Recommended Posts

Can any one tell me when the Rank Hovis McDougal (formerly Be-Ro) flour packing plant at Daybrook closed and when was it demolished. Did the present Madford retail park replace it or was the site used for something else first which was later replaced by Madford.

I have studied some old maps. The 1973 6" map shows that the plant has been extended with another building covering the old station site to the south. The 1980 6" map shows this new building has been extended almost up to Mansfield Road. The last map I have been able to find is 1989 which shows no change so presumably the plant was still operating then.

Can anyone help

Nick

Link to post
Share on other sites

The two most popular brands of flour in my days at Marsdens/Farrands in the 60s were both Notts products ie, Be-ro as mentioned and Smiths of Worksop,both used to do 3lb and 1lb bags.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I well remember the Bero flour factory near Daybrook station in the 1960s when Firbeck and myself were walking derelict railway lines. I have no idea when it closed but do know that they took over the land occupied by the derelict Daybrook station. I have since heard that both the station and the flour factory were haunted.

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 1 year later...

My Mum had the one on the right...she often said that the girl was dressed in the same outfit as her (my Mum) school uniform at Queens Walk.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've still got the red cover one. My daughter used it last Saturday to make some scones (but she substituted margarine for the lard!)

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Certainly remember the right hand book. But, I had no idea that Be-Ro was a local product.

Col

Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted in another thread somewhere on here, we have my mums old Bero book, like the one on right in #7, it's in a sorry state now but I managed to get a new reprint copy a few years ago on ebay, which my wife still uses for scones etc..

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

I've had a few tenuous connections with Be Ro over the years. Initially, back in the fifties, I used to walk past the Daybrook factory every schoolday on my way to buy a return ticket at Daybrook station for the journey to Basford North on my way to Mellish. This was a train journey of about four minutes. I didn't live far enough away from the school, as the crow flies, to get a free travel pass although others who lived a few hundred yards further away had a pass even though they travelled from the same station. Such was the idiocy of those in power at the time.

Secondly, when I was in the accountancy profession, Be Ro were clients of ours although I never was assigned to that particular job.

Thirdly, Be Ro were customers of my old company. We used to make all the packaging for both the Nottingham and Newcastle Factories but this was before my time. Be Ro ultimately sold out to Rank Hovis Mcdougal.

The managing director at Daybrook was Tom Bell. His father, also Tom, founded the factory in Newcastle. The younger Tom came to Nottingham in the thirties and built the Daybrook factory. Tom built a house on Oxton Hill and was a great benefactor to Oxton village. He offered two thousand pounds towards the cost of the village hall if the village could raise the same amount (this was a large sum at the time). The money was raised and the hall was built.

  • Upvote 2
Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 4 years later...

I worked there as part of Mr Kipling side from 1988 and we moved out in 1992 to Alfreton. The rest of Rhm factory carried on for a few more years. I left after 16 years after being made redundant when the business was sold from Manor Bakeries to Premier Foods. It was a brilliant company to work for prior to that.

Link to post
Share on other sites

My ex wife worked lates there around 1978/9 ish.

She didn't last long, I think it was a week.

 

What have you been doing tonight dear?,, Stacking flour bags on pallets.

 

What have you been doing tonight then dear?,, Stacking flour bags on pallets.

 

What did you do tonight then dear?,, Stacked flour bags on pallets, then gave my notice in..

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Would the BeRo factory have been visible from a double decker travelling towards Nottingham on Mansfield Rd?

As a little-un in the late fifties I always knew when we were not far from Nottingham when we passed the Home Brewery and Daybrook Laundry but I can't recall ever seeing a BeRo sign or factory.

Link to post
Share on other sites

If you look at the white wooden clad house's on I think Nottingham Rd near City hospital these were built on the old Daybrook Railway line, the first one's built were at the other end which was Daybrook/Arnold they were at the back of the BeRo factory. Most of the people rehoused there were when St Ann's was pulled down. At the time I did not know about the factory being there, but being one of the first to move in if ever master and i went out we would go back to Nottingham. Well one New Years eve Master went out I of cause was baby sitting, any way after having a few pint;s left the bus in Daybrook square and decided to see if he could find a short cut home, to cut a long story short, he was chased by a dog, climbed over a barb wire fence ripped his pants but did arrive home.He did find out after wards that he had gone though the flour factory. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Link to post
Share on other sites
8 hours ago, Oztalgian said:

Would the BeRo factory have been visible from a double decker travelling towards Nottingham on Mansfield Rd?   As a little-un in the late fifties I always knew when we were not far from Nottingham when we passed the Home Brewery and Daybrook Laundry but I can't recall ever seeing a BeRo sign or factory.

 

Do you remember seeing or being aware of Daybrook Station in those days ?   The Be-Ro factory was alongside/behind the station.

Link to post
Share on other sites

It should have been visible, it dwarfed the station.

Image below is take from over Mansflield road Vale Hotel ish.

Be-Ro, in the centre of the image, was roughly where Homebase is now, ( a bit further North into thier car park) see Google link

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.9930481,-1.1396765,314a,35y,39.4t/data=!3m1!1e3

 

xnOvrft.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...