Bachelors Foods

I worked 1977-1984 at Batchelors Foods Wadsley Bridge. I started off in the post room where they had chutes to carry the post up to the other offices, there was a factory, upper offices (where the canteens/dining rooms were) and the lower offices where management and the computer room were. You put the mail in a tube and then opened the chute and it sped up/down to the other offices, never seen anything like it since.

I then moved to the typing pool with Doreen, Annette and Shirley in charge. Finally I moved to the lower offices into where we did all the invoicing and stocktaking etc, it was like a prefab building next to the offices.

In this building were the directors offices (who you never saw) and they had 4 directors secretaries who I used to deliver the mail to, and they never spoke and always made me feel uncomfortable.

The computer section at that time was on the lower floor and was massive and produced copious amounts of reports.

Batchelors provided buses to take the workers up Claywheels lane and I think it was 2p for each journey. You could also go into the works canteen in the factory bit, which is the building on the photograph and get breakfast in the morning, which was lovely.

We also had a medical centre with a nurse in this building and a cash office where you could cash your wages cheque.

I left to go on maternity leave and didn't go back, but I had friends who still worked there and a few years after I left they got made redundant. They moved everyone who wanted to move to Ashford, but I think most people took redundancy.

Happy memories

Don't know if there is any interest still in this post - but just to say I worked at Batchelors for 15 years, all but a few days, from 1974.

I started working as a clerk, for Kath Keyworth, and ended my career as the Batchelors accountancy trainee....having worked in accounts, Catering, john guy's gofer, and Marketing.

I recognise several of the names mentioned...I mostly worked in Batchelors Catering Supplies - Bill Smart, Guy Roberts, Roger ?

I remember Pam in stationery - we called her 'bleedin' Pam' as that was her favourite swear word.

I knew loads of people there, and funnily enough I ran into one lady yesterday who worked opposite me in accounts - together with Jack Rhodes...our conversations must have broadened his horizons!!!!!

Let me know if anyone remembers.....I was tall, blond...very dopey, and my name was Dawn Ronksley.

My Mom was a pea picker at Batchelors her first husband had just died and she needed to bring up her young daughter alone. Her name at that time was Marion Cuckson (nee Brace).

I am not sure of the exact year but I do have a black and white faded photograph of all the Batchelors girls wearing coveralls, white shirts and white turbans, stood or sitting in rows on the kerb out side the factory in the sunshine.

It looks late 1940s - early 1950s. She later remarried and had me, I can remember her doing the washing or house work and singing "A Batchelors Girl am I "

I don't know if it was a popular tune of the time adapted to fit or a factory song made up within the works at the time.

I knew Batchelor personally, he was the Hon. Colonel of the Signals Regt. on Barnsley Rd. where I was a Permenant Staff Instructor. PSI. He asked us to go down to the factory on a recruiting drive and arranged for us to have lunch in the directors dining room., Batchelor was a smallish fat man and during the meal he told me not to order the pea soup, I never asked why but I did heed his advice.

I have some pictures I should put online sometime, including one of the Batchelors football team and (this is a very odd one) veteran film star Bela Lugosi opening the 'wet pea cannery' in the 1950s!

Hi there,

I've been reading this thread with interest since it is our family business 'Wilson Benesch' which is now located in the old headquarters of Batchelor's on Limestone Cottage Lane. The building is called Falcon House and within the building there still exists a rather grand wooden clad board room with a fireplace that has a marble surround. Parque teak wooden flooring still exists in large parts of the building.

We would love to know more about the history of this building. Any stories or photos of the building and its staff, such as those that Jozafeen mentions would be greatly appreciated. Eventually if we have enough information, we would like to create a page on our website that outlines the history of the building and those that surrounded it which have as I understand now largely disappeared or been replaced.

A few years ago we had a visit from Maurice William Batchelors great grand daughter and her husband. They told us a lot about the building and it's original construction in the 1930's. It sounded like a very impressive building for its time.

