Photographs

Arbery, Wantage

Bromsgrove Museum

Willenhall: Harry Cooper's

Shops

BRIERLY HILL. Chattin & Horton. "The new cable cash carrier system which has just been completed will be quickly appreciated by our numerous customers. By this most ingenious electric power operated cash carrier system every department of the 'House' is connected with the central cash office to which the cash boxes travel at a speed of from 600 to 900 feet per minute, round corners, upstairs, downstairs, through walls, floors, fixtures, with equal facility, and return at an equal speed unerringly arriving at their proper stations. This rapid cash system helps to make shopping more agreeable... Being the first installation of its kind in this district, we invite an inspection by anyone interested in business methods where dispatch and certainty are a necessity." Dudley Chronicle, 9 Jun. 1917, p. 2

BUCKNALL. Co-op, Marychurch Road. Cash carrier. Andrew Gribble in posting to Facebook

BURTON ON TRENT. Co-op., Byrkley Street. "Wanted - Young lady for cash desk, must be used to Cash Railway." Burton Daily Mail, 11 Nov. 1915, p. 3
• Cash carrier "years ago". Beryl Hitchen in posting to Facebook

BURTON ON TRENT. George Tarver, 42-47 Station Street. "Mr Geo. Tarver has just introduced into his establishments .. a 'cash railway'... The carrier consists of a hollow wooden ball cut into halves... Mr. Tarver claims to be the first to have introduced this most extraordinary contrivance into the midland counties." Burton & Derby Gazette, 28 Aug. 1886, p. 3

CANNOCK. Beasleys (grocery and provisions). "As children we were fascinated by the overhead cash system where the takings and change were taken via a container running along cables." (1950s) Francis Frith website

CRADLEY HEATH. Co-op. Cash carrier. Sue Pattimore in posting to Facebook

GORNAL. Co-op. Wire system. Posting to demon.local 10 July 1998

HANLEY. "J.H. Ball & Sons' Ltd., the well-known North Staffordshire furnishers, opened their handsome and commodious premises in Tontine Square, Hanley, on Wednesday... Amongst the things installed for the comfort of the customers is .. the pneumatic dart cash system." Staffordshire Advertiser, 13 Mar. 1937, p. 11

HANLEY. Chawners (outfitters). "Incidentally, the last shop I remember with the fascinating tube set-up was Chawners Outfitters, also in Hanley. The shop enjoyed patronage from many of us then trendy teenagers in the .. 1970s. Flikr.

HANLEY. Co-op. "Jean .. worked as a cashier with the Co-op in Leek Road, Hanley, in the 1920s and 30s. 'I dealt with the cash coming up from the store in the cup system', she recalls."Staffordshire Sentinel, 17 Sep. 1987, p. 12

HANLEY. Leeke's Stores, High Street. "Lamson Four-station Overhead Cash Railway for sale, cheap." Staffordshire Sentinel, 20 Oct. 1931, p. 3

HANLEY. Lewis's, Hanley. "I also enjoyed going into Lewis's because they had air suction cash carriers and you could hear it rattling through a tube." The Sentinel [Stoke], 1 Jan. 2004, p.7

HANLEY. Little Huntbach's, Market Square. "Messrs. Charles Butters and Sons will sell by auction the whole of the valuable fittings and fixtures .. valuable 'Sampson' cash railway, balls, complete." Staffordshire Sentinel, 4 Sep. 1929, p. 2

HANLEY. Teetons (drapers), 75-77 Stafford Street. "Cash carriers for sale, 3 stations of Rapid Wire system." Staffordshire Sentinel, 18 Jun. 1913, p. 8
• "The office, too, has been moved to a more spacious corner, and fitted with pneumatic cash tubes." Ibid., 14 May 1925, p. 3

KIDSGROVE. Swettenhams. "The overhead wire cash carrier system was installed for Messrs. Swettenhams Ltd. by Dart Cash Crrier Co. Ltd., Campbell Road, Stoke-on-Trent." Staffordshire Sentinel, 16 Oct. 1957, p. 8

KINGSWINFORD. "One [Lamson system] apparently survived in Kingswinford until 2002, though we don't know if it was still in working order." Dudley Mall website

