HYDE CHESHIRE

Harry Rutherford's
Festival of Britain Mural




Wednesday 31 October 2012

Hyde Baths

This is another newspaper cutting from the 'All Our Yesterdays' paper printed by the Reporter some years ago.

This is what Wikipedia has to say about British Restaurants:
"British Restaurants were communal kitchens created during the Second World War to ensure communities and people who had run out of rationing coupons were still able to eat.
They were set up by the Ministry of Food and run by local committees on a non-profit making basis. Meals were purchased for a set maximum price of 9d (equivalent to just under 4p, about $2 US or £1 GBP in purchasing power 2008) or less. No-one could be served with a meal of more than one serving of meat, game, poultry, fish, eggs, or cheese. Restaurants in the UK were not subject to rationing but some restrictions were placed on them, for instance no meal could be more than three courses and the maximum price was five shillings (equivalent to 25p today, but $10 or £5 in buying power 2008).
Originally called 'Community Feeding Centres', the name British Restaurants was preferred by Winston Churchill.
By mid-1941 over 200 of these restaurants existed in the London County Council area, although the Wartime Social Survey conducted in 1942-43 indicated they were more popular in London than in the rest of the country. In November 1942 there were 1,899 restaurants, in November 1943 there were 2,145 and in December 1944 there were 1,931. 546 authorities made profits and 203 made losses, though they were set up to be not-for-profit.
Some smaller places did not qualify for a British Restaurant but instead had what was termed a Cash and Carry Restaurant with meals being delivered from a British Restaurant in the area."


4 comments:

Bill Lancashire said...

Quote: "British Restaurants were communal kitchens created during the Second World War to ensure communities and people who had run out of rationing coupons were still able to eat."

It seems that things were so tough in wartime Hyde that even the Mayor and Mayoress had run out of coupons :-)

Werneth Low said...

Well, well, who'd have thought it! My dad always said you could get stuff during the war if you knew the right people and were prepared to swap a few favours! He was big mates with the manager at GX Co-op so tobacco was never in short supply. Wonder who the mayor and mayoress were mates with.

Marjorie said...

I don't think you had to have run out of coupons to eat here. The picture looks as though it could have been the official opening.
I remember eating here with my mother at lunchtimes sometimes during the war. The meals were very good. She told me it was really a swimming baths which I found strange at the time, but I remember the first time it opened as a baths and later spent many hours there, training with Frank Laycock. Happy days!

Anonymous said...

Does anybody remember mr and mrs jones' shop at the bottom of Tom Shepley Street?