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Cadbury's Bournville Factory

Re: Cadbury's Bourneville

Actually, Viv, they typing pool had made a come-back by the mid 1990's. I left my job in late 1995 as I wanted a bit of a change of scenery but did not know what I really wanted to do. I did some temping for a while, and had about a month at Peat Marwick (now KPMG) and was totally shocked to be plunged straight back into the 1960's work-wise. I also did not have my 'own' work to do, I was just there to amend documents produced by other typists and frankly, it was horrid. I go line dancing with the Chairman's PA, and even she does not have her own office - all open plan. It is considered to be the best way of working, but that is not the view, I suspect, of the girls doing the typing. I think the idea was that it would be quicker, if a document needed amending, to let it go to anyone rather than wait for the person who typed it originally. By 'amendment', I don't mean corrections so much as alterations, which these days, because work is saved on a computer, are very very frequent. I am so glad I am not a working girl any more! (I hate the word 'retired' so I hesitate to use it!)
 
Re: Cadbury's Bourneville

In the 1950s I attended cycling races at Cadburys, Grass track racing in the sports grounds playing fields. Lots of fun, good attendance. I think I won a medal or two but they are long gone. John Crump OldBrit. Parker, Sunny Colorado USA
 
Re: Cadbury's Bourneville

Very understated and functional ad Dave. Not typical of their earlier or later advertising. Viv.
 
Re: Cadbury's Bourneville

This shows Bournville female workers collecting their bicycles from the Cycle House in the 1910s. So elegant. Viv.
 

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Re: Cadbury's Bourneville

Not sure Glennys. All I know is Bourn Brook was the basis for the name of Bournville - the Cadbury family who built the model village there named it after the brook and added 'ville' for a French twist. If Bourn Brook flows through Bourn Vale, maybe that's a connection. Viv.
 
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Re: Cadbury's Bournville

Hi viv;
i hope you do not mind me butting in with you on this one for our trusted friends enquirer
and may i say you are almost correct in what you are stating ; about the cadbury family ;
here is the answer to the question;
before the cadbury family started there chocolate factory locally in 1879 this district.
This district was a green field site in kings norton and northfield worcesterhire.
The name bournville was chosen for the new works because of the bourne brook which ran through the locality and because
ville; suggested a french town-- and the french chocolate was regarded as the best in those days.
The cadbury factory faced on to a lane which became known as bourneville lane.
Most of the other streets locally raised up woodland scenes, for excample with elm road. Sycamore road and willow road
as we al know that back in the time warp of that period of brum was really worcestshire country side from cotteridge kings norton and down wild country fields just like to day our green fields in this part of worc are cutting up our fields
today building brand new house across the country side of our lovely worcestershire
i hope you did not mind viv adding that bit of the story for our new friend best wishes alan;; astonian;;
 
Re: Cadbury's Bourneville

Jean
I don't think that the name near Streetly came from that of the same watercourse, as it is the other side of Birmingham. But bourne is quite a common name around the country, and comes from Burna, which is Old English for stream. To the north east of Bourne Vale, just off the A452, is/was Bourne Farm, and slightly nearer is Bourne Pool , from which a small stream seems to run in the direction of Bourne Vale, though it does not appear to be shown reaching as far as that on the OS maps of 1884 and after.
 
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Re: Cadbury's Bourneville

Interesting info on the name of BOURNE. I have seen the name of Bourne Vale on a map that must be dated about 1890. (It was on Little Hardwick Road, off the A452 & near the Hardwick Inn). The Bourne Waterworks and something called Round Hill was just behind and also Shrubbery Farm.
 
Re: Cadbury's Bournville

I believe that the word "Bourne", is an ancient Anglo Saxon word, meaning stream, or riverlet, can be found in Northern European and German as Burne/bern, as font, or spring.Paul
 
Re: Cadbury's Bourneville

Hi Paul;
Didn,t This Used To Be ;;;;;
Cadbury,s first factory was just off Broad street and in 1884 it bcame Bridge Street Technical School. Set Up by George Dixon
It Is Assumed the people didn,t Receive free Chocolate
 
Re: Cadbury's Bournville

A few more photos of the workers at Cadbury's circa 1966.
 

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Re: Cadbury's Bournville

Great photos Vivienne, but notice that they have no hair nets, People must of eaten hairy choc's in those days!!
 
great photos viv and bob...bob my aunt worked at cadburys for over 40 years and would have been there when your photos were taken but i dont think she is on them...mind you they employed hundreds of people

lyn
 
When my late mother worked in the Export Office during the 1950s she told me that great care had to be taken not to direct chocolate exports onto Israeli or Palestinian ships going to either's home destination. Trade must have been (and still maybe at the present time) a nightmare to organise.
 
I've been replacing some lost images on this thread but there are still many to replace. If anyone has any, please let me know. Many thanks.

Now I've never before heard of 'Cococubs ' See Wikipedia extract below. Collectable figures were placed as free gifts in Chidrens Bournville Cocoa between 1934 and 1939. There was also a special newspaper. Here's the cocoa and here are the figures. Viv

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Astoness said:
great photos viv and bob...bob my aunt worked at cadburys for over 40 years and would have been there when your photos were taken but i dont think she is on them...mind you they employed hundreds of people

lyn
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Hi Lyn
what was your mothers name and what department did she work in. I was there from 1970/80 and worked in the Pipefitters shop and in the Moulding Block as an Services Engineer.
 
hi bob it was my auntie not me mom....our dads sister...not sure what dept she worked think it was the production line but i can always remember her bringing us boxes of those penny cadbury chocs when she visited us...her name then was june riches..she still holds a loyalty card for cadburys

lyn
 
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In 1933, Cadbury's commissioned 10 artists to design pictures for their chocolate boxes. The likes of Arthur Rackham and Dame Laura Knight were amongst them. The design below by Arthur Rackham was very typical of his work and would be worth a few bob if anyone has one lying around. Viv.

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Vivienne14 said:
In 1933, Cadbury's commissioned 10 artists to design pictures for their chocolate boxes. The likes of Arthur Rackham and Dame Laura Knight were amongst them. The design below by Arthur Rackham was very typical of his work and would be worth a few bob if anyone has one lying around. Viv.

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Viv,
That`s a gorgeous box. Worth buying the chocs just to get the box. ( and the chocs were damn good too, better than that Belgium stuff.) Vive Cadburys!
 
Agree Smudger. Would also like to see the Laura Knight design, but can't find an example of the box she designed. I like her work. Viv.
 
John's fun bars raise a question Was there real rum in rum & raisin? Surely not if children can eat it. Viv
 
Old Jamaica originally had real rum in it when tested out, but for cost reasons this was replaced with rum flavour. Remember it wasn't aimed at children and was not full milk chocolate, but a blended milk/plain mix, so probably would not have appealed to them. the more recent version is of course dark chocolate, which, to my mind, is not as good.
 
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Blimey Mike, the real stuff was only taken out for cost reasons and not for the greater good of its customers? And them being of Quaker origin too .... Tut tut. Viv.
 
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Remember these? All sweet shops (or shops selling Cadbury chocolate) had one of these cabinets. Were they supplied by Cadbury's for all shops selling their chocolate? Did shopowners have to pay for them ? I remember the upright cabinets sat on top of the shop counter. And I think they might have put dummy bars of chocolate in them - or were dummy bars for window displays? I remember seeing a dummy bar - it's a very vague memory from when my mum worked in shops - but I think inside the dummy bar was a block of wood! Viv.

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