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(Adapted from a recording made with Mr Bowen on 6th November, 1989 by John Ruffell)
The three oldest established business's in Alcester, are Buntings, Bowens and Burdens. My father came to Alcester in 1897 from Stourbridge. He bought the business from a Mr Franklin who moved to Evesham. Mr Bunting came Colchester in Essex in 1899. Mr Burden opened his business in Swan Street and was able to establish a radio trade and Calor Gas in later years. All three businesses now have the third generation in them.
In the early days trade was not very good in the town and we all had to make regular journeys to such places as Inkberrow, Great Alne, and Salford Priors and all round the area. My father used to say "Well now, Sam you must get on your bike, and go round some of these customers!" So mother used to pack my bag up with some sandwiches, and away I would go for the day, pleased to bring back what orders I could obtain.
Alcester, at the time was a very quiet place, depending on the Needle Industry and in later years Isons Cabinet Factory, who employed quite a few people. In the 1930's the 'three B's' got together, - Buntings, Bowens & Burdens, - and organised a Christmas show in the district. We used to take all our fancy goods and go on tour to the village halls of Rous Lench, Inkberrow, Great Alne, Salford Priors, and then we had a three day show in Alcester Town Hall. It was run for a number of years but the war finished that.
One day in the 1930s the Alcester population was doubled for an hour or so by a visiting coach trip by the Co-Op, who had an outing to the Evesham and stopped here on the way. There were 96 coaches which filled the town and all the pubs had been alerted to the invasion!
As boys, the railway fascinated us. There was a Mr Verity who had a horse and cab and would meet certain trains, to bring the people into Alcester. He was also the one who would take people to the isolation hospital in the cab! It was a very busy station having both the Midland Railway and the Great Western Railway trains stopping at the same station. There were two station masters, one for each company.
As the road transport developed in the 1930s, there was much competition between the railway and road. The railway arranged for a special train which came via Broom junction to Redditch every day from London. If goods were loaded in London before 4.30pm they were in Alcester at 9.30am the next day! -A very good service for those days. A lot of business passengers used the railway: it was possible to get the 8.l0am train to Birmingham which arrived at 8.55am by the Midland Railway (LMS). The train also used to take milk to the dairy at Bourneville, and there were many local producers who would bring their milk by horse and cart to the special carriages on the train. The churns were returned the next day. The supply of coal to the town was by the railway. There was also an 8am train from Alcester to Birmingham run by the Great Western Railway in competition with the Midland Railway, - both from Alcester Station. - Passengers changed at Bearley and Hatton to get onto the main line train, and that would also get into Birmingham Snow Hill by 8.55am. At the time there was a Mr Hughes, an important businessman, who travelled on the train and owned a pen nib factory in Alcester. The pen nibs in those days used to be exported all over the world. The factory used to be in Bulls Head Yard under the name of Hughes and Sons.