and Japan, where it was used to glaze pottery, but in Europe, the technique was extended to small items of metal. 

Trade directories from the first half of the 19th century show that there were 20 firms of japanners in Wolverhampton, ranging from small family workshops attached to the proprietor’s home to larger purpose-built factories employing between 250 to 300 workers.  It is possible that Albert may have been working as a wharf labourer at Horseley Fields, where there is a junction on the Birmingham Main Line and Wyrley & Essington Canal, eventually leading to his employment as a boatman’s mate.  The main advantage for families living and working on narrowboats was that money was saved on renting a house, but living conditions could be challenging.  The typical cabin size would be around 8ft long by 6ft wide, and 5ft in height.  Space was limited to just a couple of cupboards and a fold-out table.  There was no toilet or running water aboard the vessel.  Drinking water was obtained from pumps sited along the towpath and at canal wharves.  The pay was low and only the skipper of the boat got paid.  This meant the whole family helped to get the boat to its destination as quickly as possible, with children running ahead to open and close lock gates.  The more cargo a boat could carry, the more the skipper got paid.  Typical loads were around 20 – 30 tons for a single boat, but if a second boat was worked, referred to as the ‘butty,’ which was simply pulled along by the lead boat, the skipper would earn twice as much money, as well as having the additional living space of a second cabin. 

A traditional narrowboat interior. The cupboard to the right of the picture has a hinged drop down table, behind which food items were stored. Space was used carefully, with many things, such as plates and pots being suspended overhead or on the walls of the cabin. Possessions were limited to what the family needed in order to work and live aboard the boat: © Unknown

On long hauls, a family might work anything up to 15, sometimes 18 hours a day in order to reduce the journey time.  It was also physically demanding for both men and women, with parents sometimes ‘bow-hauling’ a vessel through lock gates, or ‘legging’ a boat through the damp and murky conditions of a tunnel; literally pushing the boat along with their feet as they lay on their backs at the stern. 

Legging a fully laden canal boat through a tunnel could take several hours of arduous work: © Unknown

It was also incredibly dangerous work, especially for young children, with death by drowning all too common.  Albert Ledward aged 11 was drowned in the Bridgewater Canal in June 1876.  According to the newspaper report in the Runcorn Guardian, the family left Anderton Wharf on a Wednesday afternoon: 

 “… with a pair of narrow boats laden with salt to be discharged at Runcorn, and when near to Bate’s Bridge at Halton, the deceased [Albert Ledward], who had had his supper, got ashore from the second boat to drive the horse, while his brother, nine years old, who had been driving, got on board to have his supper.  It was then half past eleven o’clock, and dark, and as the deceased passed the first boat which he (witness) [the father] was steering, he spoke to him [Albert], and he afterwards heard him speak to the horse.  When they got to the Delf Bridge the deceased came and spoke to him, and he told him to go on and get to the horse’s head, and he did.  He [the father] heard him speak to the horse, and when it got near to the gas works it “shied” at a light, but again went all right until it got opposite the Soapery, when it turned back, and he (witness) called to it to stop, and it did so.  He then called out to the deceased [Albert], and receiving no answer got ashore to look for him.  Not seeing him, he began to feel about in the canal with a boat hook, and there being no person near but his wife, she ran for assistance, and soon brought some men and grapples, and in about half an hour the body of the deceased was found in the canal opposite to the Soapery, and near to the spot where the horse turned.  He could not tell how the deceased got into the canal, for he neither heard any splash nor a scream.”

