Happy New Year! No waffle today, straight to the chocolate!
Many residents of Bristol had no idea there was a chocolate factory hidden away in Greenbank which was active from 1881 to 2006, only just beaten by Fry’s (Cadbury’s) at Somerdale which closed in 2011.
There are a couple of more recent bean-to-chocolate outfits in Bristol, such as Ruby Hue and Radek’s, and one older company, Guilbert’s, where I’m unsure of their production process but come highly recommended nonetheless! Otherwise, there are none of the original, large companies left.
But here’s a quick timeline of Packer’s:
In 1881, Edward Packer founded a chocolate manufacturing company in Stapleton Road. In 1884 he entered into partnership with HJ Burrows (hence the name HJ Packer) but trade dipped the following year and all employees other than Packer’s family were laid off, leaving Burrows as sole proprietor. In 1886 Bruce Cole was so impressed with the potential of the company that he received a loan from his father to buy the company and all of its assets. The company expanded around St Paul’s Street before securing land for a factory at Greenbank, which opened in 1902.
In 1912 Charles Bond was formed as a subsidiary brand to focus on high class chocolates, and a controlling stake in the Glasgow firm Carsons was acquired. The following year Carsons production was moved from Glasgow to a new factory at Shortwood, before being transferred to the Greenbank factory in 1961 when the factory was sold to ES&A Robinson. In 1962 the name HJ Packer & Co Ltd was replaced by Carsons Ltd, by which time Carsons was Britain’s largest producer of liquor chocolates.
In 1964 the company, including its Packers, Carsons and Charles Bond brands were bought by Sir James Goldsmith who also acquired several other confectionery companies including Hollands Toffees Ltd (Southport), Yeatmans of London (producers of the brands Goodies and Selesta) and Paramount Laboratories (producers of sweet cigarettes) and combined them under the company Cavenham Foods in 1965. The factory was upgraded so that it could produce this greater range of products.
In 1968 the Elizabeth Shaw brand and recipes were bought (well known for its mint crisps) and in 1972 the company acquired the contract for producing Lindt easter eggs and novelties.
In 1981 Cavenham was bought out by the directors, who renamed the company Famous Names Ltd. In 1985 the company was taken over by Imperial Tobacco and incorporated into Imperial Foods, then by Hanson Trust which acquired Imperial Tobacco the following year. In 1988 the company changed its name to Elizabeth Shaw Limited and the following year another management buyout bought it from Hanson Trust. In 1990 Leaf acquired Elizabeth Shaw Ltd, making it the UK division of Leaf which was the Amsterdam-based confectionery branch of the Huhtamaki Group. In 1991 Elizabeth Shaw became Leaf UK Ltd and in 1999 Leaf was sold to CSM, based in the Netherlands who decided to focus on the sugar confectionery side of the business and dispose of the chocolate brands and factory.
Therefore in 2000 another management buyout occurred, forming PackBond Holdings Ltd. Due to increasing costs of operation and running at spare capacity its owners closed the operation and moved production to other factories in the UK and Europe in 2006 and the factory was sold.
Various plans were then put forward for the site but for various reasons including local protests against redevelopment, these took some time to progress. Generator South West acquired the site in 2014 and proposed a mixed use redevelopment of the site. In summer 2015 demolition of some of the buildings on the site was carried out due to concerns over health and safety and the level of asbestos on site, plus the ubiquitous ‘urbex‘ appeal. 2021 saw new residents start to move in the converted factory, with final works ongoing until recently, from what I can gather.
Finally, here is the booklet to print or read online. I’ve been unable to find ANY details for John Penny, who is clearly still fairly active in the community as he was featured in the Bristol Post in June of this year (was previously free to read – now a paywall). However, this book was previously freely downloadable at another site called ‘Chocolate Memories’, which is sadly now itself a memory and only available via the wayback machine. See you in the Spring!
Postscript: I also found this via the wayback machine:
Kate Horner’s Story
This is a copy of the text written by Kate Horner who worked at Packers Chocolate Factory, Carlyle Road, Greenbank, Bristol. Kate started working for the firm in 1890. The article was published in the Packers Staff Magazine, H.J.P., Issue: June-July, 1925, page 167. It appears to be number five in a series of articles entitled ‘Memories of Other Days’.
Being asked to give a short account of the history of H.J. Packer and Company Limited since being with them, I may say that most of my experiences have already been mentioned by those who have written before.
I started with them in January, 1890, at a house situated in St Paul’s, and for my wages I received the large sum of 4s. 6d. per week, which was considered a high wage then, our hours being from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.
My first work (as far as I can remember) was hand covering creams in a small room fitted with two tables and domes for heating our chocolate. In one corner of the room we had a small copper to keep the chocolate in, and outside the window we had a lift, and when we wanted work sent up we shook the ropes and called out for what we wanted.
Trade was not too brisk in those days. I remember quite well the incident which Miss brown mentioned, viz., going for a walk while we were waiting for work. But trade gradually improved, and we sometimes worked from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. I often think of the many happy days I spent in the old factory, and I am sure the late Mr. Bruce Cole did all he could for us. Then Mr. Mansfield came into the Firm, also Mr. Horace Cole, who, I am sorry to say, was only with us for a short period.
The business still improved, and we had one machine installed for coating Packer’s two-ounces-a-penny chocolates. Mr. Bruce Cole and Mr. Rockett instructed me how to work the machine. It was placed in one corner of the room and I well remember the speed of it (how irregular it was), but what a wonderful machine it was to us! The girls from the other rooms, knowing when Mr. Cole was gone to lunch, would come down to see one line of work coated. This machine, being successful, others were soon added, and from that time I have superintended in the machine rooms. I think we had about thirty-eight of those coating machines before we left St. Paul’s. I was sent to Greenbank with a few girls and machines in 1902.
What a change it was for us after such small rooms to go into large and lofty ones! We found it terribly cold and had to return to St. Paul’s until the factory was properly heated.
It must have been in 1903 when we really started work in the new factory. I am still in the same room, which has fifty coating machines, superintended by Miss Barrett and myself. Some of the girls in this room have been with us for a number of years, I have always found them reliable and good at their work. Needless to say, working with one Firm for so many years, I have seen many changes and improvements. The conditions under which we work to-day are far in advance of what they were when I first started.
Miss Kate Horner, 1925.