The big event this month is the Industrial Heritage Exhibition (see flyer
below) at St. John’s Church, Peterborough on 13th and 14th May, details
of which were featured in last month’s Special Newsletter.
BPHS will be basing their display on Baker Perkins artefacts collected and
photographed by John Burnham. These same items are featured in the first of
our ‘virtual books’ – click HERE and
then click on Virtual
Books– the second of which, “Baker Perkins at War”,
is in preparation and should be accessible in time for our “Summer” issue
in August. (NOTE: It might take a few seconds to down-load). WEBSITE NEWS
New Additions to the Websites
The new items added since the last Newsletter can be accessed as usual via
the blue links. If you are able to add to these records, we would be pleased
to hear from you. They include:
The Apprentice
School Intake photos now have the names attached – click
on the relevant thumbnail and scroll down. Please get in touch if you
spot any errors.
1933 was the year of the “Great
Trek” of Joseph
Baker & Sons from Willesden to Peterborough. Details
of the developments to house these employees have already been covered
in “Housing” but
the story of the purchase of“The
Gables”in Thorpe Road by George
Ralph Baker and the building of “Leinsters” in
Westwood Park Road by Joe
S. Baker is now told. The movement from Willesden of the
Baker family, together with a number of other Quaker employees, resulted
in the building of the Friends
Meeting House in Thorpe Road.
Research for “Baker Perkins at War” has thrown up an interesting
cross section of the Mobile
Bakery Oven built in large quantities at Westwood to feed the
Army (and bombed-out civilians) in WW2.
Further to the recently added descriptions of the Finance
Department’s activities at Westwood, comes an explanation
of the Management
Accounting system in the 1950s and some reminiscences from Anne
(Bates) Sewter of her time in the Department.
An essential part of the production management system at Westwood was the Baker
Perkins Production Calendar. Thanks to Hugh Brenton and
Jim Farrow, its purpose becomes clear.
We have been given a Union
Card from 1934. We believe this to have belonged to a Westwood
employee, although no company name is recorded on the membership card.
It does, however, raise a few questions: The holder – Herbert Arthur
Davies – is recorded as being 16 years old but his trade is stated
to be a Fitter. Despite his age, Herbert is not described as an
apprentice, although we do know that, at
this time, apprentices were employed at Westwood. Is anyone
out there able to explain what “Section 4 of the Peterborough
3rd Branch” might have covered?
Baker Perkins was the centre of attention in the early Eightiesand
a number of assessments by outside bodies already exist on the Website. In
1982, it was the turn of the British
Institute of Managementto cast an eye over the company – with
some emphasis on the management structure put in place to improve product
development.
Iain
Davidson adds to our story of the very large order obtained
after 5 years hard negotiation for biscuit and confectionery equipment
from an Algerian company.
Product brochures produced by Joseph
Baker & Sons made much of the medals awarded to the
company at the many international exhibitions of the late 1800s/early
1900s but we have found fewer references to similar successes by A.M.
Perkins & Son and Werner
Pfleiderer & Perkinsduring the same period. However,
a copy of the US
Centennial Commission’s Award to A.M. Perkins & Son
at the International Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876 for the company’s
new High Pressure Steam Baking Oven is of interest.
A
hand-written letter dated 1897 (Remington’s first
typewriter was produced in 1873) from Hermann Werner of Werner & Pfleiderer,
Germany to Horace Sanders of A.M. Perkins & Son has recently surfaced.
More has been added to the story of the many early
inventions of the Perkins family.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
BPHS Activities in 2011
The BPHS Committee is planning a presence at the following:
An exhibition organised by Peterborough Museum on Peterborough’s
Industrial Heritage at St. John’s Church, Peterborough on Friday 13th
and Saturday 14th May. See details above.
The Heritage Festival Weekend – 25th/26th June in the Cathedral Precincts.
Fun Day at Itter Park – Sunday, 21st August, 11.00am to 5.00pm.
We are often asked when the next BPHS Reunion will take place. On the understanding
that the majority of ex-employees who have attended previous events appear
to be in favour of holding a Reunion every two years, the next one is likely
to be in October 2012.
OTHER
BPHS Subscriptions
Many thanks to those of you who have renewed your BPHS subscriptions for 2011/2012,
your continued support is greatly appreciated.
The Spring issue of Baker Perkins, Paston’s house magazine is attached.
Best wishes – Dick, Margaret and James Preston and the BPHS Committee.