The incident at Runcorn happened just five years prior to the birth of Albert and Elizabeth’s first child, Albert Charles.  By the time of the 1901 Census, Albert and Elizabeth Allcott had five children living at home, William, Joseph, Minnie, Sarah Jane and Frederick.  The registration took place at Calf Heath, Wolverhampton.  Calf Heath Bridge and Wharf are on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, which commences at a junction with the River Severn at Stourport, and terminates at Great Haywood by a junction with the Trent & Mersey Canal, once owned by the North Staffordshire Railway Company.  Albert Charles was now 19 years old and living away from home. At the time of the census, he was a canal boatman’s mate aboard the Fancy, moored up at Welshpool Wharf, Montgomeryshire, a Shropshire Union Canal depot.  Fancy entered service in September 1899 for the London Midland & Scottish Railway Company, and it was captained by Thomas Hyde, aged 28 from Barbridge in Cheshire.  Also on board was Thomas’ wife Mary and their baby girl, Jane.  Hyde may have been a relative of John Hyde, an iron merchant at Wrexham who supplied large quantities of pig iron via the Shropshire Union Canal Company to factories in Wolverhampton.  The Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company (SURCCo.) was founded in 1854.  The Company owned 23½ miles of railway, which was leased to the North Western Railway Company in perpetuity for a 50% dividend of North Western’s stock.  They had offices in London, Birmingham, Albion Wharf at Wolverhampton, and Chester.  The main line of its canal navigation was the Shropshire Union Canal from Autherley Junction near Wolverhampton to Ellesmere Port near the Wirral, a total of 66½ miles consisting of 46 locks.  Thirty-eight miles into the journey from Autherley is the Nantwich Basin, the birthplace of two of Albert’s sons, William (1884) and Frederick (1895).  Both went on to become boatmen. 

On the 3rd of August 1903 at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, Albert Charles married Mary Ann Goddard, aged 19 from Wolverhampton.  Interestingly, Mary was born at Horseley Fields, where Albert Allcott Snr., married Elizabeth Franks some 26 years earlier.  Mary’s father William was also a boatman, and it is quite possible that William Goddard and Albert Allcott had previously worked together on the same boat or stretch of canal, forming a life-long friendship between the two families, eventually leading to kinship through the marriage of their children.  William’s father, Richard Goddard (1822 – 1883), first appears in the records as a boatman in 1851 at Brook Lane Wharf, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.  In subsequent census’ he is to be found aboard canal boats Lincoln (1861), Emily (1871), and Birmingham (1881). The Goddard’s may have been instrumental in introducing Albert Allcott Snr. to life on the canals.  Ellesmere Port is six miles north of Chester and eleven miles south of Liverpool.  In 1905 the Wolverhampton Corrugated Iron Company built a factory at Ellesmere, employing 300 workers and their families from Wolverhampton.  The company was seeking to exploit its international trade through nearby ports of Birkenhead and Liverpool.  The community that grew up around the factory was affectionately referred to as ‘Wolverham.’  The following year Mary gave birth to their first child, Minnie Allcott, at Ellesmere Port.  Canal boat Snap was given as the family residence, and Minnie was delivered by Harriet Didsbury, midwife, living at no. 6 Porters Row, Whitley, a row of Victorian cottages built in 1833 to house canal workers and their families.  Snap was a SURCCo. boat working the Shropshire Union Canal. Albert Charles and Mary had three more children, Frederick (1905), Sarah Ann (1908) and Albert (1911).  Albert Allcott Snr. was 68 at the time of the 1911 Census.  He may have been retired from the boats as his occupation was not recorded.  Times may have been hard for the family as Elizabeth was said to be a ‘washerwoman,’ and Sarah Jane, aged 17, was a ‘presser’ for a company manufacturing iron brackets.  In those days a typical working-class family budget would have been around 22 shillings a week, with bread, flour and meat alone costing around 8s, more than a third of the household budget.  Rent could be anywhere between 3 to 5s a week.

