Elephant at Tomlinsons undertakers

Does anybody recall the elephant who worked for Tomlinsons the undertakers on Bedford Street, Sheffield.

This would be sometime in the 1920's I think, or maybe earlier.

Members of my husband's family worked there and in a morning when the Undertakers opened, the elephant would come across the road and go into the yard to knock him up for work, with his trunk.

We know about the elephant called Lizzie who worked for Wards - but this is a different one.

Do we know where the elephants and the camels came from and what happened them.

Can you imagine the fury there would be nowadays if a firm put an ad in the Star for an elephant to work for them!!

You must be kidding right? A real elephant. What was his job at an undertaker??

Im not sure of the job the elephant did at the undertakers but its a very novel alarm clock!!!Perhaps the elephant in question was a relation of Lizzie Ward the other notorious Sheffield elephant or even the same one. Where would you by an elephant anyway.....im sure Maces on the Haymarket never stocked them when I was a lad!

i heard that the elephants came from a circus, and that there was more than one working on the steelworks. Somewhere apparently had an elephant house, and someone told me that one of the pubs off nursery street (or somewhere in that area) put on plays, one of which involved having a real live elephant on stage, which they duly managed! Dunno how hypocraful this is, but it sounds like a nice story! Spiky x

p.s. where do camels come into it? I've never head of them before! (I'm intrigued)

little spikey

picture yourself in the middle of the road opposite the bristol hotel where castlegate and blonk street meet. here once stood the ALEXANDRA THEATRE also known as tommy's or the blood tub.

in 1856 they held the pantomine Bluebeard which included a fully grown elephant, part of the stage was built out over the river sheaf (now covered over) and was supported on piers. the theatre was demolished around 1914 to redevelop the castle gate area.

try to find a copy of the book Central Sheffield it makes interesting reading as well as the great photos.

here's a previous thread regarding the camels.

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=7

my husband's auntie lived in a pub just off pinstone street[charles street Ithink] when she was little & she told me that circus's used to come & put there animals in their yards.

My Dad lived across the road from Tomlinsons in Bedford St and he told me that the elephant kicked his front tooth out. He said the elephant belonged to Tommy Wards and was stabled at the undertakers as it was the only place with a large enough doorway.

hazel

I thnk he lost his tooth to one of the pit ponies, which were kept down the mines all year.