We look forward to the response!

Many thanks,

Luke

Wilson Benesch Ltd.

Hi there,

 

I've been reading this thread with interest since it is our family business 'Wilson Benesch' which is now located in the old headquarters of Batchelor's on Limestone Cottage Lane. The building is called Falcon House and within the building there still exists a rather grand wooden clad board room with a fireplace that has a marble surround. Parque teak wooden flooring still exists in large parts of the building.

 

We would love to know more about the history of this building. Any stories or photos of the building and its staff, such as those that Jozafeen mentions would be greatly appreciated. Eventually if we have enough information, we would like to create a page on our website that outlines the history of the building and those that surrounded it which have as I understand now largely disappeared or been replaced.

 

A few years ago we had a visit from Maurice William Batchelors great grand daughter and her husband. They told us a lot about the building and it's original construction in the 1930's. It sounded like a very impressive building for its time.

 

We look forward to the response!

 

Many thanks,

 

Luke

Wilson Benesch Ltd.

Not a direct answer to your question but in a book called "Fifty Years Of Unilever" by W J Reader there is a reproduction of a Joe Scarborough painting of the building in question complete with Colonel Batchelor's Rolls Royce outside. Being a Scarborough it isn't a direct representation but captures some of the atmosphere of the place.

I have a friend who worked there in the seventies and I remember him saying that the building was high quality with all the furniture the best that was available at the time of construction with more than a hint of the Art Deco about it

Thank you very much!!

I have just ordered a copy and look forward to seeing this painting with my own eyes.

Thank you very much!!

 

I have just ordered a copy and look forward to seeing this painting with my own eyes.

You're welcome. The copy I've seen belongs to the friend I mentioned. He laughed when I told him the name of your business because the main motivation for him getting the job at Batchelors (his first job) was so that he could buy his first hi-fi. He bought it from Comet HiFi then at Malin Bridge, and says it was a Pioneer PL12D, Teleton SAQ206B and Wharfedale Dentons- all of which is another language to me.

My late mother, Elsie Rowley, worked at Batchelors Peas, Wadsley Bridge, sometime between the late 1930's/ early 40's when she would have been in her late teens/ early twenties. I think she operated machinery canning peas. I have a photo endorsed by her ''Jessie my friend at Batchelors Peas''. The photo shows a well dressed Jessie (no surname unfortunately) in countryside and apparently a river or reservoir in the background. Possibly it was on a day trip from the factory. A slim chance, but maybe someone has a photo taken by Jessie of my mother at the same location??

Hi, I worked at Batchelors from 1976 to it shutting down in 1989. I started in the Post Dept with Shirley Pickering, Connie ??, Kath ?? Gill Bradshaw, Shelia?? Marie?? Pam??. We had to go once an hour to every floor and department delivering and collecting the mail. Typing and faxes were put in the chute to send up to the catering block to be typed and sent back down. I sometimes doubled as cover at lunchtime on reception/switchboard which was manned by Sue Sargent and ??.

We used to have a tea/coffee and sandwich trolley that came round about 10ish. Pearl Shaw was head of personnel. On the ground floor as I recall was Planning, Phil Mountain? Pete Hancock and David Shepherd in Transport.

My how the memories are flooding back!!

First floor was where Sales Planning and marketing people did their stuff. Jenny Cotton. Hedley Sidall and ?? Barker drew the adverts and stuff on storyboards.

Chris Guest, this is weird, I can see myself piled up with mail walking down the corridor, going in every office to collect and deliver.........

I do remember you Dawn, as soon as I read your post I could see you in my minds eye walking down the corridor!! I also remember Alan Spellman.

Have to go to work now, will try and dredge the memory banks to write more later. All I can say to close is, I loved my time working there, I went from Post Dept to Telesales for Batchelors Catering in the canteen block. If anyone out there remembers, my name is Angie and I was small and dark with dark brown hair and brown eyes.