Their youngest son Frederick was 15 at the time of the census and a boatman’s mate aboard the canal boat Jim, moored at Etruria Locks, Stoke on Trent.  The master was William Mallard aged 32 and his wife Emma and two children James and Mary.  Their niece Elizabeth Clewes aged 18 was the third mate. Jim worked the Trent & Mersey Canal navigation.  Fred’s older brother Joseph, aged 24, was a boat hand on a Shropshire Union Canal boat the Flying Fox.  Flying Fox was registered on the 13th of June 1899 at Chester, reg. 550, and entered service for the SURCCo. in August 1899 fleet no. 529.  As her name suggests, she may well have been a ‘fly-boat.’  Flyboats usually carried smaller loads of high-value merchandise, with a two-man crew working day and night.  A fly boat could travel from Ellesmere Port to Birmingham in little more than 36 hours.  In its heyday, Pickford’s specialised in the fly-boat trade, with 116 boats and 398 horses.  It was an offence enforceable by law not to give their boats right of way at lock gates.  By 1925 Joseph was working for the Midlands & Coastal Canal Carriers Ltd., transporting goods between Stoke-on-Trent and Ellesmere Port.  He is recorded as being on their boat Mermaid, originally a motor boat registered in Wolverhampton, no. 1118.  Its engines were removed in the same year, turning it into a butty.  Joseph was also on a MCCC boat called Diamond, first registered in 1922 at Wolverhampton, (no. 1088).  Since Albert Allcott Snr. was living in Wolverhampton at the time of the 1911 Census, the Albert Allcott mentioned as master of the Winconsin, must refer to his son Albert Charles.  Winconsin was moored at the Anderton Wharf, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, working the Trent & Mersey Canal.  His son Albert Jnr. was born at Rode Heath, Cheshire, (1911), where the Trent & Mersey runs through the middle of the village.  Four years later and Mary Ann gave birth to their fifth child, Oliver Allcott, on the 2nd of June 1915.  The family residence was given as canal boat Sutherland, moored at Hay Basin, Broad Street, Wolverhampton.  Built by Calder Valley Marine, Sutherland belonged to the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company, fleet no. 481, and was ‘gauged’ for the Birmingham Canal Navigations in 1896.  When war raged across Europe in 1914, Frederick Allcott enlisted in the 2nd Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment, at Wolverhampton.  Fred was killed in action at Delville Wood, the Somme, after a German counter attack on the 28th of July 1916.  He was just 21.  His personal effects were returned to his family on the 4th of November 1916, along with £5 6d to his father, Albert Allcott Snr.  On the 21st of October 1919, his mother Elizabeth Allcott received a further payment from the army of £9.  Fred’s name can be found on the Common Wealth War Graves Commission memorial at Thiepval, the Somme, and on the Roll of Honour of the London and North Western Railwaymen; because he had been employed as a boatman at Wolverhampton delivering coal to the railways.  Six months after the loss of his son, Albert snr., the first Allcott to have started work on the narrowboats, died on the 13th of February 1917, at no. 2 Southampton Street, Wolverhampton; Elizabeth, his dutiful wife of 40 years, was at his bedside.  By the time of the 1921 Census, held on the 19th of June, Albert Charles was skipper of the canal boat Widgeon, moored at Bunbury Locks, on the Shropshire Union Canal.  Originally built for the Chester & Liverpool Lighterage Co. Ltd., Widgeon joined the SURCCo. in March 1917, fleet no. 776.  It was registered at Chester on the 10th of April 1917, registration no. 812.   

Albert Charles Allcott: © Family photo
Canal boat Widgeon in the 1921 Census: © Unknown

Two years after the census, on the 27th of October 1923, Albert Charles’ eldest daughter Minnie, aged 19, married John Pountney, himself a boatman aged 32.  Canal boat Cardigan was given as the residence of both Minnie and John on their marriage certificate.  Cardigan was a Fellows Morton & Clayton boat, fleet no. 42, built at Uxbridge Docks (West London), and entered service in January 1906, registration no. Uxbridge 401.  

Minnie Pountney (nee Allcott): © Family photo
Location of canal boat Snap, birthplace of Minnie Allcott on the 12th of May 1904: © Unknown

Thirteen years after the death of her husband Albert, Elizabeth Allcott died at no. 9 Barker Street, Wolverhampton, on the 10th of January 1930, aged 73.  She never got to see the marriage of her son Oliver to Beatrice Violet Townsend on the 8th of April 1935.  They were married at the parish church of St Chads, Staffordshire, in the presence of Ernest Williams and Sarah Ann Williams.  Their address was given as 120, Jeffcock Road, Wolverhampton, but as Oliver was, like his father and grandfather before him, a boatman, it is likely that his boat was moored nearby on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, and that Jeffcock Road was a temporary residence used for the purposes of official registration.  On the 28th of January 1936, Beatrice gave birth to the couple’s first child, Beatrice Mary Allcott.  The address was given as no. 19, Purcel Road, Low Hill, Wolverhampton. Three years later Beatrice gave birth to a son, Oliver Allcott Jnr., this time at 177 Marsh Lane, Bushbury, Wolverhampton, on the 12th of October 1939. 

