Palethorpes was founded in 1852 by Henry Palethorpe, a butcher in Birmingham. It moved to Tipton in 1896, claiming to be the world's largest sausage producer. The Tipton factory closed in 1968 after a new one was built at Market Drayton. Bibby bought the business in 1969, after financial difficulties over that factory's cost. Haverhill Meat Products bought it in 1980, and it joined Northern Foods in 1991. The Compleat Food Group took over the brand and assets in 2021, and the Market Drayton site still operates.
The real Palethorpes vans included railway-owned GWR 31-foot six-wheel insulated sausage vans, built in 1936 and numbered 2801 to 2802. They were hired to Palethorpes for traffic from its private siding at Dudley Port. The siding went out of use in September 1964, and the van hire ended on 31 July 1965.
Key facts
- Founded: 1852, Birmingham
- Moved to Tipton: 1896
- Tipton factory closed: 1968
- Branded products ceased: 1986
- Railway siding: Dudley Port
- Brand owner since 2021: Compleat Food Group
Sources
- Palethorpes - Tipton , historywebsite.co.uk (Tipton local history) (accessed 2 November 2026)
- Palethorpes , Wikipedia (accessed 2 November 2026)
- Palethorpes - Graces Guide , Graces Guide (accessed 2 November 2026)
- Market Drayton Business Directory - Make it Market Drayton , Make it Market Drayton (accessed 2 November 2026)
- lmsreg@groups.io , lmsreg mailing list (groups.io), citing the wagon research list (accessed 2 November 2026)
Checked · Model Rail Database
