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J. R. Hobson & Co Ltd


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Nursery Street

Established 1870

Hobsons brings back memories,

called in there numerous times when I worked in the fishing tackle trade.

Question; any idea what item/s would a fishing tackle shop buy from a retailer to the pub/licensing trade ?

Edit, the answer is not corks.

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Something to use as weights, they were brass founders weren't they ? ... not a fisherman - beer was my first thought ...

Hobsons brings back memories,

called in there numerous times when I worked in the fishing tackle trade.

Question; any idea what item/s would a fishing tackle shop buy from a retailer to the pub/licensing trade ?

Edit, the answer is not corks.

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Something to use as weights, they were brass founders weren't they ? ... not a fisherman - beer was my first thought ...

I can't answer your statement about the concerned as being 'brass founders'

but you are on the right lines of thinking regarding beer.

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I can't answer your statement about the concerned as being 'brass founders'

but you are on the right lines of thinking regarding beer.

Would it be pint glasses to measure out bait rather than beer.

I'm not a fisherman but I think maggots are sold by the pint so they must have a simple way of measuring "a pint of maggots".

A 1 pint dead measure beer glass would be ideal.

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Would it be pint glasses to measure out bait rather than beer. I'm not a fisherman but I think maggots are sold by the pint so they must have a simple way of measuring "a pint of maggots". A 1 pint dead measure beer glass would be ideal.

You are spot on Dave, both pint and half pint glasses were used to measure maggots,

to keep the UK weights and measures authority happy when they came round checking,

it was required to have measures that displayed the Crown stamp

Hobsons sold both plain and marked glasses, the ones with the mark of the Crown were the more expensive

of the two.

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Something to use as weights, they were brass founders weren't they ? ... not a fisherman - beer was my first thought ...

J R Hobson & Co. must have at some time expanded their business as brass founders,

they sold most items required by the licensing trade, from cocktail sticks to beer pumps and fittings.

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High Court of Justice (Chancery Division)

Birmingham District Registry No 6472

2009

In the Matter of J Reuben Hobson & Co Limited

(Company Number 04815482)

A Petition to wind up the above-named Company whose registered office is Albany House, 6 Wicker Lane, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S3 8HQ

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J R Hobson & Co. must have at some time expanded their business as brass founders,

they sold most items required by the licensing trade, from cocktail sticks to beer pumps and fittings.

Is this still to do with "weights and measures"

Weight can be measured more accurately on a balance (to a small fraction of a gram, and there are 28 grams to the ounce) than volume can be measured using just a line on a glkass or a cylinder.

So, instead of measuring the volume of a liquid (eg beer), it would be more accurate to weigh it instead.

I think this idea was the origin of the "fluid ounce" measure.

Now, if you were the "weights & measures" man from HM customs and were checking out a pubs accuracy in delivering precisely 1 pint you could carry with you a balance and some brass weights to gain greater accuracy than just using a measuring cylinder.

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Hi all,

I was trying to find some old pictures of Nursery Street and I stumbled across this.

Hobsons used to be my dads business. He used to work there and when the old man died my dad bought it, must have been sometime in the 50's when dad took it over.

It used to supply the pub trade with glassware and cleaning materials. Before this it was a brass foundry making brass taps and beer pumps, some of which I still have. There is a pub in Shalesmoor where the bases of the tables were made at Hobsons. I think it seized being a brass foundry in the early 1900's.

My father sold the business to my brother in about 2006. When the floods hit, the building was beyond repair and everything had to be moved, then the recession hit and it never recovered.

It was a great bussines in the day and very busy. Sadly it never moved with the times. I worked there for twenty years and have some very fond memories of seeing my dad with cigar in hand, waiting for the delivery drivers to come back.

I took some pictures of the inside recently. Time has stood still in there since the floods, it even still has the old glasses on display, although it is severly damaged. There are still the old pulling wheels fixed to the roof that were used in the brass days.

Sadly my dad passed away nearly two years ago, everytime I walk passed the shop I can still see him stood at the front with his cigar.

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Guest Michael Nicholas

Hi Mark yeah some happy days at Hobsons some good laughs when Ray worked there. How's your family doin' I've still got my Harley but also bought a BMW K100 so spend a lot of time ridin' that now I'm retired got plenty of time to do it. I was sorry to here about Jim I also think about him 'n' his cigars when I pass old firm.pass on love to rest of family. Mick.

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Guest Mark73

Hi Mark yeah some happy days at Hobsons some good laughs when Ray worked there. How's your family doin' I've still got my Harley but also bought a BMW K100 so spend a lot of time ridin' that now I'm retired got plenty of time to do it. I was sorry to here about Jim I also think about him 'n' his cigars when I pass old firm.pass on love to rest of family. Mick.

Hiya Mick

Hope you get to read this, I know your reply is over two years old but only just seen it, I didn't think anyone had seen my post. Yes, happy memories and we had some laughs. Hope everything is ok with you, how is Andy, not seen him in years?

I'll try and send you a private message.

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Guest Mark73

Wow, where did you find those? The telephone number on the last one was still that to the very last day, except with 27 at the front, but I can remember when I was a lad calling my dad at work and just dialing 21604. 

The Shakespere pub on Shalesmoor used to have some tables in there and the bases were made at Hodsons and very fancy they were too. 

Ive got some photos somewhere that I took before my mum sold the building. They show some of the old machinery from when it was a brass works.

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