Kings of coal still reign after 150 years

Several Worcester trams of Victorian and Edwardian times were emblazoned with "Underwood Coals" banners, and many a horse-drawn cart, rail wagon, lorry and van has proudly borne the "Underwoods" logo in and around the Faithful City for well over a century.

The Underwood family firm was first in coal distribution and delivery but has expanded considerably over the years into other spheres, particularly as builders' merchants and steel stockholders with bases in Worcester, Malvern and Hereford.

This Underwood dynasty is now into its fifth generation in the Faithful City.

It all began in 1852, when William Underwood came to Worcester as a young man of 22. He had been employed with Pickfords, carriers in Birmingham, but was specially recruited by Alexander Clunes Sherriff, manager of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, to be its Superintendent of Goods.

Thus began a long and friendly relationship with the extremely energetic A C Sherriff who, with his hand-picked team, turned around the fortunes of what had been an ailing local railway company. A C Sherriff was to be a very prominent figure in Worcester life, being a city alderman for a long time and serving terms as both Worcester's Mayor and MP.

William Underwood was among the group of friends and business associates who, in A C Sherriff's Mayoral year of 1864, presented him with a solid 18-carat gold chain which still adorns the necks of Worcester's mayors today. It is extremely valuable and has 71 interlocking square gold links, designed specifically to resemble the couplings used between railway carriages and wagons in those days.

Typical conditions of work laid down in mid-Victorian times would clearly have been observed by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway Company. Employees would be expected to work from 7am to 6pm on weekdays and to remember that "Godliness, cleanliness and punctuality are the necessities of a good business."

Other stipulations were that "clothing must be of a sober nature. Daily prayers will be held each morning. No talking is allowed during business hours, and the craving for tobacco, wines or spirits is a human weakness and, as such, is forbidden to all members of the clerical staff."

The main freight traffic handled by the railway company at Worcester was coal, and A C Sherriff realised there was money to be made from not only handling the coal to the rail stations but also in organising its final distribution to customers. Thus it was that he and some friends, including William Underwood, set up the South Wales and Cannock Chase Coal and Coke Company at Worcester in 1861.

William Underwood left the railways and became the new company's first manager and secretary. By then, William and his wife and family were living at Cannock House in Victoria Park Road, Malvern, and each day he travelled into Worcester by train to his offices on the east side of Foregate Street just beyond the railway bridge.

On its formation in 1862, he also became secretary of the Malvern Gas Company, later being appointed a director.

William's son, Frederick George Underwood, at just 15,

joined him at the coal company in 1867. Frederick later fell for Louise Emma Cridlan of a well-known Malvern family, and they were married at the town's Priory in 1879.

The Cridlans, who lived in a large property overlooking Great Malvern Station, were butchers in Malvern, ran a cattle breeding farm in Gloucestershire, and had a business in London supplying boats and liners with provisions as ships' victuallers.

Frederick Underwood and his wife Louise set up home at 54 Rainbow Hill, Worcester, and he remained with the South Wales and Cannock Chase Coal and Coke Company for 23 years, leaving on good terms in 1890, to set up in business on his own as a coal merchant.

He opened his first offices at 3 St Nicholas Street, trading as F G Underwood and Co.

In 1891, the firm became one of the initial 30 businesses in Worcester to be linked up to the city's first telephone exchange. Underwood's were to keep their original telephone number, Worcester 30, for 46 years until 1937, and it later became Worcester 3030 and then 23030.

Alas, William Underwood died in 1890, at the age of 60, and further family sorrow came not long afterwards when his son Frederick, just two years into his own business, died in 1892, at the age of only 40, leaving a wife and five children - two sons and three daughters, all under the age of 11.

Fred's death could well have spelt the end of the story for the Underwood family business but, courageously, his widow took over the reins, aided by her brother, J J Cridlan and her father, John Cridlan.

Indeed, in 1896, a limited company was formed with the two Cridlans included as directors, plus Hubert Leicester, head of a respected Worcester firm of accountants. He was a life-long friend of Sir Edward Elgar and, as Alderman Sir Hubert Leicester, was to be five times Mayor of Worcester.

By 1908, the Underwood company offices had moved from St Nicholas Street to larger premises at 4 Foregate Street, near the junction with Sansome Street, eventually expanding into 6 Foregate Street. At some stage too, the firm's offices also encompassed premises alongside Sansome Street, crowned by the superb hop-pickers stonework frieze which, mercifully, still survives today.

The next generation of the Underwood family took over at the helm of the company in 1903, when the late Frederick and Louise Underwood's eldest son, Frederick John was appointed manager at the age of only 21.

His brother, William ("Will") Underwood went initially from The King's School, Worcester, to join the Cridlan's ship supplies business in London, but he was then called up for active service in the Army through the First World War.

It was on de-mob in 1919, that Will, then 29, joined his brother in the family firm at Worcester. Together, Fred, as chairman, and Will, as company secretary, settled down to build up Underwoods and to expand the business from coal to the storage and delivery also of bricks, cement and other building materials, often brought to Worcester by rail.

For this purpose, they opened a yard, depot and offices near the canal bridge at 6 Lowesmoor Place.

Fred married Daisy Adams but, alas, she died in giving birth to their first child - a daughter, the late Margaret (Peggy) Underwood.

Afterwards, Fred devoted most of his spare time to Freemasonry, spearheading the building up of a comprehensive museum of masonic artefacts and books at the Masonic Hall, Rainbow Hill. It is still considered to be second only to the one at the Freemasons Hall in London.

