Berry's ChairworksBerry's Workers

Jim Blezard

Jim Blezard was one of the earlier Berry’s chairmakers. He worked as a French polisher and can be seen as a young man in the 1904 photo of Berry’s workers with HJ Berry. According to John Wells, Jim worked at Berry’s until he was in his eighties.

Bob Parker remembers going to visit him a lot once he (Bob) returned from the war. He has recounted that Jim started at Berry’s when he was 17, looking after the horses. Jim helped look after the eight horses Berry’s then owned and helped with the haymaking at a time when Berry’s were also farmers.

 

Chipping Haymaking
Left to Right: HJ Berry, Harold Berry, Kestor Slater, George Bleasdale, Albert Wallbank. Who’s the chap on top of the hay stack?
Berry and Sons haymaking, 1914
Left to Right: Unknown, John Seed, Unknown; Atop the wagon: Harold Berry, Unknown; In front of the wagon: Ted Wilson; Man with the horse: Unknown

Photo caption information with thanks to the Chipping Local History Society

Can anyone name the ‘Unknowns’? And are any of them Jim Blezard?

 

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