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BDonald
Regular Member
297 Posts
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 Posted -
29/12/2005
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16:05
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Dewhurst Butchers
I started Butchering at the age of 12 in a local butcher on Colne road in Burnley called Harrison Brothers.
When I left school at 14 I went to work at J H Dewhursts in Scotland Road Nelson.
I left school on Friday and started work on Monday in Easter 1965 my wage was
£4-2/6 a week we worked every day with Tuesday afternoon off and Sunday off.
The policy of Dewhursts was the window had to look nice and full at all times and everything had to be spotlessly clean.
7.30 am the shop had to have a big clean and polish you stated by sweeping the flags at the front of the shop and washing the tiles down at the shop front then you cleaned so the inside if the window till it shone and then you cleaned all the silver bars that the meat hung from so you could see you face in the silver.
The other butchers would be filling the shop up with fresh meat and filling the shelves with tined stuff.
I then had to get my orders ready I had to take these every day 6 days a week on an old butcher’s bike with a basket on the front in the sun and rain snow and frost.
1. Barkerhouse Road Day Nursery
2. Andrew Smiths Old Peoples Home
3. Ecroyd Centre Colne
4. Marles Hill Wheatley lane Road
5. Any other orders
6. Go to Burnley Colne and Barnoldwick with stuff on my Butchers bike.
I had to serve on in the shop.
In between all this I had to cutup and bone out meat gutting chickens make dog food and beef burgers and cook meats cut bacon make dripping keep the shelves filled with what ever.
At 5pm it was the big cleanup put all the stuff away scrub all the blocks clean the mincer and bacon slicer was all the trays up and by 6-30pm it as time to go home.
And for fun on a Saturday I had to clean all the fridges and defrost them that was a big job and when the area manager called I had to clean his car too.
And when it was my half day off they had a trick of sending me to a shop for the afternoon that did not closed and you could not say no so I only got Sunday off if I was lucky sometimes they had use working on Sundays no pay just my£4-2/6 a week and a joint of meat at weekends
But even after one had severed his time then wage was poor even the managers wage was poor you could get much more working in other place’s and most people would leave for more money
But I loved it and left for more money.
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moh
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Posted - 03/01/2006 : 10:17
2/6 would go a long way in those days Bob - in the 50's I got 10/- spending money and could go to the Majestic pictures Friday and Sunday 1/6 per time and the Majestic Ballroom Saturday 2/6 - still some left (wonder when I did my homework?)
Say only a little but say it well  |
Another
Traycle Mine Overseer
6250 Posts
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Posted - 03/01/2006 : 10:42
Moh, in 1965, 10/- got you a bus from Earby to Nelson, a ticket to the Imperial to see a top "pop" act, at least one Makeson and included in the ticket price was a late bus back to Earby and Barlick.(not that I ever ventured to the Imp at the tender age of 14!) Nolic
" I'm a self made man who worships his creator"  |
moh
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Posted - 03/01/2006 : 11:39
Yes, in those days public transport ran as a real service to the people not like now - still we never had trouble on those late buses - the drivers would not be safe today. If there was a ball at the Majestic or the Imp finishing at 2pm there would always be buses waiting outside to take people home.
Say only a little but say it well |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 03/01/2006 : 16:59
Whewn I went working full time on the farm in Warwickshire in 1953 I had £1 a week and my keep. I only got 10/-, the other half was put in a POSB for me. I forget what we got in the army but it seemed a lot especially when I got to A/Cpl + marksman + driver. My first driving job in 1957 I got the union rate, £8-10-0 a week flat rate. I think at that time a platelayer on the railway got about £6 a week. Tramping was about £10 plus my overtime hours (lots of them!) Driving for the dairy at West Marton was about £24 a week. Cattle wagon was £35 but lots of hours. At Bancroft I finished up with about £95 a week in 1978. The best wage I ever had was when I was doing the demolition of Dee Mill for Littlewood's Home Shopping. I got £30 and hour and when they bit my hand off I realised I could have had double. Years later the bloke that set me on told me they would have paid me £100 an hour. Ah well.... And before you ask, I spent the lot!
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
slaphead
New Member
3 Posts
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Posted - 21/08/2006 : 17:47
Just to let you know that the Dewhurst name in JH Dewhurst Ltd.. did not originate from a Dewhurst family. It was merely a name adopted for the butchers shops.Sadly the chain has now gone into administration and i believe the name will disappear from the high street.
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melteaser
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Posted - 21/08/2006 : 18:17
They've been gone from the streets here in Staffordshire for many years now. In fact, I didn't realise they were still trading!
Mel
http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk |
slaphead
New Member
3 Posts
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Posted - 21/08/2006 : 18:55
The recent history is that in 1991 Dewhurst traded from over 1000 shops (including under names Baxters and Matthews)....in 1995 J.H.Dewhurst ltd went into receivership and a management buyout took place for just over 200 shops.The mbo company was called dewhurst butchers ltd . In 2005 dewhurst butchers ltd was sold to Lloyd Maunder ltd (a devon based company) and was sadly placed into receivership in march 2006.
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melteaser
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Posted - 21/08/2006 : 19:17
So Slaphead (I feel quite nasty calling you that, we used to use it as a nickname for a teacher) do you have some connection to Dewhursts butchers that you are so informed?
Mel
http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk |
slaphead
New Member
3 Posts
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Posted - 21/08/2006 : 21:12
be assured "slaphead" is an appropriate description for the poster...yes i have first hand knowledge of Dewhurst
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saltpot
New Member
2 Posts
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Posted - 26/12/2007 : 10:50
i too worked for dewhurst in the sixtys in.somerset as a shopman cutter then relief manager then i went to baxters for more money 18£ a week and aflat over the shop.we took a pride in our job with our window display.if it wasnt tiptop the area manager would take you in the cold room for a telling off.those were the days.
n finnimore |
saltpot
New Member
2 Posts
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Posted - 27/12/2007 : 18:14
Edited by - saltpot on 20/03/2010 04:06:15
n finnimore |
Stanley
Local Historian & Old Fart
36804 Posts
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Posted - 31/12/2007 : 08:12
We're running at over 20,000 confirmed page wiews a day Norman. Wouldn't surprise me if you caught a fish.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Barlick View
stanley at barnoldswick.freeserve.co.uk |
thomo
Barlick Born Old Salt
2021 Posts
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Posted - 31/12/2007 : 15:18
Dewhursts in Barlick (The Argentine) was on Church St in one of the shops that now forms part of Taylforths Estate Agents. Others on that street were, the Co-op Lemmie Edmonsons and Harwoods, where Sterrats is now.
thomo |
moh
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Posted - 16/03/2009 : 11:45
How has this topic come up? There is no recent reply.
Say only a little but say it well |
wendyf
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Posted - 16/03/2009 : 12:29
Saltpot has edited a post.
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Dewhurst Butchers
