Somehow I’d not spotted these cockerels on Tamworth St before! The cockerels (or chickens as I originally thought they were!) reminded me of some carved cow heads that BrownhillsBob spotted on an old Lichfield butchers shop a few months previous (the old Savers shop) and posted on his great #365daysofbiking blog .
The keystone says that the building was built in 1865. 16 years later the 1881 census for Tamworth St shows the following household:
Name Relation Marital Status Gender Age Birthplace Occupation Disability
Henry WELCH Head M Male 54 Rugeley, Stafford, England Poulterer
Elizabeth WELCH Wife M Female 56 Harefield, Middlesex, England
Louisa WELCH Dau U Female 25 Lichfield School Mistress
Arthur WELCH Son U Male 20 Lichfield Poulterers Assistant
Alice Mary WELCH Dau U Female 19 Lichfield Dressmaker
Elizabeth WELCH Dau U Female 17 Lichfield Pupil Teacher
Mary Ann WELCH Dau U Female 15 Lichfield Pupil Teacher
A poultry dealer on Tamworth St! I think there’s a good chance Mr Henry Welch and his family may have been the occupants of this building? By the way, the rear of the building is also interesting as there is a cart entrance.
Roger Jones (@ziksby on Twitter) very kindly did a bit of investigating on the great historical directories website but could only find general butchers on Tamworth St. However, Henry Welch does turn up as a ‘grocer & poulterer’ in an 1870 directory on Market St, Lichfield. So, it seems at some point between then and 1881 he moved the business to Tamworth St. Did he add the cockerels at this time?
By coincidence, earlier that day I had a look at the mosaic on the landing at Lichfield Library.
Information alongside says:
“This mosaic was rescued by the Lichfield Civic Society in 1985 from the stallriser of 13 Tamworth St. It was restored by Adam Cecconi of Cecconi & Son, Small Heath Birmingham with monies granted by the Swinfen Broun Charitable Trust and is on loan to the college.”
I also found a couple of old adverts for butchers on Tamworth St in a January 1891 edition of the Lichfield Mercury.
HP Craddock Family Butcher, Tamworth St, Lichfield
Fresh Meat daily. Pickled tongue always on hand.
Quantrills Est. 1872
2 Tamworth St, Lichfield
Pork pie & sausage establishment. A great display of hams, porkpies & sausages which surpass any in the city for quality & cheapness. Pure leaf lard, pickled pork etc.
All orders promptly attended to.
Richard Bratby (@RichardBratby) also got in touch via twitter to say that he had seen a photograph of Quantrills and it was on the corner of Bakers Lane, but demolished when the Three Spires shopping centre was built. Richard also said that the photograph is in Heritage Centre collection, so I’ll have to pay them a visit.
I think it would be really interesting to see if any of the other shopfronts & buildings in Lichfield City centre still have clues to the trades that were carried on in them (I think I already found an old branch of Burtons!). If anyone does find any, please get in touch.
The chickens remind me of Stonegate in York, where there are some devils in a similar place on a shop front – not that there was a demonic butcher there, but a printer – and their lackeys were knowns as ‘printers’ devils’!
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I just googled that & I can see why they remind you! The site I happened upon says that there is a myth that it is unlucky to look into their eyes. As the Lichfield cockerels are outside a betting shop, I bet there are a few Lichfield punter’s who’d tell you that they brought bad luck too 😉
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I believe that the Cockerels were on the doorway of Mick? Fellows who had the butchers until about 1960
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Thank you. I think they are a wonderful part of the building and it’s great to know about its more recent history.
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Hi iam looking for some history of what was there before rushton hair salon st.johns street lichfield thanks
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Hi Amy I know a man who may be able to help! Leave it with me!
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