A firm that left its mark on Worcester

Several still survive today as significant features of the cityscape.

Bromage & Evans, whose yard and workshops were in Derby Road, off Wyld's Lane, flourished as "General Contractors and Builders" for almost 40 years from 1880, until 1916, mainly under the direction of James Bromage, the firm's founder.

Among prime legacies of the firms' skilled handiwork today, are the Hopmarket, the former National & Provincial Bank (now Lloyds TSB) next to St Nicholas Church at The Cross, the Kay & Co (now Reality) branch at Northwick, The Old Rectifying House, the Barley Mow pub in Sidbury, St Mark's Church in Cherry Orchard (a century old this year), and the original buildings of the Worcester College for the Blind in Whittington Road.

The firm also handled the extremely tricky task of moving the centuries-old and historic Queen Elizabeth House a short distance to its present site in Trinity Street. That was in 1891.

And among other major contracts undertaken by Bromage & Evans - physical evidence of which is, alas, no more - were large-scale extensions to the County Gaol in Castle Street, to Norton Barracks, Williamson's tinplate factory at Providence Works, Sigley's sweet factory in Carden Street, Dent's glove factory at the riverside near the Old Palace, and to St Martin's Boys School.

The Worcester Daily Times in its souvenir Trade and Industry brochure, published exactly 100 years ago, in 1903, praised Bromage & Evans for building "innumerable large structures, handsome hotels, shops, factories and private residences" and for having undertaken "a very important share in the work of reconstructing and modernising Worcester during the past quarter of a century".

I was prompted to research the history of Bromage & Evans after receiving an e-mail from Neil Russell of Yew Tree Close, Worcester, the great grandson of the firm's founder, James Bromage.

Three years after setting up in business on his own in 1880, James took into partnership a Mr Evans and, though I have no further details of him, it seems this gentlemen died suddenly when the firm was at the height of its success. James Bromage then became sole boss again but continued trading as Bromage & Evans.

James was born in Herefordshire, in 1845, but while he was still a boy, the family moved to Clifton upon Teme, where he attended the village school.

At 12, he was apprenticed to John Lewis, a Clifton upon Teme builder with whom he remained working for some years after his apprenticeship. He also married his boss's daughter, but not long afterwards they moved to Worcester, where James went to work for the city building firm of Joseph Wood & Co., staying with it for a few years until that decisive move of 1880 to set up in business on his own.

James Bromage was involved in several local organisations and was, from 1901 until 1913, a Worcester city councillor, being elected city chamberlain for 1904-5 and High Sheriff for 1905-6. He was also a member of the Worcester Board of Guardians which administered the Workhouse at Tallow Hill, and a vice-president of the Master Builders Association.

In 1903, he had the honour of being elected national president of the Hearts of Oak organisation, a benefit society with 15,000 members.

At one stage, he owned several parcels of land and property in Worcester including sites in Derby Road, London Road, Battenhall Road, Rainbow Hill, Britannia Square, and The Hill Avenue.

James and his wife, two sons and three daughters lived for many years at Fern Bank in Battenhall Road, where he died in 1916.

Here is a full description of Bromage & Evans from that Worcester Daily Times industrial supplement of 1903:

"Beginning in a comparatively small way in 1880, Mr Bromage soon found that the calls upon his time by the increase in work necessitated a partner, and in 1883 he was joined by Mr Evans in forming Bromage & Evans.

"Since then the high reputation of the firm for executing large contracts, erecting buildings and carrying out repairs and restoration of every description has led to steady progress and development.

"Amongst the largest of the structures it has built are the very substantial printing works at Barbourne, erected for the Hon. Percy Allsopp" (today Kay & Co at Northwick) "and the Hop Market Hotel in The Foregate, one of the most handsome corner buildings in the city.

"The Old Rectifying House, which has been re-built, is another striking specimen of the firm's capabilities, and among other licensed houses it has built is the Barley Mow in Sidbury.

"Messrs Bromage & Evans have also had extensive experience in the erection of schools, those for St Peter's Parish at Redhill, at St Martin's and the block erected at Hindlip to the order of the first Lord Hindlip, testify to the confidence reposed in the firm for this class of structure.

"If we look amongst the factories, we shall find at Messrs Dent's glove works, Messrs Williamson's tinplate works, Messrs Sigley's confectionery establishment and at many other industrial centres in the city, evidence of the firm's handiwork, while Government contracts in Worcester Gaol and at Norton Barracks further indicate the first-class status of the firm.

"Within recent years, it has erected the College for the Blind Sons of Gentlemen at Whittington, the St Peter's Chapel-of-ease at Cherry Orchard" (St Mark's), "the Worcester Railway Mission Room, the Central Drapery Stores in St Swithin's Street, the Co-operative Stores at Rainbow Hill, the new shop for Mr Burden at St John's, and the new shop and residence for Messrs Anderson and Virgo in The Foregate.

"A far more unusual assignment for which the firm gained a great deal of credit was the removal bodily of an ancient structure from one site to another. This involved the half-timbered house, from the balcony of which Queen Bess is said to have addressed her Worcester subjects in 1575.

"Its removal was necessary for street improvements but so much veneration for it was expressed and so strong a desire was felt for retaining a place which had such interesting associations that a public subscription was raised, and Messrs Bromage & Evans were engaged to remove and preserve it in 1891. This they successfully accomplished, the engineering skill and the ability they displayed in the operation earning them great praise. Thus it is that the house remains one of the most interesting features of Old Worcester.

"The firm's yard and workshops are situated in Derby Road by the canal side, thus giving them the great advantage of water communication with the Midlands and the Bristol Channel ports. The wood working plant is quite up to date including circular, horizontal and band saws, lathes and other machines, and there are also mortar mills driven by steam power. At the premises too are huge stocks of building materials of all kinds including the most modern sanitary appliances.

"The firm's head offices are in Sidbury, opposite the entrance to Bath Road, and are not without interest. From all that we have mentioned, it will be seen that Messrs Bromage & Evans stand well with their fellow citizens for excellence of workmanship, despatch in the execution of orders, and for the high quality of materials used."

James Bromage had three daughters and two sons, one of whom emigrated to Canada, while the other, Alfred, better known as Fred, worked on the London and North Western Railway before serving with distinction in the First World War with the 1st Herefordshire Regiment, mainly in Egypt.

After de-mob, Fred left Worcester for Llandovery, where he bought and ran the North Western Hotel in the heart of the Welsh town and also owned a row of three houses.

Fred became deeply involved in the life of Llandovery over many years, and was its Mayor in 1945-46.

It was at the North Western Hotel that Fred's daughter Jeanne first met the man she was to marry a few years later - civil engineer Anthony Henry Russell, who came from Crosby, Liverpool.

Fred and his wife Dolly returned to Worcester, the city of his birth, in the early 1950s and set up home with daughter Jeanne and her husband at 24 Battenhall Road. It was there that Tony and Jeanne Russell brought up their two children, Neil and Susan (now Mrs Haffner of Upton-upon-Severn).

Neil Russell, a business analyst, is proud possessor of many Bromage family archives including a handwritten note of Bromage & Evans' £11,600 contract to build the Hopmarket Hotel and a souvenir programme of the High Sheriff's Ball at Worcester in 1906 when Neil's great grandfather held that civic post.

Neil says his parents, Tony and Jeanne Russell moved in their late years from 24 Battenhall Road to Number 50. They both died in 1994.