Barlow & Parker, confectioners

Do you remember "Barlow & Parker" of Tamworth Road?

The recent acquisition of a number of photographs which may well have been gathered together by someone connected with Barlow & Parker, wholesale confectioners, of Tamworth Road, Croydon has prompted me to try and discover some background on the firm. Unfortunately, few of the pictures have captions or inscriptions, but nevertheless they are an interesting collection.

Three pictures show one of the firm's vans outside 25 Tamworth Road, more were taken in May 1954 outside the warehouse, and even more interesting, is a long photograph of a line-up in a large field of twelve older vans (probably mainly pre-war) complete with driver-salesmen and other staff. There are also staff photographs, such as of a visit to Bourneville in June 1938, and a staff dinner in June 1949. Another interesting item is a "Confectionery List" from 1935: here we learn that biscuits were 6d a pound (2.5 pence in today's money) and half-pound Cadbury's chocolate bars 8d each (3 pence today).

Surprisingly for such a large firm, the Croydon Local Studies Library has little information about Barlow & Parker. It is listed in the Ward's directories in 1924 at 63 Tamworth Road, but by 1926 the firm also occupied number 25. By 1928, the store at 63 was given up and all activities centred on number 25. Shortly before the Second World War, numbers 27 to 29 were acquired and a new building with a rather attractive tiled facade (in what we would now call "Art Deco Style") was erected. The firm must then have hoped to enter its most successful period, but the war no doubt caused many problems, and sweet-rationing over a number of years is hardly likely to have improved trade. In the 1960s, the firm became part of Singleton & Cole Ltd. (a wholesale group), although it continued to trade under its own name. In 1968, Cavenham Foods are recorded as selling off their interest to Palmer and Harvey Ltd.

Of course, the roof of 27-29 Tamworth Road became the scene of the nationally-famous case of the murder of P.C. Miles in November 1952, which resulted in the hanging of Derek Bentley on 28 January 1953. This case still continues to be raised in the press.

It seems a pity to have these items yet know so little about them. It any readers can help with background information on Barlow & Parker, would they please contact me at 36 Riding Hill, Sanderstead, South Croydon, Surrey, CR2 9LN.

Ken Harman

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