If so who for??????

It's no longer owned by Fletcher's,though they still make bread and still use the name.
Northern Foods owns it I think.

According to my dad,(who for years ran a family bakery business with my uncle and therefore is still quite knowledgable on the subject of bakeries), they supply all the army bases etc and at one point they exported to Spain,probably still do.
He tells me that you can no longer buy Fletcher's bread locally though as far as he knows.

Gromit uses a Fletchers tea towel when she does the ironing.When we were kids we used to sing Fletchers bread tastes like lead when you eat it you drop dead at the Fletchers van that came round.

Back in the mid 60s, when I was a student, I worked at Fletcher's bakery for a short while during one of the term breaks. Don't recall where it was located as my knowledge of Sheffield geography is rusty.

It's just up the road from Wednesday's ground in the direction of Wadsley Bridge.

Do they still make that gorgeous fruitcake????

That was our Saturday afternoon treat!!!!! :hihi: :hihi:

It's just up the road from Wednesday's ground in the direction of Wadsley Bridge.

Would that have been the location in the '60s?

Also, and this one is difficult to get one's head around, when I was growing up my mother refused to buy Fletcher's bread. She used to tell us that it was owned by "a communist." My mother had her idiosyncracies, let's put it that way. Forgetting about the fact that politics and buying bread have nothing much in common, can anyone shed any light on how she might have got that idea in her head? Who was Mr Fletcher and who ran the place? Maybe there was a militant union leader employed there. I just found it odd at the time and I'm none the wiser now. :confused:

they did a roaring trade on toasted teacakes and toasted bread

Not to mention the smoke damaged Doughnuts and Sally Lunns
:D

Would that have been the location in the '60s?

Also, and this one is difficult to get one's head around, when I was growing up my mother refused to buy Fletcher's bread. She used to tell us that it was owned by "a communist." My mother had her idiosyncracies, let's put it that way. Forgetting about the fact that politics and buying bread have nothing much in common, can anyone shed any light on how she might have got that idea in her head? Who was Mr Fletcher and who ran the place? Maybe there was a militant union leader employed there. I just found it odd at the time and I'm none the wiser now. :confused:

I'll have to ask my old man but I assume the location is the same,he certainly knew the owners so I'll ask him about the communist rumour too!

Here's the Jazzfool movin' in. This thread reminds me of the 'Fats' Waller iterjection 'What kind of bread is this, it must be good bread?'

I'll have to ask my old man but I assume the location is the same,he certainly knew the owners so I'll ask him about the communist rumour too!

George Fletcher was the orignal owner of Fletchers He certainly was a member of the Communist Party in the 1920s.
I remember my father telling me. At that time in the 20s. Fletchers were streets ahead of other companies in working conditions and wages.
How true that is I do not know.

George Fletcher was the orignal owner of Fletchers He certainly was a member of the Communist Party in the 1920s.
I remember my father telling me. At that time in the 20s. Fletchers were streets ahead ahead of of other companies in working conditions and wages.
How true that is I do not know.

Isn't that interesting? My mother was born in 1923, so she would have known. Given that the communist regime in Russia hadn't been in power that long, Fletcher's membership in it would have been the subject of public gossip. Like I said in an earlier email, her principled stand on not buying their bread defied logic even in the 50s when I was growing up. Thanks for this piece of info, bazjea.

Isn't that interesting? My mother was born in 1923, so she would have known. Given that the communist regime in Russia hadn't been in power that long, Fletcher's membership in it would have been the subject of public gossip. Like I said in an earlier email, her principled stand on not buying their bread defied logic even in the 50s when I was growing up. Thanks for this piece of info, bazjea.

During that same 1920s period my father was also a staunch member of the Communist Party and, like most of the local branch members, knew Fletcher quite well. In fact, most Sheffielders knew him well because keeping steadfastly to his beliefs saw his arrest and several periods of imprisonment.

Fletcher’s bakery during that same period was held to high esteem by most Sheffielders as a model establishment for workers. They were treated fairly, and the Company was certainly never included among the worst employers in the city.

Sheffield has its ‘bread and fat’ shops, mostly within its ‘society’ of Little Mesters, but despite the fact that it produced Bread it was just about the only firm that treated its workers well, and with the respect they deserved.

The city today still has a well-known, much revered Company that treats its employees in much the same way as Fletchers. Because I have lived away from Sheffield since 1951 I have no idea whether this fact is open knowledge among the city’s work-force, but I do know — and maybe they don’t — that this highly esteemed company was also founded by a Communist.

