The history of Osborne Bros

August 10, 2012

Based in the fishing town of Old Leigh, Osborne Bros is a family run business located on the shores of the Thames Estuary.

The café is housed in the heart of the Old Town in an 18th century stable mews which was used to house horses and carriages delivering ale to the local public house – The Crooked Billet. The cockle sheds and smoke house are located along Cockle Shed row, which remains largely unchanged since being built in the 19th century.

Click on the Photo Albums link to view photographs past and present of the café, cockle sheds and cockle boats.

Osborne Bros specialises in producing and supplying quality shellfish and fish to individuals and trade customers around the world.

Osborne Bros, Billet Wharf
High Street, Leigh-on-Sea
Essex. SS9 2ER

Tel: 01702 477233
Fax: 0870 705 8950
Email: info@osbornebros.co.uk

We sell a wide variety of shellfish and fish from local sources and further a field from our café in Old Leigh. We are open seven days a week all year, apart from Christmas Day.

Health benefits

Research shows that seafood is low in calories, high in protein and rich in vitamins, minerals and natural oils which make a valuable and in some cases unique contribution to the supply of essential nutrients needed to ensure that the human body can maintain itself in a state of good physical and mental health (The Fish Foundation, 2004).

Cockles

Cockles still grow naturally in several areas around the coast of Britain but the cockles caught, cooked and sold by Osborne Bros are sourced from the Thames Estuary where they have been growing for centuries.
The season to catch cockles runs for six months of the year from around May to October time. Once caught, the cockles are brought back in on the boat, unloaded into the factory and cooked, washed and packaged ready to be sold locally, nationally and internationally.

Smoked products

We smoke a range of products in our own smokehouse including salmon, prawns, eels, kippers, sprats and mussels. Our salmon is sourced from Scotland and then hot smoked over locally sourced oak sawdust and chippings for 12 hours to release the flavour into the products.

Shellfish

We source a wide selection of shellfish including potted shrimps, brown shrimps, north Atlantic prawns, king prawns, oysters, mussels, whelks, winkles, lobster, crab, clams and scampi. We also make seafood platters to individual requirements. We supply to local businesses and direct to the consumer.

Fish

We sell a variety of fish products ranging from jellied eels, smoked eels, roll mops, fresh salmon, poached salmon, anchovies, white bait and mackerel.

We are able to source any other fish or shellfish that you require.

The Osborne Family

Thomas George Osborne started Osborne Bros in 1880. He sold cockles from Cockle Shed Row in Old Leigh (see also the Old Factory and the new Cockleshed). Osborne Bros’ first boat – the Old Galley was purchased for £10 by his sons Ernest, George, Frank and Walter from Chatham, Kent in 1910. Shortly after this, Thomas Osborne took over the running of the Crooked Billet pub opposite the Café (see also the new Café) and his son Walter followed him.

Ernest, George and Frank remained in the family business and commissioned the building of the Mary Amelia in 1914 by Haywards of Southend. When the 1st World War finished the Café (and another) in the High Street was opened. This sold a range of shellfish, teas and rolls.

In 1928, the first Renown boat was build by Haywards of Southend. This boat was used in the evacuation of the British army from Dunkirk in 1940 along with five other Leigh cockle boats. These boats were used to ferry troops from the beaches to the ships anchored in the deep waters. The boats each rescued around 1,000 troops during this mission but as they were starting back home the Renown hit a mine and the boat was completely destroyed with the loss of all the crew – Frank Osborne (son of Frank Osborne), Leslie (Lukie) Osborne (son of George Osborne), Harry Noakes and Harold Graham Porter. In 1972, a memorial statue was erected in St. Clement’s churchyard in Leigh honouring these men.

In 1947, the second Renown boat was built, but this drew too much water so it was sold and the third Renown LO88 was built by Seacraft of Leigh-on-Sea in 1948. During this time, the business was run by the remaining children of George Osborne – George (Pie) Osborne, Florence Lawrence, Freda Meddle and Cyril Osborne.

During the 1980s, Peter Osborne (son of Cyril Osborne) and Steven Lawrence (son of Florence Lawrence) took over the business. It was not until 1991 that the fourth Renown boat was launched which is the one that is currently used to today.

In over one hundred years of trading the business has remained within the Osborne family passing through the generations to the present day where fourth and fifth generation descendants of Thomas George Osborne run the business.