Our History
Harry Bottom, the son of Henry & Ada Jane Bottom, was born in 1890. His father was a prosperous coal
merchant & Harry was brought up in a moderately well-off household at Salmon Street, Sheffield.
Harry & his wife Ada (previously Johnson) lived at Psalter Lane, Sheffield. Harry & his family were
devout Baptists and attended the Cemetery Road Baptist Church. They had one child, Sylvia Dorothy who
tragically later developed leukaemia & died in August of 1963, aged 42.
Around 1905, alongside the coal dealership, Harry’s father acquired the house furnishings business of
Sheffield’s Furnishings Company which Harry joined and helped develop until it had grown into a sizeable
chain
of shops at various locations in Sheffield and a shop in Doncaster.
In September 1937, after more than 40 years of trading, the future business was sold & both Henry &
Harry retired to Eastbourne to join family.
Shortly after the outbreak of the second world war, Harry Bottom came out of retirement and returned to
Sheffield to aid the war effort.
In 1942, Harry purchased Roper & Wreaks Limited which later became the head office for a group of
companies he built up.
By 1954 Harry had moved from Psalter Lane to Hartley Road, Ecclesall Sheffield where he was to remain for
most of the rest of his life.
In February 1956, Harrys father Henry died aged 89 years.
During the next few years, Harry made personal charitable donations to help Baptist Churches & other
causes. Harry founded the Harry Bottom Charitable Trust on the 7th October 1960.
Harry died on the 2nd August 1973, aged 83, and was buried in the Bottom family grave in Ecclesall Parish
Church graveyard. As Harry had amply provided for his wife through insurance policies, Harry bequeathed all
his residual estate to the Harry Bottom Charitable Trust in his will.
The declared aims of the Trust were to support the advancement of religion, the relief of the aged, sick
and
poor, the advancement of education, the relief of persons suffering from chronic diseases, research into the
causes or cures of chronic diseases and any other charitable purpose decided upon by the Trustees in their
absolute discretion