To accompany the fab photo of the Capaldi’s ices van parked in front of the factory, here’s another lovely image. It can be enlarged.

This looks like the 1950s (early 60s?). These happy-looking ladies have just bought their ice creams from Carlo Capaldi’s van.

I’ve been pestering Jamie, who sent me the photos, for more information on the history of Capaldi’s ices.

Guiseppe (Joe) Capaldi came to England on his own in 1912, at the age of fourteen, settling initially in Manchester where he worked as a chef at the Midland Hotel. He moved with the railway to the Royal York Hotel, where he met his first wife, who worked there as a domestic. They married in York and settled here, having 5 sons – Tony, Vinnie, Ramon, Carlo and Nino.

The ice cream company was founded around 1927, starting with a business bought from another Italian family.

The Capaldi’s ices business expanded, with cafes on Micklegate and Tower Street.

The Fetter Lane factory made not only the standard vanilla ice cream, but apparently more exotic sorbets – red wine flavoured, and champagne flavoured for the nearby Viking Hotel on North Street. The warehouse of Red Rhino Records was also on Fetter Lane, and I’ve heard that records were frequently traded for ice cream.

I hope these ice cream van pictures are providing cheer and thoughts of warm summer days, with perhaps the tinkling sound of ‘Greensleeves’ playing as the ice cream van approaches.

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The lovely photo Jamie sent me of the Capaldi’s ice cream van outside the Fetter Lane factory was yesterday’s #PINOFTHEDAY on historypin.com. Hurrah!

I’ve been coveting that award since AndyT got one a few weeks back for his fab photo of ‘Saturday Night Fever’ related goings on at York University in 1978 !

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Tower Street, where Capaldi’s had a snack bar, next to the shop selling Frigidaire products, and where, in those days, it was possible to park right in front of your premises to load your van.

The photo can be enlarged. Compare with the more recent Google Street View.

See also: Capaldi factory, Fetter Lane and other pages tagged ‘Capaldi’.

Thanks to Jamie for the photo.

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The old Capaldi factory in Fetter Lane, with one of the ice cream vans parked in front of it. When this photo of ‘Vins van’ arrived yesterday via email I was transported to long-ago summers, and the ice cream van’s musical approach. The jolly tinkling tunes, and the imminent arrival of ice cream, a combination that meant ‘all’s well with the world.’

Perhaps someone out there will be able to recognise the model and date of this fabulous old vehicle – if so, please leave a comment. The photo can be enlarged. I’ve had a quick trundle around the web, and think it’s perhaps a pre-1963 number plate, but not sure.

The photo is thought to date from the late 1960s-early 1970s. It’s good to see the Fetter Lane factory captured on camera when still very clearly in business, and with that lovely lettering intact, painted in appropriately pale ‘ice cream’ colours.

Many thanks to Jamie for the photo.

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A roundel made in Fetter Lane, presumably in the late 19th/early 20th century. Mr Dearlove is listed as a ‘whitesmith’ in the old trade directories of the time. In the mid-20th century Fetter Lane had an ice cream factory, and later Red Rhino records had warehouses there.

Photos taken in Red Rhino’s premises in Fetter Lane are on Facebook.

Any Fetter Lane/Red Rhino/Capaldis memories/thoughts welcome. Doubt anyone has memories of Mr Dearlove’s whitesmith’s business, but he made a very handsome roundel for one of the gates of our city walls.

The post The forgotten industries of Fetter Lane appeared first on York Stories.

23 October 2011

The area known as Bishophill has many scenic streets, though modern development has made a couple of them less scenic in recent years.

Most traces of the area’s industrial past have been cleared, and Fetter Lane and nearby Skeldergate are now filled with flats, most of them charmless.

So when I wandered up here in 2007 I was pleased to see the Capaldi ice cream factory, hanging on in there while all around it changed.

In the rush of redevelopment this 20th-century building seemed doomed to demolition.

I loved the look of this place. Partly the way its painted rendered front caught the light from the west in the evening, the first time I took a photo. Partly the long low look of it, emphasised by the windows. Partly that little understated curved detail above the door. But mainly the lettering. There’s something about faded lettering on old business premises. This is a handsome example. It’s big, plain, confident. I could almost imagine Mr Capaldi standing back proudly admiring it when it first went up on the family business premises. J CAPALDI, in confident capitals.

A closer look reveals that originally it said “AND SON”. The shadow of the lettering still there, in part, with a later doorway extended down from what was one of the windows, cutting through the word SON.

If I were a writer of short stories, this might inspire me to write one, imagining a sad family story – or perhaps an explosive family argument – behind this obscured and faded lettering.

[… but see update, at foot of page]

In 2007 a site alongside the Capaldi factory was being cleared, and the other side of it had already been filled with flats.

I assumed Capaldis and its lovely lettering would be gone, flattened. But in 2008 was surprised to see it still standing, surrounded by scaffolding, with windows boarded and lettering still visible, though apparently covered in cement.

Even more surprising to find it still there, in March 2011, as it became clear that the building, or part of it, was being kept, with visible repairs to the frontage. Its sunlit front has windows again. As work continues, there’s a pleasing and appropriate (though accidental) ‘ice cream colours’ effect – toffee, chocolate, cream – in the repaired area of the frontage, above right.

The remodelled building in June 2011. An extra floor has been added above the original frontage, with windows reflecting the ‘horizontal emphasis’ of the 1940s facade, and its windows. Vehicle access has been created by removing one of the ground floor windows and extending an existing doorway.

The smartening and refurbishment inevitably means the loss of the element of ‘faded charm’. It looks as if the lettering is to be repainted, as the remnants of it have been retained, but, as with the repainted wall ads on the old Stubbs building, this will probably look a little inauthentic. I’m glad I caught on camera the old, faded, peeling original.

It’s good to see this 20th century street frontage retained.

It remains to be seen if the same will be possible for a far more well-known 20th century building – the White Swan on Piccadilly. (Update, 2014: yes, it seems it might be possible. See all pages tagged White Swan.)

Notes, links etc

Documents relating to the recent work on this building are on the council’s planning pages for anyone interested in the background/design – see 07/00065/FUL – and the associated Design and Access statement and associated (CoYC) report. The Fetter Lane factory, according to the planning documents, dates from the 1940s.

Update, Feb 2012

The lettering originally said ‘& Sons’ (not ‘& Son’), as I’d assumed, and as I’d written above. Joe’s sons were Tony, Vinnie, Ramon, Carlo and Nino. Many thanks to Jamie, a great-grandson of Joe Capaldi, for this information.

Thanks also to Antony, who emailed me in November, saying he has very fond memories of the factory, and visiting there as a child. His great-grandfather and later his grandfather were the proprietors.

. . . . .

Page compiled 23 October 2011. Photos: various dates, 2007 to 2011. Last updated 8 Feb 2013.

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