Page 37 - Antique Advertising & Breweriana Auction Sunday 22 November

235. CADBURYS CHOCOLATE FRONT LOADING SHOP DISPLAY CABINET. 32 x 30 x 6ins. Shallow wooden wall hanging cabinet, 2 front opening doors each lettered CADBURYS/ CHOCOLATE. Two interior glass shelves, wooden back. Gold and multicoloured glass pediment atop above with shapely wooden surround. HAWKES/ GLOBE WORKS/ BIRMINGHAM nameplate affixed to the front bottom. One of the most attractive chocolate cabinets we’re had the
pleasure of handling.
In 1824, John Cadbury began selling tea, coffee, and drinking chocolate in Bull St
Birmingham. From 1831 he moved into producting a variety of cocoa and drinking chocolates made in a Bridge St. factory selling mainly to
wealthy due to high production costs. In 1847 John became a partner with his brother Benjamin and they became Cadbury Brothers.
They opened an office in London and in 1854 received the Royal Warrant as manufacturers of chocolate and cocoa to Queen Victoria.
John Cadbury’s sons Richard and George took over the business in
1861. At the time the business was in rapid decline the number of employees reduced from 20 to 11. By 1864 Cadbury was profitable
again, the brothers turning round the business by moving the focus
from tea and coffee to chocolate, and increasing the quality of their products.In the 1880s the firm began to produce chocolate confectioneries. In 1878 they built new premises in countryside 4 miles from Birmingham enabling better transport access for milk that was inward shipped by canal, and cocoa carried in by rail from London, Southampton and Liverpool docks. With the development of the Birmingham West Suburban Railway along the path of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, they acquired
the Bournbrook estate, 14.5 acres of countryside 5 miles south of the Birmingham outskirts, next to Stirchley St railway station opposite the canal. They renamed the estate Bournville and opened the Bournville factory the following year.
In 1893, George Cadbury purchased 120 acres close to the works planning, at his own expense a model village to would alleviate the evils of modern more cramped living conditions! By 1900 the estate included 314 cottages and houses set on 330 acres. As the Cadbury family were Quakers there were no pubs in the estate.