LICHFIELD. Jones & Co. (furnishers, ironmongers and hardware merchants), Talbot House. "From the counter to the ofice the Lamson cash railway is fixed." Lichfield Mercury, 24 Nov. 1905, p.5

NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME. "Blockley's Ltd., High-st., Newcastle, req. young lady for cash till, tube system." Staffordshire Sentinel, 5 Apr. 1955, p. 2

NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME. Pauldenes. "Girl, aged 15-17, required as operator for cash tube and general office work. - Apply Counting House Manager, Pauldens Ltd., Newcastle." Staffordshire Sentinel, 7 Jul. 1947, p. 2

NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME. Silverdale Equitable Industrial Co-operative Society, Ironmarket. "The new emporium of the Silverdale Equitable Industrial Co-operative Society in Ironmarket, Newcastle .. is one of the most up-to-date buildings of its kind in North Staffordshire... The new emporium has frontages to both Ironmarket and Marsh-street, and each floor, covering nearly a quarter of an acre, affords an uninterrupted span... The days of the noisy, whirring cash-carrying apparatus are past. The Dart Xash Carrier Co. Ltd., of Booth-street, Stoke, have installed in the new emporium a silent pneumatic tube system... Every department is covered by the 22 stations and about 5,000 feet of tubing has been used. Cash containers travel at the rate of 35 ft. per second... The system is worked on a vacuum principle, and is operated by a turbine plant driven by a 10 h.p. motor. An automatic device ensures that the tubes are shut down except when the carrier is in transit, thus saving current." Staffordshire Sentinel, 2 MAr. 1932, p. 8

NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME. H. and H.W.Watson, 32 Ironmarket. "Under instructions from Messrs. H. and H.W. Watson, Ltd... 32, The Ironmarket, Newcastle-under-Lyme. Very important sale of .. costly shop fittings... Dart Cash-carrier system." Manchester Guardian, 8 July 1950, p.10

STOKE-ON-TRENT. Bratt & Dyke, Hanley. "The Hanley department store seen, 'Bratt & Dyke' was also a source of fascination as a child, having a large network of vacuum tubes which whisked away your money to a cash office." Photo of store on Flikr.

STOKE-ON-TRENT. Burslem and District Industrial Co-op, Swan Square, Burslem. "The new emporium for the Burslem and District Industrial Co-op Society, Ltd... Three very important installations are by the Stoke-on-Trent firm, The Dart Cash Carrier Limited. These installations are the vacuum cleaning plant, the pneumatic tube cash system and the overhead cable cash system... The plant for the tube cash system is also in the basement. Special features include a new cabinet central cash desk, in which are concealed all the tubes and terminals. This equipment cuts out all noise in the central cash office, and facilitates the handling of the carriers, as those coming in are ejected into a leather pocket at the cashier's hand, and returned to various tubes concealed in the same cabinet. The carriers actually pass through the tubes at a speed of nearly 30 miles an hour. Staffordshire Sentinel, 23 Sep. 1932, p. 9
"The grocery and provision department is independent in that it demands control of its own cash. This department is fitted up with the 'Dart-Excel' Overhead Flexible Cable System - the safest and most reliable carrier in use today. Chromium plated fittings throughout - satisfactory service guaranteed." Ibid.

STOKE-ON-TRENT. James Cock, Magnet Stores , Burslem.  "James Cock had a general drapers and everyone was fascinated by the cash machines that took the money, whizzing across the shop to the cashier and back to the customer with the change." This is Staffordshire website

STOKE-ON-TRENT. Co-op. Wire system in 1954. "Very time consuming too, what with having to deal with customers' ration books and Co-op dividend at the same time." David Brayner in posting to Whirligig message board, 20/11/04
• The Co-op Emporium in Liverpool Road, was built in Stoke's heyday in the 1920s where money somehow disappeared into the ether on a wire called a 'Dart Cash Carrier'. This is Staffordshire website
• "To the side of Ridgeway's, was the Co-op emporium. I was always ready to go on an errand to the Co-op as I was intrigued with the system they had for sending money to the cashier. It consisted of overhead wires going from each department, to the central point where the cashiers office was located. Attached to these wires was a small container into which the assistant would put the customers money and bill, attach it to the wire, pull a small handle located alongside the container and the would send it shooting across the shop above the heads of the customers. Once the cashier had dealt with the transaction, the process was repeated in reverse, complete with customers bill and change." Memories of Stoke-on-Trent

