Web Page 1104
15^th December 2012

Top Picture: 1950’s Christmas Tree

Bottom Picture: Pat Leonard in typical Principle Boy costume. (I have no idea who pat Leonard was or where the photo was taken!)

Christmas is coming

Barry mentioned to me the other day how he remembered going to see Father Christmas in December when he was a little lad. He, like many of us was taken to the Landport Drapery Bazaar (LDB) to go off on this magical journey. We were taken into the basement of the building were we were led into a submarine or spaceship or into a woodland scene to be taken off, far away, to see Santa. Sometimes to get to Santa's grotto, we went on a sleigh ride with plywood cut out reindeers on either side of the seats. With hindsight  we know that once the lights dimmed in the particular form of transport and the noises,(rocket sounds or underwater sounds) scenes were taken past the windows to give the impression of movement and low and behold, when we reached the end of our journey we were taken by a helper to see Santa and miraculously our parents would be there to meet us and we never queried how they got there when they did not go on the journey that we had just undertaken.

I seem to remember the Handley’s in Southsea also had a trip to see Santa as did McIllroy’s in North End.

  Then after the visit and tea in the cafeteria we would go outside to see the stars from the Theatre Royal Pantomimes switch on the Christmas lights from a podium set onto the top of the roof of the canopy of the LDB. Stars that very different from the cast of today’s pantomimes! For example in 1957 Charlie Drake and Bruce Forsyth appeared in Puss in Boots, in 1958 Mike and Bernie Winters along with the Morton Fraser Harmonica Gang took part in Babes in the Wood and in 1959 John Hansen starred in Cinderella.

But Christmas was a time for eating, cakes, pudding and biscuits. Do you remember Peek Frean Biscuits? As kids we knew nothing of the company we just loved the product

The first Mr Peek was a partner in the firm of Peek Bros., tea merchants in the City of London. His sons, Charles and Edward, refused to join the family business so James Peak decided to set them up in a different business. In the West Country, lived George Hender Frean, a miller and ships' biscuit maker who had married one of Peek's nieces. Peek wrote to him explaining he would set up a biscuit factory for his sons if Frean would become manager and partner, he accepted. Sadly Charles left and went to the provinces where he died and Edward gave up business in favour of religion.

It became clear the factory needed more technical help and Frean remembered an old schoolfriend John Carr. An unlikely candidate because he was a brother of the owners of Carr’s, a major biscuit manufacturer in the North. Whilst he has completed an apprenticeship at his brothers’ firm, he had disliked it and had severed all connections with it. Despite these facts Frean wrote to John Carr inviting him to join the business. Carr was considering the offer when one morning an elderly Quaker lady who was staying with them remarked ‘You have a letter from London in your pocket which will turn out for your good’.

Carr’s mind was made up and he joined Peek Frean & Co in 1860. The turn of fortune for John Carr began when he produced his famous Pearl biscuit, this was the pioneer of the modern biscuit. These new biscuits swept the country.

Carr and Frean introduced machinery. The firm grew. The bakery in Mill Street, Dockhead, became too small. Peek Frean found an area of market gardens in Bermondsey in 1866.

The Franco-Prussian war brought them into prominence, 10-11 million Navy biscuits were ordered. The old factory in Mill Street was burned down. The sight was so amazing that the Prince of Wales (later King Edward V11) had gone there on a fire engine to see it.

In 1902, the introduction of the new Pat a Cake biscuit sold nearly 3,000 tins in the first week. Celebrated lines invented by Peek Freans were Garibaldi (1861);Marie (1875); the first chocolate coated biscuit Chocolate Table (1899); Golden Puff(1909); Creola then Bourbon (1910); Shortcake (1912); Glaxo (1923) and with the cocktail age, Cheeselets and Twiglets.

The company were pioneers in supplying medical, dental and optical services for their work staff. The Peek Frean Club was founded in 1920, its precursors were an athletic club and dramatic society (1908), a musical society (1907) and a cricket club (1868).

 The Peek Frean biscuit factory provided Bermondsey and Rotherhithe with a major source of employment until it closed down in 1989.

Stay in Touch

Peter

DUSTYKEAT@aol.com

Pj.keat@ntlworld.co.uk

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Andria Writes:-

When I left school and before I went to Portsmouth College of Technology to do a year's Business Training Course (mainly shorthand and typing), I had a summer job on SSPier, together with another girl from my school. The two top starring artistes that year were Bob Monkhouse and Yana ("Climb up the wall" - not many people remember that song!)

We had to clear and clean the tables in the cafeteria on the pier and also walk around the outside up to the end of the pier and back, selling icecreams. Then the management had the bright idea of getting us to load up our icecream trays with bottles of Coca Cola - so heavy that it nearly broke my neck! My friend and I rebelled and soon we were back to selling icecreams. We had both chosen this summer time job because we both fancied a boy from church, who had a summer job working in the box office - innocent days! 

News and Views:

Pioneering jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck has died, aged 91.The musician, whose recordings included Take Five and Blue Rondo a la Turk, was once designated a "living legend" by the US Library of Congress. He died last Wednesday morning in hospital in Connecticut.

Very sad news of Sir Patrick Moore dying he was one of the great Characters of television..

On this day 15^th December 1960-1965

On 15/12/1960 the number one single was It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Tottenham Hotspur. The top rated TV show was The Army Game (Granada) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £not very interesting and 13.68 were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada).

On 15/12/1961 the number one single was Tower of Strength - Frankie Vaughan and the number one album was Another Black & White Minstrell Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 15/12/1962 the number one single was Return to Sender - Elvis Presley and the number one album was West Side Story Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 15/12/1963 the number one single was I Want to Hold Your hand - The Beatles and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 15/12/1964 the number one single was I Feel Fine - The Beatles and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 15/12/1965 the number one single was Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out - The Beatles and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.