This firm manufactured wooden bread and butter platters, and often sold them alongside the appropriate item of cutlery (such as a bread knife). Such knives (which, in turn, often had a carved wooden handle) would be marked ‘Bramhall & Co’, but would be ‘bought in’ from local cutlery manufacturers. Sometimes a cutlery company’s name would be on the blade, sometimes not. Bramhall & Co was active by about 1909 at Pool Works, Burgess Street. The firm was operated by Aquila Lemon Bramhall (1884-1948) and George Frederick Bramhall (1885-1978). They were the sons of Aquila Lemon Bramhall (1857-1926), a wood turner, and his wife, Emma nee Booth. During the First World War, Bramhall’s relocated to Fern Bank Works, Rodley Lane. That street has now disappeared, but once backed onto St Mary’s Road (which was later Bramhall’s main address at No. 70-78). 

In 1920, the company absorbed the defunct Sheffield bread platter maker, George Wing. Bramhall’s acquired Wing’s skilled wood carvers, exhibition pieces, and documents (Sheffield Telegraph, 28 October 2019). In the difficult interwar years, Bramhall’s prospered. It appeared regularly at trade exhibitions and built up an export trade with Canada, Switzerland, France, Holland, and Africa (Sheffield Independent, 5 March 1938). Aquila was described as the sole proprietor at that time. He died on 19 July 1948, aged 63, and was buried at Abbey Lane Cemetery. He left £19,640. Harry Haynes was Bramhall’s chief carver and his son, David, was asked by Mrs Bramhall to continue the business (which became a private limited company). The Haynes’ family operated Bramhall’s until 1982.  The assets were acquired by Terence B. Whewell, who continued to make breadboards until 2002. He moved into garden furniture and rebranded the firm as Bramhall 1840 (which had been Wing’s foundation date). It currently trades from Effingham Road, Sheffield.  The history of Bramhall & Co Ltd and other Sheffield breadboard makers is related in Madeleine Neave, Vintage Breadboards (2019).