Dapol O Gauge 7F-071-020 John Stephens & Co Vinegar Brewers of Gloucester 7 Plank Open Wagon

Dapol O John Stephens & Co Vinegar Brewers of Gloucester 7 Plank Open Wagon 7F-071-020
John Stephens and company ordered this 7 plank open coal wagon from the nearby Gloucester RCW company.
Photographed by the Gloucester RCW co photographer the wagon was used to advertsie the owners' buisness as 'Jam & Pickle Manufacturers & Vinegar Brewers', a most interesting change from the usual collieries and coal merchants. The wagon was most likely used to ensure a steady supply of coal for the works' boilers and provide extra storage capacity without incurring charges.
Trade directories for 1905 and 1935 give John Stephens' business address as St. Catherine Street, Gloucester and coal was certainly purchased from the Eastern United Colliery in the Forest of Dean. Coal may also have been obtained elsewhere, Gloucester having excellent direct rail links into the Midlands, South Wales and Somerset coal fields.