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Cadbury's Bournville Factory

I have emailed Carl and he said there are no plans for a DVD as it would be a copyright problem.
 
re Cadbury's

Hi Sakura,
Thanks for your e-mail. My grandparents names were Alfred Blackham who died about 1946 - the chocolate grinder and Amy Blackham nee Bray who left in 1908 when they got married - as you know married women didn't work in those days.
Regards,
Sheri
 
Re: Cadbury programme on ITV

Dear All,
The programme 'The Way We Were' wasn't on ITV in London. I and my family would have loved to see it as we have a strong connection with Cadbury's. If anyone does know of a recording please let me know.
Sheri
 
Hi Sheri
Are you related to Duggie Blackham who used to live in Eversley Rd, Small Heath.
 
re: Duggie Blackham

Hi Postie,
I don't know if there is any connection with Duggie Blackham. My Blackham family go back along way in Birmingham but I haven't done anything on family after the 1901 census apart from my immediate family. I'm waiting like everybody else for the 1911 census. They had big families so any connection is possible.
Sheri
 
Wendy - Thanks so much for posting the link. I have just watched the film and it was really fascinating. As we didn't get it down this way I was hoping to find a way of watching it. What a marvellous employer Cadbury was. I didn't realise there were so many facilities available to the Cadbury workers.

The film brought back memories of when I went on a school trip, which put me off chocolate for about a year from the smell of the cocoa beans! We saw a short film first about where the cocoa beans came from and making the chocolate, and then went round the factory. Also of my friend's father who worked there, and when I went round to their house there always seemed to be drawers full or misshapes! I thought it was heaven.

Judy
 
re: cadbury film

Hi,
Many thanks to Wendy for posting the connection for the film. I really enjoyed it. Do Cadbury's have an archieve site. I would like to find out what my grandmother did for a job there. Also my grandfather was a football referee and I wonder if it was for the Cadbury team??
Sheri
 
To Sheri and others

I have only recently found the webring site, and only today read the Cadbury thread. The film was interesting. I think some may have been extracted from a cadbury film of about 1950 (?) that was on sale in tape form in the Cadbury World shop a few years ago. I worked for the firm for 36 years, about 10 of them at bournville, and developed quite an interest in the firm. In connection to two things in your posts. First there is no archive site for the firm that would help you in your quest for you relatives. I suspect details such as this have been destroyed anyway. Certainly they apparently have no record of my addresses earlier than my present address. This would probably be true of many firms. Also, you mention that married women didn't work in 1908. that may be true, but shortly after they were employed. However they had to use separate cloakrooms to unmarried girls, as it was thought that they might discuss things best left unheard by innocent unmarried girls. This was before my time (started 1967), but around 1972 I remember seeing two sets of ladies
cloakrooms very close together in the chocolate block (I think), one marked women, the other girls. This was presumably a remnant. In the same vein, at one time areas mainly occupied by girls (ie packing chocolates) could not be entered by men other than specially approved and identified ones known as "trustees".

Following a much earlier question regarding licensed premises, when the club gained its license (late 1960s?), although Mr Adrian (Cadbury), as he was known, followed the flow, Mr Paul (who had retired as chairman about 4 years previously) was definitely against it. I was assurred by Frank Stanley, who was in charge of the library and archives, that when Mr Paul visited the archives (which were then next to the club), he crossed Bournville Lane when leaving so as not to go any closer to it than necessary.

Hope these things may be of interest

mikejee
 
Hi Wendy - loved the film. I'm going to send it to my brother -in-law in the south of England as they didn't see it. Maybe he might recognise his mom. We talked on the phone yesterday.
My husband still has to look at it.
I used to eat my lunch in the gardens every day, if it was raining I we would sit under the canopy. Sometimes we went through what was called the Bird Cage to the Green and to get a treat from the little stores, that was nice in the summer. I'm still in touch with the friend I did that with until I left 36 years ago. Thanks for the memories Wendy. :0520: Mo :)
 
Unfortunatley were not able to get the video in the U.S.A.:(...but l can get the diologue so l'm able to close my eyes and day dream...just like listening to the radio...l've really enjoyed listening to it,especially listening to some brummy accents:) Brenda
 
The programme was on again last night so I think the link will have changed, it was mainly about the countryside and farm life........still enjoy!:)
 