Marsh Lane Bridge, Wolverhampton, not far from Autherley Junction, a major interchange between the Shropshire Union Canal: © Roger Kidd via Wikimedia Commons and Geograph
The North, and the Birmingham Canal Navigations to the South: © Unknown
A 1938 map shows Marsh Lane adjacent to Marsh Lane Bridge and the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal: © Unknown

By now Oliver Snr. was seriously ill with tuberculosis, and little more than five months after the birth of his son, he passed away on the 9th of February 1940 aged just 24.  He died at 376 Wolverhampton Road, Heath Town, a pseudonymous address of the former New Cross Workhouse, which became a hospital in 1930.  Although officially a hospital, it still performed some of the services of the former workhouse.  The death certificate gives Oliver’s occupation as ‘a Wharf Labourer for Coal Merchant,’ possibly Samuel Barlow.  Two years after the death of his father, Oliver Allcott Jnr. was adopted by Frederick and Laura Allen on the 22nd of January 1942.  Laura (nee Townsend) was the older sister of Beatrice Violet Allcott, so the two-year-old Oliver was being adopted by his own aunt.  The couple were living at no. 147, Durley Dean Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham. 

Beatrice Allcott & Oliver Allcott aged two in 1942: © Family photo
Oliver Allcott's birth certificate: © General Register Office
Oliver Allcott's adoption certificate: © General Register Office

Unlike the Allcott’s, the Townsend family were involved in Birmingham’s enormous metal industry, with the family home, 37 Tower Street, not far from the famous Jewellery Quarter.  In 1921, Laura was a ‘capstan lathe’ operator, putting threads on metal items usually made of brass.  She may have worked for Young’s Ltd at their Ryland Street works, Edgbaston, where her younger brother Albert, aged 14, was employed as an errand boy. 

© Unknown
© Unknown
Adoring mother Beatrice Allcott and her four-year-old daughter Beatrice Mary Allcott. The rudder of a boat is just in view in the bottom right of the photo, probably taken on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, with Marsh Lane, Wolverhampton, in the background: © Family photo

Although the canal boating tradition had come to an end for one branch of the Allcott family, it continued for another.  During the Second World War, William Allcott, the eldest son of Albert and Elizabeth Allcott, was working for the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company, transporting cargoes such as coal, steel, timber and grain between London and the Midlands.

According to a manning list of paired boats for September 1944, William was the skipper of Arcas and Malus.  Arcas was built by Harland and Wolff Ltd on the 16th of November 1935, and registered at Brentford, West London, on the 18th of December 1935, no. 558.  She was gauged for the Grand Union Canal on the 20th of October 1936, gauge no. 12582.  Malus (the butty) was built by W. J. Yarwoods & Sons of Northwich in September 1935.  It was delivered on the 4th of October 1935, fleet no. 307 and registered at Coventry no. 535.  She was gauged on the Grand Union Canal on the 24th of October 1936, and given the gauge no. 12412.  Arcas and Malus were part of the company’s expansion program of its Southern Division during the 1930’s and 1940’s.

Malus in its British Waterways livery: © Unknown

William’s family lived near Stowe Hill Wharf, Heyford Lane, in the village of Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire, about 6 miles south of the market town of Daventry. 

Stowe Hill Wharf in the 1940's: © Unknown

The Second World War brought with it hazards all of its own, with thousands of German bombs raining down on Birmingham in Hitler’s effort to destroy Britain’s manufacturing base.  During the war, Eliza Stubbs (nee Goddard) and her husband James were working for Fellows Morton & Clayton and moored up in Birmingham.  Eliza was the sister-in-law of Albert Charles Allcott.  Albert and his future wife Mary Ann Goddard, (Eliza’s sister), were witnesses to the wedding of Eliza and James at Ellesmere Port on the 25th of May 1903. “We were in our barge during an air-raid,” recalled Eliza.  “A German bomb crashed through a warehouse roof right on to our boat.  The bomb cut the boat clean in half and we were trapped in the cabin.  Our son, Jim, with some other people, released us just in time.”  Eliza and James were one of the 622 families then living and working on the waterways, helping to transport an estimated 12 million tonnes of essential goods a year on Britain’s canals. 

