Written by Bob Simpson
In January 2024 Roger Thresher, who was then head gardener at Bradley Gardens near Wylam, got in touch to say that they were having a clear out and there was something heading for the skip that might be of interest. It was the skeleton of a handcart with not much flesh on the bones. The wood was mostly gone but all the metal work was still intact. Being someone who cannot abide the ease with which we are prepared to use landfill and who also enjoys bringing back to life things that are broken and seemingly dead, I asked him to bring it round. I had no idea what I was going to do with a handcart but it seemed like an interesting project.
In January 2024 Roger Thresher, who was then head gardener at Bradley Gardens near Wylam, got in touch to say that they were having a clear out and there was something heading for the skip that might be of interest. It was the skeleton of a handcart with not much flesh on the bones. The wood was mostly gone but all the metal work was still intact. Being someone who cannot abide the ease with which we are prepared to use landfill and who also enjoys bringing back to life things that are broken and seemingly dead, I asked him to bring it round. I had no idea what I was going to do with a handcart but it seemed like an interesting project.
Over the coming months I set about replacing all the woodwork, cleaning off all the iron fittings and figuring out where all the bits went. When it was made it was clearly a substantial little vehicle that had been crafted for a lifetime of work. An intriguing feature to the cart was a cast iron plate which bore the name of the company that originally used the cart: Austin Berridge Limited, Herbert Avenue, Leicester. How a cart from a small business in Leicester ever found its way to a walled garden near Wylam I doubt if we will ever know.
Restoring the cart was an absolute pleasure. Handling the various hinges, handles and brackets that would have been touched by workers every day of their lives was a powerful thing to meditate on. Who were these people? What did they talk about as they hauled their handcart round the streets of Leicester? What did they think about their lot in life? I was reminded of the decorators in Robert Tressell’s book ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’. Written in 1914, the book tells of the daily grind of a group of decorators and sign-writers, highlighting their inability to recognise the exploitative and unjust conditions under which they worked.
The biggest challenge in restoring the cart was to make the wheels. I very quickly developed a deep respect for the wheelwright’s art. Fortunately, the hubs were reusable [just about!] and I had the original rims. It was therefore easy to work out the dimensions of the wheel and to make the spokes and outer part of the wheel or what I later learned is called a felly. Traditionally, fellies are made of ash, a tough, durable and flexible wood used widely in the making of domestic and agricultural implements. I bought some ash planks from Hexhamshire Hardwoods. Located near Whitley Chapel on the edge of Hexhamshire common, a visit to this wood yard is a step into a world that is slower and kinder. The proprietor, Richard Ferguson, and his son Graeme are always welcoming and happy to chat about wood and the projects for which it is used. Richard was interested to learn that the ash was for fellies as it had been many years since anyone had bought wood to make a wheel.
The biggest challenge in restoring the cart was to make the wheels. I very quickly developed a deep respect for the wheelwright’s art. Fortunately, the hubs were reusable [just about!] and I had the original rims. It was therefore easy to work out the dimensions of the wheel and to make the spokes and outer part of the wheel or what I later learned is called a felly. Traditionally, fellies are made of ash, a tough, durable and flexible wood used widely in the making of domestic and agricultural implements. I bought some ash planks from Hexhamshire Hardwoods. Located near Whitley Chapel on the edge of Hexhamshire common, a visit to this wood yard is a step into a world that is slower and kinder. The proprietor, Richard Ferguson, and his son Graeme are always welcoming and happy to chat about wood and the projects for which it is used. Richard was interested to learn that the ash was for fellies as it had been many years since anyone had bought wood to make a wheel.
Once the cart was restored there was the question of what to do with it? It struck me that members of the Berridge family might be interested in acquiring it. To my surprise an internet search of the name ‘Austin Berridge’ came up with a link to firm in Leicester dealing in curtains and blinds. I phoned and found myself speaking to the current owner of the business. She was able to fill in quite a lot of detail. The firm was started in the early part of the last century by the Berridge family. The firm specialised in curtains and fittings such as poles and pelmets. The firm was very successful and provided its service to the big houses and some of the more wealthy folk of Leicester. Her husband had joined the firm in the 1960s as an apprentice and in 1984 had bought the firm. The last member of the Berridge family, at that time an elderly lady, had given up her shares in the business and all links between the business and the Berridge family came to an end. The current owner of the business was not interested in the cart and suggested that I use it as a garden ornament. She said that her husband, if he were still alive, would have been interested in the cart and the history of the Berridge business but it was clear that it was not something that she herself had any desire to follow-up. She did, however, point out that Herbert Avenue was a street at the back of the current business where the firm used to have its workshops.
I also contacted the Leicester Museum Service with the idea that they might be interested in obtaining a piece of local commercial history but they weren’t.
The first outing of the cart was a trip down South Terrace with our four grandchildren as passengers. It was great fun with the children waving at interested onlookers as we trundled by.
I also contacted the Leicester Museum Service with the idea that they might be interested in obtaining a piece of local commercial history but they weren’t.
The first outing of the cart was a trip down South Terrace with our four grandchildren as passengers. It was great fun with the children waving at interested onlookers as we trundled by.
Bob seen here second from the right with his finished renovation project.
When we passed Diggy and Nigel’s house, they kindly offered to let us store it in their back yard. They also came up with the suggestion that Lionmouth might be a good home for the cart. Lionmouth Rural Centre is a non profit community organisation that promotes the wellbeing of vulnerable adults through the provision of meaningful, practical and creative activities and notably gardening and horticulture. The response back from Sharon at Lionmouth was very positive. She had already had the idea for a trailer from which they could sell plants and produce in the summer. It was great to know that the cart’s days as a working object were not over and it would be happily re incarnated and put to excellent use at Lionmouth. Nigel and I delivered the cart on 1st November 2024.
The cart will be on show from next Spring next to the new Rainforest Cafe, hopefully brim-full with salads, vegetables and cut flowers for sale to the public.
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