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Cadbury's Bournville Factory

I have a different photo of a similar scene, but different, titled "Bournville girls leaving cycle house" Not sure exactly where it was , but would be somewhere on what I knew as the girls grounds, opposite the factory on Bournville lanebournvillr women leaving cycle house.jpg rounds, opposite the factory on Bournville lane
 

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It looks to me as if the ladies are the same in both Mike's and Mohawk's pictures. Clothing, hats, jewellery etc appear to be the same in both pictures the only difference being the position of the camera and ladies. Taken on different days perhaps or have they been asked to pose for the pictures.
 
Looking at the pic in post#426 I can see a large building behind the cycle house positioned at right angles to it and a building on the right near the road to which the path descends to.
I think they are the buildings I have marked on the 1914 map below.
Red marks the cycle house.
Blue marks the building behind the cycle house.
Green marks the building to the right near the road.
Orange marks the path to the road as seen in post#421.
1914map.jpg
 
This aerial view dated 1928 possibly shows three buildings reference the map in #431.
The red spot marks the building which could be the cycle house.
The blue spot marks the one behind and to the right of the cycle house.
The green spot marks the building adjacent to Bournville Lane.
aerial1928.jpg
image from 'britainfromabove'
 
Old mohawk
I think you right about the cycle house. However the green-spotted building is not the same as on the map, as it was the purpose-built branch of the Birmingham Municipal Bank built after 1920.The blue building would seem to have expanded from the period of the map, and has since expanded again and is the Bournville club
The earlier post of the road is definitely Bournville lane, as can be seen from the attached photo of a similar period. Note fence design

bournville lane poss. c1920s.jpg
 
oldMohawk said:
Cadbury Ladies about to set off on a cycle ride. Their cycles have chain guards so their long dresses won't get caught in the chains. No date for the pic but it looks early 1900s. The trees in the road look well protected as they did in the post#418 pic.
View attachment 125998
Click to expand...
Eric Gibson said:
Now now girls, behave yourselves.
Click to expand...
These were Cadbury girls Eric. I am sure they were very well behaved. :)
All the young Warwickshire ladies I knew, as a youngster, were well behaved. Devon is too hilly for many cyclists.
 
Superb pictures in post 437, although I have a great many Amberley Publications this is obviously one I missed. The map in post 431 shows what an extensive railway system it was around Cadburys, but where was Bournville shed? Was it a MR/LMS shed or was it Cadburys with the LMS allowed to use it? Strangely enough it was all mentioned on Tuesday night in Julia Bradbury's Canal Works Programme on BBC 4, although she was concentrating on the canal (Birmingham & Worcester) element.
Bob
 
Bob
I think it was their own shed. will have to check it, but am just going out and it will have to be dome later. The shed was further down the line, and the site later became a distribution depot for a while. Is now housing. Shown in red on this c1955 map

map c1955 showing bournville engine shed.jpg
 
Two aerial views of Cadbury's
A view dated 1920. Cadbury's tall chimneys were pumping out much smoke over Bournville that day.
Cadburys1920.jpg

A view dated 1928. The building has changed and the Cadbury's names have been removed.
Cadburys1928.jpg
images from 'britainfromabove'
 
Bob Davis said:
Superb pictures in post 437, although I have a great many Amberley Publications this is obviously one I missed. The map in post 431 shows what an extensive railway system it was around Cadburys, but where was Bournville shed? Was it a MR/LMS shed or was it Cadburys with the LMS allowed to use it? Strangely enough it was all mentioned on Tuesday night in Julia Bradbury's Canal Works Programme on BBC 4, although she was concentrating on the canal (Birmingham & Worcester) element.
Bob
Click to expand...
As kids we used to sneak into the sheds. If you walked up Maryvale road from the Pershore Road you would go over the railway bridge then immediately on the left was a pathway along the tracks to the shed. This was a British railways shed.
 
Old Mowhawk
Are you sure that they are the same buildings? There seem to be a lot of differences in the surrounding buildings, though the pon in front looks very similar
 
I thought that at first Mike but on closer inspection I think they are the same view. The 3 storey building with bridge link in the second photo must have been built in front of those buildings in the first photo. I notice a railway track runs into the new building in the second photo (and possibly into the older building behind it ?). Viv.

IMG_0246.JPG
 
mikejee said:
Old Mowhawk
Are you sure that they are the same buildings? There seem to be a lot of differences in the surrounding buildings, though the pon in front looks very similar
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Yes Mike I am sure the views are the same. I had cropped and sharpened the originals to highlight the railway area. Shown below are the full views and one point of reference is the sports field as marked but obscured by smoke in the 1920 view. Cadbury's must have completely rebuilt the building by 1928.
1920 Full View ... the field is there behind the smoke.
Cad1920.JPG

1928 Full View
Cad1928.JPG
images from 'britainfromabove'
 
Wouldn't do you any harm though, just tasteless. I once tasted a unit of milk tray that had been in the back of a west country shop for about 20 years or more. It was a creme of some sort, but was just like eating sweet hard stiff cardboard
 
When Bournville was first built in the 1870s , the factory was , by later standards, small. Beside it were a number of houses to house senior staff, as seen in the map c 1884
Bournville map c1884.jpg

However the factory soon expanded considerably, as seen in the map c 1905.

Bournville map c1905.jpg

The houses must have been very convenient for the works, but when Cadburys, in their bid to help the community, decided to build the large dining and concert hall block that was later to be in the background of many shots of the factory (below) they had to go, though only built about 40 years before. Here is the order for demolition of the houses in December 1913, which demands reclamation of all materials that were reclaimable, though completion of the project was probably postponed somewhat due to WW1, as the map c 1916 shows the cottages have been demolished, but there appears to be nothing yet on the site.
demolition for dining hall A.jpgBournville map c1916.jpg

However, by 1937 the dining Hall is up and working, continuing till it's recent gutting. as shown in the photos below.

Bournville map c1937.jpg

bournville.23.9.1968.jpg

Bournville+Cadbury's+Works+1931.jpg
 
what fascinating history on cadburys mike...i find the please demolish not please supply unusual...thanks

lyn
 
I believe, Eric, that the occupants may well have been allocated some of the newer 'Cadbury' houses, I was always under the impression that they were good employers. Not sure about subsequent owners however.
The line of Midland Red single deck buses suggest an outing. Bournville, being within the city, would mean BCT territory as far as local bus services were concerned however there is the possibility that they took workers to points outside the city boundary.
 
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