Cadburys

I attended Bournville Technical School from 1957, and as I recollect, the school had a lot of support from Cadburys. They provided use of their extensive playing fields at nearby Rowheath Recreation ground for both winter and summer sports. We used to have an annual "speech day" held at Cadburys large theatre in Bournville Lane, at which prizes for academic, sporting, and other achievements were distributed . One of the Cadbury family would sometimes hand them out and make the speeches.
In the seventies when I was older, I broke my leg playing football and ended up in the old Accident Hospital on Bath Row. I'd been there a couple of days when a new occupant arrived in the bed next to me. It was Charles Cadbury who I think was still one of the directors back then, but I can't be sure. He'd been thrown from his horse while foxhunting and had sustained a broken shoulder and collar bone. He was an extremely courteous and likeable chap and a lot of the older black nurses came in to chat to him. I'm not certain, but they were, as I recall, mentioning that they had parents, grandparents etc, who used to work in the various places where the cocoa beans were grown and transported. Perhaps someone could verify this who used to work at the old 'Acci'. A lot of the pupils from Bournville went on to work at the firm who were known as being very good employers.
Trevor Bow
 
Thanks for posting that link it was so interesting. How I would have loved to work in Cadbury's to be near all that chocolate.:)
 
Thank you

Mikejee, :) Thank you for posting that information it will be greatly appreciated....Cat:)
 
Yes Mikejee that was very interesting it would be nice to find out some more history of Cadbury's there must be loads!
 
Hi Brenda - Did you click on the link Wendy posted 5 days ago. I was able to view it so you should be able to. I saved it to my desk top.:) Mo
 
Wendy - I just looked at the web cams on the ITV link you put on. I went to Brighton and being 5:30pm here it was 10:30pm there and all the lights were on and the tide was in, it looked lovely. Some of the others in the cities were good as well. Great thanks again.:) Mo
 
I was bought up in Bourneville,happy days,I left Birmingham in 2002,moving to North Walsham,Norfolk.
It's nice here but it ain't Brum!!!!!!!!!!!!
The reason for this posting is a couple of months ago I went to a car boot
sale & to my surprise I found an old Cadbury's Tin which were given out when you went on a factory visit.I have enclosed a photo
All the best
Brettw
 
Hi

Does anyone remember the Cadbury's marketing campaign around 1966? It was called the CDM (Cadbury's Dairy Milk) and the cardboard display advert was in the shape of a medal. While I was waiting for my O level results I worked at a place called Kenton's Display Studio, which was I think just outside town - may have been in Balsall Heath. We used to assemble the displays and pack them in big cardboard boxes etc. To make the boxes we used enormous staple guns. One day I managed to staple my thumb to the box and ended up at the acciddent hospital (does that still exist?). I had to walk round with my thumb up in the air for a few days afterwards, which helped to clip my wings as far as going out went!
 
My goodness...... Kenton Display did indeed do our cadbury displays...can't recall seeing a thumb stapled to a piece of display though.......sorry Pattiw couldn't resist that.............I worked there for about 37 years...and very near to the advertising studio or as it was known....the 'Terrapin' building...at the end of 'Q' Block..where my wife worked making the special hand made boxes that were presented to Royal Household and various celebrities that were nominated for awards like Cilla Black was 'Mother of the Year' and had a heart shaped box......and that CDM medal promotion was very well remembered too..I do still have one somewhere about, though I too am a long way from Bournville now....note the spelling is BOURNVILLE....not with an extra 'E' in it..that one with the 'e' in is in France.........I lived on Bournville too since 1953........such happy memories of the works in early days...paid for my cycling trips abroad with the Youth Club and many other kids holidays too.....but things change so much.......not always for the better.........
 
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Hey......I worked at Bournville not Balsall Heath.....from my hazy memory I think I recall their place being near to Gooch street.....Longmore St is in my mind but I thought it was one of the roads nearer to the Conybere street area......only used to see it on the side of their vans that was all....sorry I can't remember the whole address...but anyone living in Brum that has access to the Central Library can look up in the old phone directories where it was exactly............
 
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Sorry. Yes I realised that you didn't work in Balsall Heath. Gooch Street kind of rings a bell. Thanks for your help.
 
Patti........a work colleague of mine said he thought Bissell Street was one of their work places........
 
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Just been looking at a map. Did Kenton's have a place in Kent Street? That sounds familiar and do you think that would have been classed as Balsall Heath?
 
Pattiw.....they're still there in Bissell Street.........I just looked them up on the directory............Mike
 
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