The Kosher Butcher in Bradford

According to retired Bradford butcher Tony Archer, the Kosher Butcher Teddy Nathanson was also known as ‘Terry Natherson’. In later years, as far back as 1969, the former Kosher butcher had a base at St James Market at the bottom of Wakefield Road. This was at 17 St. James Abattoir. He is also listed in the Bradford trade directory of the time as having premises at Hammerton Street, Bradford.

In the end, as the community and the demand declined, the only outlet selling kosher meat in Bradford was a butchers shop on the corner of Nesfield Street and Mannigham Lane. It is thought that by this point this was not actually Teddy Nathanson’s business, but belonged to a local butcher, who allocated a small section of his shop for the selling of kosher products.

This building was used as a butchers shop up until the 1970s. It was never a complete Kosher Butchers, but the side door was where you could buy a supply of Kosher meat from. The butcher would order it in and keep it separate, and customers would get it from the area next door to the main shop. It’s now a takeaway chicken shop. There was later a van which the Orthodox community got their Kosher meat from, which would park outside the Shipley Synagogue in Spring Gardens on a Wednesday afternoon during the mid to late 1970s, before the decline worsened.

As numbers in the community became less and less and demand for Kosher meat became even less, people went to nearby Leeds to purchase their kosher meat. Sadly others gradually just gave up their Jewish traditions altogether and assimilated into everyday Bradford life. While a small minority still compromised in some way, and bought their meat from the growing number of local Halal butchers in the city, particularly nearby on Manningham Lane. Another minority of Jews became largely vegetarian, occasionally eating meat during family get-togethers or Simchas when Kosher meat, by now considered a delicacy was available to eat and enjoy.

In addition, it is said that the Bradford Kosher butcher Teddy Nathanson, alias Terry Natherson (or Nacherson) accidently discovered how to make ice-lollies one morning, when he had left some cordial in his meat freezer the previous night. He would later go into the icecream manufacturing business with former Bradford City footballer, Abe Rosenthal, working from a purpose built factory Midland Road, which is adjacent to the Valley Parade football ground. The factory is now run by The Carmine Ice-cream Company which is part of the Eden-Farm Foods company.

Teddy Nathanson married Doris. They had two children who were both physically handicapped and sadly died in infancy.

Site of the last kosher butchers shop in Bradford. Meat was served in the separate side entrance, which is the white door further Nesfield Street.

The following piece appears courtesy of Dennis Colman whose wife is a descendant of Bradford’s  kosher butcher family the Nathansons.

“In 1872 there was born in Poland, a Joseph and a Tilly who married, but in 1902 they left their country of birth because of the difficult circumstances for Jewish people that prevailed in that country in those times.
They arrived by fishing boat at the port of Hull and made their way to Leeds where Joseph sought work as a sausage maker and butcher which was his occupation in Poland.
In 1928 they moved to a house in Manningham Lane and Joseph opened a Kosher Butchers Shop in Westgate.
At this time there was a reasonable size Jewish community in Bradford and the business was established.
The family of four children grew up and married and one of the sons joined his father in the butchering shop.
After the 2nd World War business continued in Westgate until some years later when a shop became available on Manningham Lane and the move to premises previously owned by Drivers Grocery Stores was made.
This shop was situated a few doors up from the then Belle View School.
The business eventually closed and the owner became a wholesale butcher in the Bradford Meat Market.
There then was no Kosher butchers shop left in Bradford, but a large non Kosher butcher continued to sell Kosher meat from  a separate department within his business.
With the diminishing Jewish Population in Bradford this facility ceased some years later.”

Mention of T. Nathansons butchers shop in the London Gazette from 2nd March 1954.
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/40115/pages/1350/page.pdf