The Mann Family ran an ironmongers in Warwick for several generations. Thomas Mann took over the shop from his mother, Elizabeth, in the middle of the Victorian period. It was a successful business. Ironmongers sold tools and household goods made from metal, such as spades, buckets, hinges, nails and ovens.
A newspaper advert from 1887 tells us Thomas Mann was also a licenced seller of Slazenger and Sons tennis racquets and tennis balls. Surprising items for a hardware shop to sell today!
Items to help with repairs at the castle
Records show Warwick Castle was a frequent customer of Mann’s shop. James Mann sold them items to help with repairs at the castle and other properties owned by the estate. These included dog kennel railings, balls of twine for use in the gardens and items to keep the electricity running.
Warwick Castle had a private electric generator powered by the river. In 1894 it was the first private home to be lit by only electric lights. The castle wasn’t connected to the mains electricity supply until 1940.
When Thomas Mann died in 1929, the Warwick and Leamington Advertiser wrote:
Though he achieved success as a business man it will not be for this that his name will live, but for the immense amount of public work which he was able to do during his long life for the benefit of Warwick and the district.
Thomas had been a member of Warwick Town Council, a local magistrate, mayor of Warwick, vice-president of the Warwick Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the governing body for King’s Schools. He was also on the Executive Committee of the local Unionist Association and the Leamington and Warwick Electrical Company. He must have been very busy!
In 1906 he found time to play a role in the Warwick Pageant. 2,000 people took part. They acted out scenes from the history of Warwick and the surrounding areas. Film of the Warwick Pageant is held by The National Film Archive. Perhaps Thomas’s performance was captured on film?
Freedom of Warwick
Towards the end of his life, Thomas Mann was granted the Freedom of Warwick. This was the highest honour the Town Council could give.
This article is part of the Through the Shop Window trail showcasing the links between Warwick businesses and Warwick Castle in the 1800s. Supported by The Friends of Warwickshire County Record Office, The Steven Wallsgrove Legacy and Warwick Town Council.
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