© Unknown
Eliza Stubbs (nee Goddard) aboard canal boat Grace, a Fellows Morton & Clayton boat: © Family photo
Newspaper article telling the wartime experience of Eliza and James on the occasion of their golden wedding anniversary in 1953: © Unknown

A year after nationalisation took place in Britain, Albert Charles Allcott remarried in 1949 following the death of Mary Ann.  His bride was Sarah Emma Shaw (nee Stubbs), sister of James Herbert Stubbs, who was also Albert Charles’ best man at the wedding.  The reception was held at no. 3, Canal Terrace, Middlewich, Cheshire, the family home of Eliza and James. 

Albert Charles Allcott and Sarah Emma Shaw (nee Stubbs) on their wedding day: © Family photo
A Handwritten note from Albert Charles to Sarah outlining the arrangements for their forthcoming marriage: © Source unknown

The Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal runs through the town before joining the Trent & Mersey Canal at Wardle Lock.  In 1826 authorization had been given for the section of canal at Middlewich to join with the Trent & Mersey, linking Chester with the potteries in the Midlands.  The Great Heywood Junction is 19 miles from Stoke-On-Trent, which connects to the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal with Wolverhampton.  Albert died on the 18th of December 1961 at 175 Marsh Lane, Wolverhampton, aged 80.  The boating tradition was carried on in the next generation of the Allcott’s.  According to an article in Narrowboat Magazine, ‘British Waterways Boating’ (Spring 2018), two boats, Purton and Capella, were worked by Joseph and Lucy Allcott in the 1950’s and 1960’s on the Grand Union Canal.  Joseph Allcott was born at Wolverhampton in 1927, the son of William Allcott (b. 1884).  Lucy Elizabeth Jackson was five years older, being born at Northampton in 1922.  They married at Brixworth, Northamptonshire on the 24th of September 1951.  Along with her father Thomas Jackson, Lucy was already employed by British Waterways, a ‘boatwoman’ in her own right. 

Lock gate No. 1 on the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal: © Unknown
Purton and Capella at Buckby Bottom Lock No. 13, Whilton: © Unknown

Purton was built by W.J. Yarwoods & Sons Ltd. with a National DM2 engine and joined the GUCCCo. in September 1936 fleet no. 162.  She was registered at Rickmansworth on the 20th of October 1936, registration no. 104, and gauged for the Grand Union Canal on the 7th of  November 1936, gauge no. 12614. 

Spring issue of Narrowboat Magazine entitled ‘British Waterways Boating’ featuring Purton and Capella: ©Unknown
Purton at lock gate No. 11, with Lucy ashore rolling her sleeves up: © Family photo

Capella (the butty) was built by Harland & Wolf Ltd. and joined the GUCCCo. in December 1935, fleet no. 247.  She was registered at Brentford on the 18th of December 1935, registration no. 572, and gauged for the Grand Union Canal in December 1935, gauge no. 12549. 

Sometime during the 1960’s British Waterways gave Purton a new Lister HA2 engine, and shortened its length to approximately 56ft.  She was eventually sold off in 1987 when the transportation of goods by canal boat finally came to an end.  Joseph was the steerer of Purton from January 1951 to August 1956, but not always with Capella as the butty; others included Ruislip, Asla and Hadfield.  According to the Birmingham Public Health Department records, by March 1957 Joseph was steering a 72ft motor boat called Fulbourne, with Chesham as its butty.  Fulbourne was built by Harland & Wolf at Woolwich and was completed in March 1937.  She is a steel-hulled motor boat in the ‘Town Class’ of narrow boats, so named because twenty-four of them were named after British towns.  Fulbourne was registered at Rickmansworth and gauged for the Grand Union Canal, no. 12740.  She remained in the GUCCCo. fleet until nationalisation in 1947.  British Waterways fleet lists from May 1958 to January 1959 show that Joseph and Lucy were still on Fulbourne, with Halton as the butty.  During his time on Fulbourne, Joseph carried coal to Apsley, Colne Valley Sewage Works, Croxley and Nash Mill.  They delivered grain to Wellingborough on the River Nene, took spelt from Brentford to Birmingham, and lime juice from Limehouse to Boxmoor.  On one occasion they took the boat to Weston Point on the Manchester Ship Canal to unload a ship, but since the dockers were on strike at the time, they were turned away and had to pick up an alternative cargo elsewhere.  Joseph died aged 61 on the 4th of December 1988.  Lucy passed away eight years later in the June quarter of 1996. 

