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Cadbury's Bournville Factory

JLB said:
Ten years after the 1933 photo of the Cadbury factory was taken, the same company published a profusely illustrated 56-page educational booklet for children, entitled "Our Birmingham". I have a copy of this, inherited from my father (died in 1961). I don't recall seeing this fascinating publication mentioned on the History Forum. Has anyone come across it before?
I've attached and image of the cover, plus a PDF of the introductory page.
Click to expand...
Reminds me that I was invited to a Sixth Form conference in 1958 at Cadbury's on this theme, the then City Architect Mr Sheppard Fidler did the main presentation.
 
A photo from just off Mary Vale Road in 1920, showing Bournville Station, with the factory beyond. Not sure what the small building between the camera and Mary Vale is, though looks like there may be bushes around it. On the 1950s map it is a builders yard Bournville Station and Mary Vale Road 1920.jpg
 
Early automation at Bournville. Photo from 1929. Cocoa tins being manufactured and lined at Bournville. At that time virtually every process was carried out by the company itself, and they could, and did, make almost anything from the chocolate wrappers to complex metal items. One fairly senior management person in R & D had a very nice stainless steel exhaust manufactured for his sports car.

Making and lining cocoa tins bournville 1929.jpg
 
There is a story I was told that women wore headscarves at work because of line shaft accidents. I did recall in the early 60’s seeing a factory where my grandmother worked with all that line shafting still in use
 
Morturn said:
There is a story I was told that women wore headscarves at work because of line shaft accidents. I did recall in the early 60’s seeing a factory where my grandmother worked with all that line shafting still in use
Click to expand...
Where I was apprenticed, Brooke Tool Automation in Perry Barr, half the plant was like that in the early sixties. When you heard one of those belts go you su as low as you could!
 
In the late 1960s there was some shafting in place still in older parrs of the factory but I do not think it was still used, just some of the remnants
 
A young chap at the Wolseley works had his scalp ripped off by getting it caught in the belting, dad hung on the belt to stop it while they got the lad away.
 
I worked for Cadburys 1969/70 in the typing pool i think Miss Bennet was in charge I started in October 69 was off work with flu and bronchitis over Christmas for 3 weeks and left February 1970 it just wasnt for me I remember we had to clock in if you were in toilet too long they would come and find you it was like being back at school but they did look after you i day release to do O levels in Selly Oak institute and then afternoons Bournville college. Plus first time I had gone to the dentist since I was 8 was at Cadburys as our dentist was horrible at home and made me cry so I refused to go again! When it came to going home time everyone would race for the bus no 27 for me half day every 4 weeks or monthly. My mother in law and some of her gt aunts worked there so I wrote/emailed the archives a couple of years ago and was sent some information about when they worked there one of the gt aunts left to go to Longbridge in around 1912 or so which was a real surprise.
 
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