In my younger days I had the pleasure of meeting this company’s founder, along with a small group of prominent name who had formed their own rambling club and spent their Sundays walking over the hills and dales of Derbyshire.

Well I never knew that about Fletchers :o I know in the 40s up Sheffield was known as "The Red City".

Fascinating, PeterW. And don't misunderstand me, the only reason I brought it up was to try and understand my mother's bias against the company. She had her principles, but they were not mine. I'm no political historian, but I suspect that in the early days of the communist party, many individuals supported it for the best of egalitarian reasons. The fact that the workers received fair treatment bears this out. But, it's a piece of local history that shouldn't be overlooked. Cheers.

When I left King Ecgberts School around 1963 we girls were found jobs by our headmistress, Miss Coates. My first job was as an office junior at Styans Bakery, I think it was somewhere in the Abbeydale area. After I left there the bakey was taken over, and moved, by Fletchers. I remember the wonderful goodies we were able to sample when the bakers boys brought us trays of freshly baked cakes etc.

I worked at fletchers for 12 years,when i started paul fletcher owned it and it was a good place to work but since he sold it,it changed hands a few times and seems to have gone down hill big time,as in too many chiefs and not enough indians.When i left in december we was still making bread but not with the fletchers name on it,we made it for tesco,sainsbury and a few others but the packaging was sainsburys,tesco etc so if youve tried not to buy fletchers bread you still unwittingly will have.

I spoke to my dad again and he tells me that Paul Fletcher was not a communist but that his father and grandfather were.

Changing the topic ever so slightly, but still about bread and bakeries, what happened to Gunstone's bakery? They were a Sheffield firm at the bottom of Duke St and as I recall, one of Fletcher's main competitors? The workers put on Christmas pantomimes for the kids. I remember going to one and it was a lot like the old radio show "Workers' Playtime," with slapstick humor and in jokes about the foremen and bosses. A good time had by all.

Changing the topic ever so slightly, but still about bread and bakeries, what happened to Gunstone's bakery? They were a Sheffield firm at the bottom of Duke St and as I recall, one of Fletcher's main competitors? The workers put on Christmas pantomimes for the kids. I remember going to one and it was a lot like the old radio show "Workers' Playtime," with slapstick humor and in jokes about the foremen and bosses. A good time had by all.

It is now owned by Northern Foods.The bakery is at Stubley Lane in Dronfield.
Think they produce own label goods for supermarkets etc.

Northern foods also owned fletchers,and it was them that made so many changes for the worst and turned a good place to work into a nightmare to work,then once they messed it up, sold it.

Changing the topic ever so slightly, but still about bread and bakeries, what happened to Gunstone's bakery? They were a Sheffield firm at the bottom of Duke St and as I recall, one of Fletcher's main competitors? The workers put on Christmas pantomimes for the kids. I remember going to one and it was a lot like the old radio show "Workers' Playtime," with slapstick humor and in jokes about the foremen and bosses. A good time had by all.

Gunstones bakery is situated in Dronfield where it has been for many years now.

It is now owned by Northern Foods.The bakery is at Stubley Lane in Dronfield.
Think they produce own label goods for supermarkets etc.

Glad to hear it's survived.

we used to sing that as well!! It burnt down a couple of years ago, dont know what happened after that!

we used to sing that as well!! It burnt down a couple of years ago, dont know what happened after that!

In April 1999, Northern Foods bought the whole of Fletchers Bakery on Clay Wheels Lane.
(Previously they held a 25 percent stake)

Northern Foods were trying to sell Fletchers when a cooling system started sparking and then exploded into flames on the Sunday morning of 16 July 2006, totally destroying about one third of the factory.

In January of 2007, Fletchers was aquired by an investment firm called Vision Capital.

Have Fletchers ever made bread?

Have Fletchers ever made bread?


They certainly have. It was very popular in the sixties, despite being quite expensive. Up to a couple of years ago they still supplied British Forces Overseas and the Falkland Islands with bread under the Fletchers label.

At the same time they supplied supermarkets, particularly Tesco, with bread under the supermarket's own label. I think that all sliced bread production has stopped now.

Increased sales of toast immediately after the fire are just malicious rumours.

I wonder if there is any pictures of the vans they had from the 60s thanks Alan

Horrible stuff! I think the bread sold around Sheffield must be the worst in the country. Yuk!