STOKE-ON-TRENT. Co-op, Florence. Cash carrier. Margaret Huxley in posting to Facebook

STOKE-ON-TRENT. Co-op, Meir. Cash carrier. Jeff Seabridge in posting to Facebook

STOKE-ON-TRENT. Coxs, Burslem. "I loved shops like .. Cox's, a small department store which sold almost everything. They had those little cash carriers flying about on wires." The Sentinel [Stoke], 1 Jan. 2004, p.7.

STOKE-ON-TRENT. Peacock's Bazar, corner of old market and Co-op Emporium in Liverpool Road. "Built in Stoke's heyday in the 1920s where money somehow disappeared into the ether on a wire called a 'Dart Cash Carrier'. This is Staffordshire website

STOKE-ON-TRENT. Pitts, The Drapers, Longton, 24-26 Market Street. "Per instructions from Messrs. Pitts .. Sale .. of the whole of the valuable draper's shop fittings including .. Dart Cash Carrier installation." Staffordshire Sentinel, 24 Mar. 1961, p. 2

STOKE-ON-TRENT. Swettenhams, Fenton. "The money was put in one of those metal capsule cash carriers that went whizzing overhead to the little office and change was returned the same way." Pat Bromley on Stoke Sentinel website

STONE. Pyatts. "Pyatt's grocers shop on the corner of High Street and Market Square had a pulley system for transferring cash from the counter to the cashier." Photograph of exterior. Staffordshire Past Track website

TAMWORTH. Tamworth Industrial Co-operative Society, Church Street/Colehill. "The new shop was opened on Saturday afternoon... There is a rapid wire cash system to the office serving the outfitting and furnishing departments." Tamworth Herald, 21 Apr. 1934, p. 3
• Wire system. Tamworth Past and Present website. Includes photo of exterior.

WALSALL. Bliss, The Bridge. "A very ingenious American contrivance called a 'cash railway' has just been adopted by Mr. Bliss at his large establishment on The Bridge." Walsall Advertiser, 20 Nov. 1886, p. 2

WALSALL. Walsall & District Co-operative Society, Bridge Street. "Girl for cash office (cash tube system), age 14-15 years." Walsall Observer, 4 Sep. 1943, p. 8

WALSALL. Co-op, Milton Street. "The thief or thieves must have squeezed themselves through the holes made for the cash trolley wires to get from one shop to the other." Walsall Observer, 31 Dec. 1921, p. 5

WALSALL. Ennals & Co., The Bridge. "One of the new features of Ennals' new modern store will be the installation of the most modern Pneumatic Tube system of dealing with cash sales." Walsall Observer, 6 Mar. 1926, p. 5

WALSALL. Yarnolds, Digbeth. Wire system. Wendy Doyle in posting to Staffordshire-L list, 1/1/03.

WEDNESBURY. Masons (grocers), junction of Upper High Street and Church Hill. "An interesting innovation in this shop was the method by which assistants used to send the money to the cashier. There was a overhead wire from the various counters to the cash office, and on this wire ran a little kind of truck with a cup suspended below it. The assistant would put your money and a bill into it and then pull a handle which was spring loaded, when released it propelled the receptacle to the cash office where they would put any change required and return it by the same method." Black Country Bugle

WILLENHALL. Harry Cooper (gents' outfitter), 5-6 Cross Street. Dart Cash wire system until 1988. Ned Williams, Shop in the Black Country Part(?) is now in Bromsgrove Museum.

WILLENHALL. George Mason. Cash carrier. Margaret Simmons in posting to Facebook

WOLVERHAMPTON. Co-op, Lichfield Street. Dart pneumatic tube system in 1950s. Photo of cash desk

WOLVERHAMPTON. Horne Brothers. "The ones [pneumatic tube systems] I remember were a vacuum-system in the bespoke-suits-and-taioring section of Horne Brothers, Wolverhampton." UK Vintage Radio website