In 1946, Fred was presented with a magnificent Royal Worcester vase for his services to Freemasonry. It features a scene of Worcester Cathedral and the riverside meadows painted by the leading Worcester porcelain artist Harry Davis.

In 1925, Fred's brother Will married Agnes Williams, daughter of Major W F Williams, a co-director of Webbs, the former Worcester firm which produced horsehair carpets and inter-linings for men's suits. He was also secretary for many years of the Worcester Glee Club which met at the Crown Hotel in Broad Street.

Family heirlooms today include a clutch of hand-written letters from Sir Edward Elgar to Major Williams, accepting the club's annual invitation to re-elect him as their president.

Will Underwood joined the Special Constabulary of the City Police not long after returning to Worcester in 1919 and, by the outbreak of the Second World War, had become an Inspector and Commandant of the Specials.

To help relieve the depleted regular police force, the Specials spent many hours patrolling the streets of Worcester at night after a full day's work.

However, there was occasional light relief for Will as a fellow Inspector was well-known wine merchant, the late Cyril Smith, then with J. Malpas & Co at Angel Street. A visit to his cellars under the old Corn Exchange buildings was not unknown in the early hours of a wet night, not only to check that all was well with the premises but also to partake of a little uplifting spirit!

For years too, Will Underwood was involved in the running of Worcester's extensive gasworks alongside Tolladine Road and overlooked by Underwoods' Lowesmoor Place depot.

Will began as a shareholder in the Worcester New Gaslight Company and as a big buyer of its coke by-product. He was eventually invited to become a director of the company under its chairman, the well-known local solicitor John Stallard, who became something of a legend, living to 103 and being Britain's oldest practising solicitor.

Will remained a director of the gaslight company until the gas industry was nationalised in the late 1940s.

Even so, Will Underwood will perhaps be best remembered for his lengthy involvement with the Worcester Operatic and Dramatic Society.

Between 1921 and 1938, he was first the society's secretary for five years and then its business manager for 13 years, though he only ever appeared in one show during that time - as the hangman in the Vagabond King! In 1938, he was presented with a superb illuminated scroll for his services to the society up to that date, but he later became WODS President too for many years.

Will and Fred Underwood's three sisters were all to remain spinsters. Evelyn, "a great character," was matron of a London hospital before returning to Worcester to live at Fort Royal House. Gladys Underwood ran a guesthouse in Tavistock Square, London, before also joining Evelyn at Fort Royal. And Elsie Underwood was a missionary in India, working for the SPCK.

Will Underwood had three sons, Michael, Peter and John, but only one of them was to join the family business.

Peter Underwood entered the company in 1948, direct from The King's School, and became a director and company secretary six years later, when his uncle Fred, the chairman, died at the age of 72.

Peter was a keen rugby player in his younger days and continues his long involvement with the game locally as chairman of Worcester Rugby Football Club Holdings Ltd.

He was married in 1956, to Mary Browne, daughter of Fred Browne of Hallow, a director of Windshields of Worcester and Chairman of Martley Rural District Council.

Will Underwood died in 1962, aged 72, and son Peter became chairman and managing director at 32, being joined on the board later by his brother-in-law John Browne.

Underwoods continued to expand, setting up a mechanical coal concentration business at Droitwich Station in 1965, venturing into steel stockholding, and further developing its role as builders merchants including operating the Mighty U DIY centre at Silver Street for some years.

However, about a decade ago, Underwoods sold off their coal merchants business and went on to complete their biggest ever development - a £2m project. The company bought the old gasworks site in Tolladine Road and, in 1989, constructed a purpose-built 42,000 sq. ft centre for building materials, stocking 40,000 product lines. In a way, the family had come full circle, Peter's father having been so heavily involved in running the gasworks on the same site!

Over the years, Underwoods has also spread its wings, opening a builders merchants depot in Pickersleigh Road, Malvern, acquiring a steel stockholding business off Widemarsh Street in Hereford, and taking over the large Vat House of the former Vinegar Works, off Lowesmoor, again for steel stockholding.

In 1998 too, large-scale premises were acquired on the Shrub Hill Industrial Estate as the headquarters for Underwood and Co. Ltd and for Underwood Steel Stockholders Ltd.

Last October, the Tolladine Road builders merchants centre was passed over to a West Country company, Bradfords and is now known as Bradford Underwoods, the Underwood family retaining ownership of the land and property.

In fact, Underwoods is now concentrating their activities primarily on property and steel stockholding.

The family business moved into another generation some years ago when Peter Underwood was joined by four of his five sons.

Richard is company secretary of the two Underwood firms. David is managing director of the steel stockholding business. Mark is a director of Underwood and Co. Ltd, and James remains with Bradford Underwoods. The other son, Andrew is senior consultant with the international company, Cap Gemini Ernst Young.

Peter Underwood, now 71, continues as figurehead of the family business as chairman of Underwood and Co. Ltd. His brother-in-law and fellow director John Browne retired to North Wales last year.

6 All the background information for this article was drawn from Peter Underwood, who also spotlighted the romantic role played in the Underwood Story by the historic Bromwich Lane Lawn Tennis Club. His father and mother first met there, as did he and his wife Mary. Peter has followed in his father's footsteps as president of the club, and son Richard has also been chairman.

"Worcester has been good to the Underwood family," stresses Peter " and, in turn, we have given employment to local people and also generated wealth which has all been ploughed back into the area. I believe too that as individuals we have put something back into the community in which we have worked and played.

"And my wife Mary and I have certainly done our bit for the future ... with five sons!"