Fulbourne fully restored to her original GUCCCo. Livery: © Unknown
© Unknown

Postscript

Of the many newspaper reports throughout the canal network from 1881 to 1936, the Allcott’s feature in none of them.  Whilst some boaters were often in trouble with the law for theft, drunkenness, and often cruelty to their animals, (and occasionally to each other), the Allcott’s were a peaceable hardworking family.  The four main canal systems they worked, from Ellesmere Port in the north west, to London in the south east, spanned some 255 miles with a total of 207 locks, but Wolverhampton remained their home base for many years.  With a great sense of pride, it has been my privilege to learn about the Allcott family, the many relatives connected to them, and how they lived and worked on Britain’s inland waterways.  

Jeffrey Allen  

March 23rd, 2022 

© Jeffrey Allen
Albert Allcott and Elizabeth Allcott with family members, taken in the 1940's: © Family photo
Mary Ann Allcott (nee Goddard) and Albert Charles Allcott (right) with possibly Oliver Allcott (centre) with child (either Beatrice Mary Allcott or Oliver Allcott Jnr?): © Family photo
Oliver Allen (Allcott) 1939 - 1986 , whilst on National Service in Cyprus in the 1950's: © Family photo

Oliver Allen (Allcott), October 12th 1939 – July 6th 1986

This booklet has been a journey of discovery.  My father, Oliver Allen, never knew his real parents.  All that he had been told by his adoptive parents Fred and Laura, was that he was born on the 12th of October 1939 in Wolverhampton and that he had been adopted.  He thought his original surname was Parker, and that he may have had a sister.  It was not until the end of last year, 2021, that I finally, by pure chance, found a blood relative whilst searching online, my first cousin Frank Parker.  Through Frank and his sister Janet, the story of the Allcott family slowly began to emerge, and the tragic circumstances which led to my father’s adoption in 1942.  The great irony is, for all those years we lived in Daventry, he was actually surrounded by living descendants of the Allcott family.  Some were living in the town itself, whilst others were working in the neighbouring villages of Weedon Bec and Braunston.  In accordance with his wishes, my father’s ashes were scattered on Screel Hill, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, where we spent many a happy family holiday.  

July 6th, 2022 

Back cover is © Jeffrey Allen: Photo © Unknown

Addendum 

The following is not in the above booklet and some information and photo’s are repeated but there is further information on the Allcott’s.

Canal Boats Worked By The Allcott Family From 1881 – 1944 By Jeffrey Allen  

1877 – 1881

Albert Allcott (born 1843 – died 1917) was the first family member to work the canal boats, sometime between the 26th of March 1877 and the 13th of December 1881.  His occupation at the time of the 1861 Census was ‘silk weaver,’ and by the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Franks in 1877, he was a labourer.  They were married at the Parish Church of St Matthew in Lower Horseley Fields, Wolverhampton, where there is a junction between the Birmingham Main Line and the Wyrley & Essington Canal.  It’s possible that Albert was working as a wharf labourer loading the barges before he became a boatman himself.  By the time of his first child, Albert Charles Allcott in 1881, Albert’s occupation is recorded as ‘Boatman,’ with the family residence given as Canal Street in the town of Coseley, Wolverhampton. 

Albert Allcott: © Family photo

1901

FANCY (SURCCo.)  

Shropshire Union Canal

In the 1901 Census, Albert was a mate aboard the FANCY, moored at Welshpool Wharf, a Shropshire Union Canal depot.  FANCY entered service in September 1899 for the LMS Railway, fleet no. 534. Registration no. Chester 555.  

The Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company (SURCCo.) was founded in 1854.  The Company owned 23½ miles of railway, which was leased to the North Western Railway Company in perpetuity for a 50% dividend of North Western’s stock.  They had offices in London, Birmingham, Albion wharf at Wolverhampton, and Chester.  The main line of its canal navigation was the Shropshire Union Canal from Autherley Junction near Wolverhampton to Ellesmere Port near the Wirral, a total of 66½ miles consisting of 46 locks.  Thirty-eight miles into the journey from Autherley is the Nantwich Basin, Cheshire, the birthplace of two of Albert’s sons, William (1884) and Frederick (December 1895).  Frederick was baptised at Lilleshall, Shropshire on January the 18th 1896.  Both men went on to become boatmen. 

