CoachBuilt Prams

where can I find the history of Osnath??

iluvgingerbreadandcupcakes at June 13, 2011 at 7:57 PM

where can I find the history of Osnath??

I  can't  tell you a  great  deal   about  Osnath,  but  they   were  based  in  Warrington  and I  am  told  that   they  original  Osnath   name is  still  there  on the High Street    over   what   must have  been  the  original   gate into  the  Osnath  works.  I  keep  promising myself  a   trip    up  that   High Street  with a camera  one of  these  days  and I'll  do it  yet.    The   Osnath    company    was  started    by  the  Ashton   family (2 brothers  I b elieve)   and  Osnath  is  an  anagram of  the  Ashton  name.  I have  been  looking  through  the  Jack Hampshire  book   to see   what  history   there  is in  there  of  Osnath  and  aside  from  saying   that   Osnath  made  high  quality   hand  built  prams  on a  parr  with  Millson,  Sol-Peram   and  London Baby  Coach .   I  will  see if  I can  find out more  for  you, or   maybe  I might  be  able  to  point  you in  the  direction of  where  to look  for  more  info.

Ashton Bros  and Phillips Ltd  was the     name of the  company    who  made  Osnath  prams,  they  are  described in the  Jack Hampshire   book as  being  ' one of the great Victorian Pram  Manufacturers'  and they went out of  business  in  the   1960's.   Many of  my   Osnath  prams  were made in the  early   60's  and   so  they  were   some of the  last  prams   that  they made.    One  thing that  a  friend of mine has   just  told me  is that  according to  someone   who   she met  at  one of the   Shows   who  turned  out  to be  a  member of the Ashton   family   who had  gone into the family  pram  business  before  they  closed,   was that the   old  man in  charge of the  company at  that  time  was  lets  say ' interested in not  wasting  the   company's  money'  and     he  wouldn't  buy  a  van or   any  sort of  vehicle  for transporting   prams,   so  when   a  consignment of prams  had  to be  delivered  to  customers,  the prams  were  all   given a  cardboard 'overcoat' and  some of the  female  workers    would take    2 prams at  a  time,   pushing one and pulling  along  the other  walking in a  crocodile  with them to  the  Station  to put them onto  the train!  LoL  I'd  have  given my eye  teeth  to have  seen that.