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The Pitman Vegetarian Hotel

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Coordinates: 52°28′58.41″N 1°53′38.12″W / 52.4828917°N 1.8939222°W / 52.4828917; -1.8939222
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County Buildings (right hand half was the restaurant)
Plaque to James Henry Cook

The Pitman Vegetarian Hotel was a hotel that operated from 1898 until the 1930s in the County Buildings (now Grade II* listed), Corporation Street, Birmingham, England, as an expansion of the Pitman Vegetarian Restaurant established in 1896 on the same site.[1][2][3]

History[edit]

In 1896, the Murdoch Chambers & Pitman Building was built by J. Crouch and E. Butler for Dean's Furniture and the Pitman Vegetarian Restaurant. In 1898, the restaurant expanded into the Pitman Vegetarian Hotel.[3]

The manager was James Henry Cook. According to his daughter, Kathleen Keleny, it was named after Sir Isaac Pitman, then vice-president of the Vegetarian Society.[4] It was still operating in the 1930s.[3]

After the War, Pitman Building's warren of rooms housed Chest Xray, and various voluntary organisations under the aegis of Birmingham Voluntary Service Council, and its General Secretary Michael C Matcham, including Citizens Advice Bureau, Visiting Service for Old People, Personal Service Committee (administering SSAFA funds), Byv, Adventure Camps, Spode Holidays, Rubella playschemes, Lee Bank Saturday playscheme.[citation needed]

In 2023, MP DevCo, a joint venture between developers Regal Property Group and Trigram Properties, bought the building from the city council to build a 156-bedroom hotel the property owners estimated to open in 2025.[5]

Pitman Health Food Co.[edit]

The same proprietor ran the Pitman Health Food Co. (also called Pitman Reform Food Stores) at Aston Brook Street, Birmingham, advertising in 1909 as "The Largest Health Food Dealers in the World".[6] Selling direct and by mail order, it manufactured meat-free products including Pitman Sea-Side Paste, Pitman Savoury Nut Meat, Nuto Cream, Brazose Meat, Vigar Extract, Vegsal Soups and Fruitarian Cakes and wafers. It also sold cooking utensils such as the Pitman Steam Cooker, a multilevel boiler and steamer.[citation needed]

Mahatma Gandhi is known to have received jars of Nuto Cream and Nuto Cream Soup from the company.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Shurtleff, William; Aoyagi, Akiko (6 January 2014). History of Seventh-day Adventist Work with Soyfoods, Vegetarianism, Meat Alternatives, Wheat Gluten, Dietary Fiber and Peanut Butter (1863-2013): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook. Soyinfo Center. ISBN 9781928914648.
  2. ^ Lerwill, Ben (25 June 2024). "A guide to plant-based dining in Birmingham". National Geographic Travel. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "WMCA set to invest in regeneration of historic Birmingham hotel linked to Gandhi". www.wmca.org.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  4. ^ Elkes, Neil (18 October 2017). "New future for hotel building where Mahatma Gandhi ate". birminghammail. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  5. ^ "Historic Birmingham buildings acquired ahead of hotel conversion - Business Live". www.business-live.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  6. ^ Shurtleff, William; Aoyagi, Akiko (18 December 2014). History of Meat Alternatives (965 CE to 2014): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook. Soyinfo Center. ISBN 9781928914716.
  7. ^ "Correspondence : 1948 - 1969". gandhiserve.org. Retrieved 13 January 2018.

External links[edit]

52°28′58.41″N 1°53′38.12″W / 52.4828917°N 1.8939222°W / 52.4828917; -1.8939222

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