Frederick Allcott

1904

Frederick Allcott: © Family photo

SNAP (SURCCo.) 

Shropshire Union Canal 

Given as the family residence at Ellesmere Port, Whitley, on the birth certificate of Minnie Allcott (born 1904 – died 1968).

Minnie Pountney (nee Allcott): © Family photo

1911

WINCONSIN & JIM

Trent & Mersey Canal 

In the 1911 Census, Albert was master of the WINCONSIN moored at Anderton Wharf, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.  

At the time of the 1911 Census, Frederick Allcott was 15 years old and worked as a canal boat mate, the master was William Mallard aged 32.  The address was given as Etruria Locks, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire.  Frederick enlisted in the 2nd Batallion, South Staffordshire Regiment, at Wolverhampton.

Rank: Private, Service No. 16384, Frederick was killed in action at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 in the Battle of Delville Wood.  You can read more about Delville Wood here.

He was commemorated on the roll of honour of the London and North Western Railwaymen.  

The Commonwealth War Graves memorial to Frederick Allcott: © The Commonwealth War Graves Commision

You can read more about Thiepval Memorial, France here.

1915

SUTHERLAND (SURCCo.) 

Shropshire Union Canal 

Built by Calder Valley Marine, SUTHERLAND belonged to the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company, fleet no. 481, and was gauged for the Birmingham Canal Navigations in 1896.  It was a powered motor boat 17.68 metres (58 ft) long, with a beam of 2.14 metres (7 ft) wide.  It was a long-distance cabin boat in which the steerer plus family (and/or mate) would have been resident, at least when in transit, if not as their home.  It was given as the family’s address on the birth certificate of Oliver Allcott, 2nd of June 1915, Hay Basin, Broad Street, Wolverhampton.  Albert Charles Allcott was the steerer.  Registered with the Canal & River Trust, No. 512465.  

Albert Charles Allcott: © Family photo

1923

CARDIGAN (FM&C)  

Coventry Canal   

Given as the family residence of Minnie Allcott and John Pountney on their marriage certificate, October 27th 1923.  CARDIGAN was moored near the Foleshill Road, Coventry. Possibly a boat of Fellows Morton & Clayton, a nation-wide canal carrying company, fleet no. 42, built at Uxbridge Dock (West London), entered service in January 1906. Registration no. Uxbridge 401.  

1944

ARCAS & MALUS (GUCCCo. paired boats, fleet no. 11) 

Grand Union Canal  

According to a manning list of paired boats for September 1944, William Allcott (born 1884) was working for the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company during WW2 on canal boats ARCAS and MALUS.  The family lived at Stowe Hill Wharf, Heyford Lane, in the village of Weedon Bec, Northamptonshire. (Weedon is 6 miles from the market town of Daventry, where I grew up.  We moved to Daventry in about 1969, living at 109 Hemans Road).  

ARCAS was built by Harland and Wolff Ltd and entered service in November 1935. Registration no. Brentford 558 (West London).  

MALUS (the butty) was built by W. J. Yarwoods & Sons of Northwich in September 1935 for the GUCCCo.  It was delivered on 4 October 1935, fleet no. 307. Registration no. Coventry 535.  She was gauged on the Grand Union Canal on October 24th 1936, and given the gauging number 12412.  She was used for the carriage of cargoes such as coal, steel, timber and grain from London to the Midlands.  In order to remain profitable, boatmen/boatwomen didn’t like to run between jobs without cargo.  To avoid this some on the London run would load up with cocoa or chocolate crumbs before returning to Cadbury’s in the Midlands.  

MALUS as she is today in its British Waterways colours: © Source unknown
Stowe Hill wharf, Weedon Bec, in the 1940's.  Home to William Allcott and family: © Source unknown

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Local History: Narrowboats

Notes And Links

Download The Allcotts in PDF format by clicking here.

Read an online e-book version of The Allcott’s here.

Roger Kidd’s page on Geograph – The Marsh Lane image above is the copyright of Roger Kidd.  Here you will find more great work from the photographer Roger. 

Geograph  – The Geograph Britain and Ireland project offers lots of free, good-quality images and aims to collect geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of Great Britain and Ireland, and you can be part of it.

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