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Thomas Bantock

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In 1860 Bantock owned 51 canal boats working from GW/OWW transfer wharves on the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN). In 1861 he was still the Duke of Bridgwater’s Trustees District agent too. Bantock boats were based throughout the Black Country including 5 boats at Stourbridge (1858 to 1956) and 3 at [[Stourport]]. The Great Western had its own narrow boats working on the BCN and in 1866 Bantock hired 16 boats from the GWR at £15 per month. Thomas Bantock and Company expanded their interests becoming an ironmaster, coal mining (Ettingshall Lodge Colliery, Springvale 1865-90), and boat builder at Ettingshall Dock, Millfields. They built for themselves and the GWR completing 116 boats by 1895. They were said to have built their own railway wagons at the same works. The Company offices were now based at the rear of Albion Wharf at Herbert Street, Wolverhampton.
Bantock was a liberal supporter who was elected to the Wolverhampton Town Council in 1861 for St Marys Ward (a poor community).He was one of a group of men from Queen Street Congregational Church who were concerned with their children’s education and started Tettenhall College in 1862 for those of tender means. He moved with his family to Merridale House, a former 18th century farmhouse, one mile west of Wolverhampton town centre in 1864, making big improvements. He never forgot his Scottish routes keeping a small herd of Highland cattle in the grounds. He was made mayor of Wolverhampton in 1869 where he was instrumental in the building of the Free Library in Garrick Street.
Thomas Bantock expanded his cartage agreements with the GWR to include most of the Black Country goods yards and also [[Bewdley]], [[Kidderminster]] and [[Stourport]]. Haulage was, of course, all by horse with stables and, sometimes, offices for Bantock’s staff at the busier yards. In 1878 various horse drawn vehicles were bought by the GWR from Bantocks for £150. These included 1 open dray and 1 covered dray at Bewdley, 2 open drays and I covered van from Stourport and 18 open drays, 2 covered wagons, 1 parcel van and 1 float from Kidderminster. No horses or harnesses were acquired as the GWR had their own. However, Bantocks Bantock's continued to operate their own horses and vehicles at most of these places.
Kelly’s Directories records the names of the agent’s representatives (the LMS Railway also had a presence at Kidderminster but did not handle parcels) as follows:
Stourport – Thomas Bantock + Charles and Frederick Hodges, 4 Bridge Street.
Thomas Bantock’s second son, Albert Baldwin Bantock, became a partner in 1886. He had been born in 1862 and was to become mayor of Wolverhampton three times. He ran the Company after his father’s death on 20th 20 July 1895 at Merridale House. He himself died in 1938 but the Company was to continue until after nationalisation. By then it was almost fully motorised although they were still using horses and wagons to move carpets from the manufacturers at Kidderminster to the Goods Warehouse at Kidderminster Goods Yard into the early 1950s. They were finally bought out by the Western Region of British Railways on 13th 13 December 1953. 140 vehicles were acquired mostly Fordsons and Scammels. Merridale House and grounds were left to the people of Wolverhampton and it is now known as Bantock House which includes a museum featuring the family. There are a number of canal boats which survive (including those owned by the GWR) and a few cartage vehicles.
 ==References==
*The People of Bantock House by Peter Hickman
*Darley’s Daily Dawdle 18 March 2012 (canal boats)
*Tony Atkins ' GWR Cartage Services ==See also==[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bantock Thomas Bantock on Wikipedia]]
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