I wonder if there is any pictures of the vans they had from the 60s


thanks Alan


Yes CLICK HERE (http://www.picturesheffield.co.uk/cgi-bin/zoom.pl?picture=http://www.picturesheffield.com/jpgh/u03337.jpg)

They certainly have. It was very popular in the sixties, despite being quite expensive. Up to a couple of years ago they still supplied British Forces Overseas and the Falkland Islands with bread under the Fletchers label.

At the same time they supplied supermarkets, particularly Tesco, with bread under the supermarket's own label. I think that all sliced bread production has stopped now.

Increased sales of toast immediately after the fire are just malicious rumours.

A relation of mine is actually a baker in Port Stanley in the falkland Isles and a few years ago he said Fletchers Bread was on sale their.

And here are some pictures of the July 2006 fire. Fortunately there were no casualties.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Fire006.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Fire003.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Fire002.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Fire001.jpg

There's no truth in the rumour that Fletchers were selling toast for weeks afterwards..;)

It's making me hungry this-I think I'd Better Fetch A Fletcher Loaf.

It's just up the road from Wednesday's ground in the direction of Wadsley Bridge.

it is /was in claywheels lane

Gunstones bakery is situated in Dronfield where it has been for many years now.

Late quote, but yes, Gunstones has been based in Dronfield for thirty years or more. I remember the staff bus picking up at Manor Top as I was waiting for my bus to work in 1980.

I am not refering to gunstones am refering to fletchers be more diligant whilst reading

Fletcher loaf
Better fetch a Fletcher loaf,
Better fetch a Fletcher loaf!

Fresh as tomorrow
good for you, good for me
don't wait 'til tomorrow
better buy a Fletchers loaf!

Sad to see the decline of yet another Sheffield firm.
Used to like those bilberry cakes with cream on top that
we used to get from the vans in the summer holidays.

Seems all to frequent these days, alot seem to be hitting the wall with tremendous speed.I remember the bread van coming round every week.I`m sure it was more of a community then.This thread has reminded me of something I must include in a book I`m doing at the moment.

Used to really look forward to the bread van coming round... they always had rum babas and elephants feet on them as well which seemed so exotic to an under ten in the seventies. I remember being fascinated with angelica!
Shame these mobile shops don't seem to exist anymore.

I remember it so well it was red and cream embedded with dirt lol

As I recall it didn't have a tune like an ice cream van, it just parked up on the road and sounded it's horn?
Always came at the same time each day.

yep your right it didn't have a tune beep beep and id watch the people run down the alleys to get to the van before the elephants feet's went ,they sold jam and lemon curd tarts too and the custards were in there somewhere,I remember the man used to let us ride with him round the estate too,it was so much fun,I still can recall his route too.

I am not refering to gunstones am refering to fletchers be more diligant whilst reading

I could have sworn someone (well TWO people) mentioned that Fletchers had been acquired by the parent company of Gunstones, therefore segueing quite easily into the mention of Gunstones...

oh yes, here are the posts...
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showpost.php?p=3865133&postcount=21
It is now owned by Northern Foods.The bakery is at Stubley Lane in Dronfield.It is now owned by Northern Foods.Think they produce own label goods for supermarkets etc.

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showpost.php?p=3865249&postcount=23
Gunstones bakery is situated in Dronfield where it has been for many years now.

Would that have been the location in the '60s?

Also, and this one is difficult to get one's head around, when I was growing up my mother refused to buy Fletcher's bread. She used to tell us that it was owned by "a communist." My mother had her idiosyncracies, let's put it that way. Forgetting about the fact that politics and buying bread have nothing much in common, can anyone shed any light on how she might have got that idea in her head? Who was Mr Fletcher and who ran the place? Maybe there was a militant union leader employed there. I just found it odd at the time and I'm none the wiser now. :confused:

this is still the location but half of the building burnt down a few years ago

Do Fletchers still make bread?

During the 60’s I once overheard me Fatha telling someone that George Fletcher is a communist and he goes to Russia each year in his Rolls Royce. Whether Mr Fletcher was a red or not I don’t know, but Darren Fletcher is, because he plays for them!

Better Bread than dead
It must be said.
Good old George.

P.S. Or more to the point… Do Fletchers still make stal(in)e bread?

Do Fletchers still make bread?

During the 60’s I once overheard me Fatha telling someone that George Fletcher is a communist and he goes to Russia each year in his Rolls Royce. Whether Mr Fletcher was a red or not I don’t know, but Darren Fletcher is, because he plays for them!

Better Bread than dead
It must be said.
Good old George.

P.S. Or more to the point… Do Fletchers still make stal(in)e bread?

are you sure