---------- Post added 13-06-2015 at 15:17 ----------

Hi Dawn, I do remember you! Please see my new post Angie74

Kind regards, Angie

Can anyone remember my father in law, Thomas Furniss from the 1960s.hhThanks Penny.[/quote HI penny, I remember Tommy Furniss he was forman on the carrot department were I worked as a young teenager, he was very nice to me as I was a new beginner, and a bit shy.I was so sad to hear of his death and missed seeing him around the place. I later worked in the cannery, then went on to the transport department.I worked at Batcholers foods from 1968 to it closing in the 80s. It was the best job I ever had and some good times with good friends. Sorry it ended....[color=Silver]

 

---------- Post added 13-07-2015 at 22:24 ----------

 

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Can anyone remember my father in law, Thomas Furniss from the 1960s.hhThanks Penny.[/quote HI penny, I remember Tommy Furniss he was forman on the carrot department were I worked as a young teenager, he was very nice to me as I was a new beginner, and a bit shy.I was so sad to hear of his death and missed seeing him around the place. I later worked in the cannery, then went on to the transport department.I worked at Batcholers foods from 1968 to it closing in the 80s. It was the best job I ever had and some good times with good friends. Sorry it ended....[color=Silver]

 

---------- Post added 13-07-2015 at 22:28 ----------

 

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Can anyone remember my father in law, Thomas Furniss from the 1960s.hhThanks Penny.[/quote HI penny, I remember Tommy Furniss he was forman on the carrot department were I worked as a young teenager, he was very nice to me as I was a new beginner, and a bit shy.I was so sad to hear of his death and missed seeing him around the place. I later worked in the cannery, then went on to the transport department.I worked at Batcholers foods from 1968 to it closing in the 80s. It was the best job I ever had and some good times with good friends. Sorry it ended....[color=Silver]

 

---------- Post added 13-07-2015 at 22:28 ----------

 

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Can anyone remember my father in law, Thomas Furniss from the 1960s.hhThanks Penny.[/quote HI penny, I remember Tommy Furniss he was forman on the carrot department were I worked as a young teenager, he was very nice to me as I was a new beginner, and a bit shy.I was so sad to hear of his death and missed seeing him around the place. I later worked in the cannery, then went on to the transport department.I worked at Batcholers foods from 1968 to it closing in the 80s. It was the best job I ever had and some good times with good friends. Sorry it ended....[color=Silver]

 

---------- Post added 14-07-2015 at 22:40 ----------

 

[/color]Here are few names from the past, most are from the transport department, Gordon Pellegrina, Bill Brown, Tommy Greenwood, Joe Wall, Don Coffee, Nugent Campbell, Mary Day, Mable Cockayne, Joan Claydon, Margaret grieveson, I would be interested to know if anyone remembers them, and Dot Bailey worked in the cannery she was a checker........

My father in law, William Leslie ( Les) Moore worked at Bachelors in Sheffield in the late 1950's and then in 1960 he was sent to the Huntingdon factory where he was transport manager and had a car registration which was PEA something - apparently all the Bachelors cars were that reg !

In 1967 he was transferred back to the Sheffield factory.

Anyone remember him?

Hello john my name is norman Papworth I new the Moore family when they lived in the Huntingdon district first in Hartford then they moved to Godmanchester the family business was GG PAPWORTH road haulage contractors les and my father be came friends and i drove one of lorries so I can tell you all about what went on those days i see les moore was your father inlaw i assume you married the youngest daughter whos name evaids me but the main reason i have contacted you is i am trying to trace pat moore we dated each other until she joined the Wrens sadly we parted i have not forgotten her we met once more and spoke on the telephone in the 80s i have been married to daphne for 46 years who is helping me that's why i joined sheffield forum as you are ex directory so could you please give any information or if you are contact her and pass the above information on we live in Bourne lincs ttelephone numbers are available kindest regards norman