Bread and coal
While milk deliveries are rare enough today, in the 1950’s there were also electric bread vans, mobile grocers and greengrocers and coal delivery lorries.
I particularly recall the white Clark’s “Cream of the South” bread vans (red writing) which came up our road in Preston Park about twice a week. The Clark’s depot was on the corner of Newtown Road in Hove, and they used to have beautifully painted side advertisements on the Brighton and Hove buses.
And there were the red Hall’s and Corrall’s coal lorries with tons of sacks of ordered coal and anthracite – this was in the years before everyone had central heating! We always had to order anthracite and ovoids for the boiler and nutty slack for the coal fire in winter.
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In the 1930s a Mr Dyne greengrocer used to deliver in the Coombe Road area with his horse and cart. One day turning into Milner Road from Baden Road, the cart turned over and the horse bolted down the road. I was standing on the corner of Redvers Road watching the horse, when a soldier came out of a house, saw what was happening, took his hat off and skimmed it across the eyes of the horse. It stopped and reared up and he was able to catch it. Had it not been stopped it would have crashed into the houses in Dewe Road and possibly been killed.
My mother was a Pankhurst from Brighton, her father had a coal business and at one time was mayor. Does anyone have any information on the family?
I grew up in Cardiff in the fifties and I remember the coal delivery men, coming round the back lanes, bent under their hundredweight sacks, so I was interested to read Mick Peirson’s account of his days as a coal delivery man. I am now aiming to write some very short stories for my little grandson, revolving around people who made home deliveries – milk, bread, as well as coal. Is there anyway Mr Peirson would be prepared to contact me, or have me contact him, to get really personal stories of his days as a coalman, that could lend colour and authenticity to my “coalman” story, aimed at say the 4-10 age group. I’d be happy to hear from any other 1950s coalman, or relative/friends of one. Thank you very much. I can be contacted at: E-mail:mlewis@netvision.net.il
Grooms Bakery, formerly in Sutherland Road back in the 40s and early 50s, also had horse-drawn bread delivery vans.
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