TOBACCIANA AND BREWERIANA WEB SITE

Worked very hard, alongside a (paid) web-designer firm, for nearly three weeks listing in, describing historical items and enhancing my new site only to find, now, that there’s an access problem – it seems it’s getting a mixed up reaction conflict with the ‘old’ site which has the same ‘URL’ but doesn’t really exist anymore except in sections of the internet ‘ether’. Bloody nuisance as I confidently went ahead with promotional texting, Tweets and this – still, never mind, it’ll happen in the long run – these things are sent to try us. Strange how internet and web site experts start passing the buck as soon as there’s a problem – attitude seems to be ‘we put it together’, in our book it’s perfect – so get on with it – your problem now!’

Keep trying, please and spread the word where you can – http://www.tobaccianacollectibles.co.uk/

AN ICONIC BREWERY

The first record of the Davenport family in the brewing trade is that of Robert Davenport in 1827, a brewer at 120 Brearley St, Hockley. He also had premises in Pritchett St and eventually owned several public houses. His son Robert moved into Bath Row in 1852 and the business was gradually centralised there. In 1867 John Davenport and Sons was registered at that address as “Maltsters, Hop Merchants, and makers of Pale and Brown Malt for brewing bitter ales and porter”.

The firm was incorporated as a limited company on 17th November 1896. Davenports bought the old Bath House, from which the Row took its name, converted the mansion into offices and built over the gardens. The biggest change to the company came when Baron John Davenport began the ‘Beer at Home’ service in 1904. This expanded rapidly and a distribution network was set up all over the country.

A separate company, Davenports CB Ltd, was set up to deal with the bottled beer and home delivery service, while John Davenport and Sons Ltd continued to run the brewery and the licensed houses.

During the war years the home delivery business suffered, due to the rationing of brewing materials and fuel for transport, but after the war Davenports made full use of television for advertising and the business prospered again. Dare’s brewery was purchased in 1962 to strengthen the public house side of the business, and their land allowed Davenports to negotiate with the City Council for the site of St Thomas’s School on the corner of Granville Street and Bath Row. The company’s main garage was built there in 1970.

From the 1st October 1974 Davenports CB Ltd and John Davenport and Sons Brewing Ltd ceased to operate independently and instead traded collectively as Davenports Brewery Ltd. Davenports Brewery continued to expand and by 1985 they owned 123 pubs, cash and carry outlets and off licenses, and supplied more than 600 free trade accounts in Birmingham and the Midlands. During this time home deliveries played a decreasing role in the company until, in that year, the operation was sold to an independent firm. In 1986 an agreed merger took place between Davenports Brewery Ltd and Greenall Whitley plc, and the Bath Row site was progressively decommissioned over the next few years and closed in 1989.
http://tobaccianacollectibles.co.uk/

A Fine German Beer…..

Holsten Brewery (Holsten-Brauerei AG) is a brewing company founded in 1879 in what is now Hamburg’s Altona-Nord quarter.The group now has seven breweries in Germany. Its nationally distributed premium brand is the pale lager Holsten Pilsener. The company was acquired by the Carlsberg Group in 2004.
http://tobaccianacollectibles.co.uk/

Everybody wants Heineken…..

Every day I get more and more calls for Heineken collectibles and I have only sold more Carlsberg and Pernod items than those promoting the famous Netherlands’ lager (‘Holland’ is only a part of The Netherlands – calling the whole country ‘Holland’ is wrong!). I have but a few items and here is one of them – had four now only two left so, if you’re an enthusiast, go to
http://tobaccianacollectibles.co.uk/ quickly and stake your claim.

An unusual find in France…..

My Ashtray collecting frequently takes me over the Channel where I scour the ‘Depot Ventes’ (sort of Junk Supermarkets – every town and village has one) and, in the summer, the ‘Vide Greniers’ (literally ‘Clear Out the Barn’ – but they’re really what we in the UK would call ‘car boots’ but without the cars) – held in the streets which are closed off for the event – they’re a fabulous source of both ‘Breweriana’ and ‘Tobacciana’ and most of the French stuff seems to be in high demand – however, sometimes you come across something different – like this typical American item I found in a barn in La Rochelle….
http://tobaccianacollectibles.co.uk/

Found a full one……

Here’s an interesting one, just reviewing my collection of ashtrays and bar memorabilia (which I am trying to sell) and realised that this one is sealed and still has the contents intact. So that’s a bonus for a buyer – a beautiful stoneware pitcher AND a drop of the hard stuff – can’t be bad!

http://tobaccianacollectibles.co.uk/