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Chad Valley Toy Company Ltd, Harborne

I had a girlfriend called "Janace", whose father worked at Chad valley and they lived in a house right next door to the factory, I can't remember the date though we played a record she had, "Poetry in Motion", by Jonny Tillitson, around 1960 I think.Paul
 
Viv,

My mother had a tin like that that she used to keep buttons and stuff in. I had no idea that was what it originally contained. It was in the house when I was a child in the 1940s, so pretty old and I have no idea what became of it. I suspect it was thrown away with dozens of other interesting possessions when she moved to Poole in the late 1960s.

Maurice
 
Mike,

Milk powder, eh, yet their advertisements used to show a glass and a half of liquid milk going into a Dairy Milk bar - fraudsters!

Maurice
 
Maurice.
It is the Belgian manufacturers that use milk powder, not Cadburys Dairy Milk. The Cadbury process for Dairy milk mixes milk, roasted cocoa and sugar and then dries it. This was originally done specifically to prevent oxidation and rancidity, but then was also found to give a characteristic flavour, which many (but not you) like. That said bars from them not labelled Dairy milk NOW are made from milk powder for cost reasons.
 
I had a small wooden yellow Chad Valley gypsy caravan with red wheels. I still love the real ones now, those painted vardos. I think some of my ancestors were gypsies I wonder if that's the reason! (I know not all gypsies had those pretty ones!)
I wanted a Jacko monkey too Viv!
rosie.
 
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The caravan sounds like the toy I'd have loved too. Couldn't find a picture of your wooden one, but Chad Valley also made a tin one for biscuits (!) in the 1930s. I expect this made a great toy after all the biscuits had gone.


I remember the monkey on display in the Woolworth's store on Hawthorn Road, Kindgstanding. They were on display for a few years, especially a Christmas, hanging up high above the counters, suspended by one hand. Thought the monkey was such a lovely soft toy, although I think the dark brown fur was quite rough. Viv.
 
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Thank you Viv, yes it was like that with a round hole for the door (like a bird house) and two shafts like lolly sticks for a horse except I don't remember if it had one. I haven't seen a biscuit tin one, It looks lovely!
rosie.
 
Something to do over the Easter holiday. A GWR puzzle 'Race to the Ocean Coast' by Chad Valley. Viv.
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It's been great to read so many wonderful posts regarding past experiences with Chad Valley toys. We'd love to include some of your recollections on site so if anyone would like to share a story and have it included in a feature we're doing called "Recollections" please do PM me or reply in this thread and I'll get in touch!
 
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I forget who told me but I was told that the invasion maps for D Day were printed by Chad Valley printing works in the former Harborne Institute building in Station Road.
 
I'd love to say that I could verify that Harborne Institute in Station Road printed maps for Operation Overload but unfortunately I've never been able to locate any corroborating evidence. Not to say it's not true but that rumour remains uncertain.
 
Someone I knew, sadly no longer with us, showed me his book of maps for the invasion. The title on the spin was 'Invade mecum' which I translated from the Latin as 'come in with me'. I have just seen that a copy of Invade Mecum volume 3 is on sale on ebay at a Buy it Now price of £445
 
Elizabeth Redmond said:
I worked in the chad as we called it 69/70 we lived in Station Rd it was 3mins away my sister worked there for years when they shut shop in Harborne they were given a choice
redundancy,or a coach laid on to take them to the factory in Balsall Heath, a lot of them
done that but after a while one by one they left,My chargehand had worked there nearly 40 yrs and retired only weeks b4 they announced the closure,she was most upset at missing out on her redundancy pay, not least because she was sure they must have known and felt very let down that they hadn't told her,Liz
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Hello Elizabeth, my grandmother worked at Chad Valley in Harborne for 30 plus years, her name was Bertha Buttery lived in Vivian Road and I believe quite a few of the Buttery family also worked there, do you remember anybody? Thank you, Brian
 
Hello Brian,

And welcome to the Forum. Sadly Elizabeth passed away some little time ago, but I believe I have seen her daughter on the Forum. Maybe one of the moderators will be along with more knowledge than me.

Maurice
 
Two lovely photos of workers in the 1930s. Have to say the faces on the dolls are sweet. Often at this time dolls had quite spooky faces. I still have a teddy bear which I think is Chad Valley. He's mohair and in a sorry state; bald patches, leather pads worn away, stuffing (I think sawdust and something else) coming out of him, chewed nose and , of course, only one eye. This isn't through being over-hugged as I never really 'bonded' with him that much, but my dog got hold of him. My kids view of him "freaky". Poor unloved bear. Teddy bears today are very different. Viv.

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