Home of the Cadbury’s Creme Egg: Bournville factory – 'If the country is a good place to live in, why not to work in?’

By Mya Nolan & Daniel Lewis-Carter

The history of the Cadbury’s Creme Eggs current home - Bournville factory - goes as far back as 1879 when George and Richard Cadbury moved their chocolate factory from central Birmingham to Bournbrook Hall – 4 miles south of Birmingham.

The Cadbury’s story as detailed on their website describes a facility and philosophy which was unheard of in Victorian times.  The health and well-being of workers was of significant importance when the estate was developed.  Housing was provided for the workers and a field with a playground was developed to encourage sports.  George Cadbury’s philosophy behind his factory was: “If the country is a good place to live in, why not to work in?”

The estate expanded over the years.  By 1900, when control was formally handed over to the Bournville Village Trust, it included 313 cottages and houses set on 330 acres of land.  Today the estate contains 7,800 homes on 1,000 acres of land with 100 acres of parks and open spaces.

Chocolate production still continues in Bournville - amongst other well-known chocolates 1.2 million Cadbury Creme Eggs are made at the factory every day.

Did you know…

• At Landmark our unique archive of historical maps first shows a cocoa factory in a prime greenfield location next to the newly opened Birmingham & West Suburban branch of the Midland Railway and the Worcester & Birmingham canal (1884 OS County Series maps for Worcestershire).
• Subsequent historic maps show how the model village of Bournville expanded to accommodate the growing workforce, until by the post-war period it had been subsumed by the general urban spread from Birmingham.

At Landmark the unrivalled depth, breadth and range of our data enables us to identify and translate environmental and property risk into facts and insight.  Through our data, technology and team of experts we empower our customers to discover opportunities and make informed decisions - this is at the heart of what we do.

Information sourced from;

·         Express and Star – Article “Upgrade for Cadbury Bournville site” – January 23, 2014.

·         Cadburys – ‘The Story’ at cadburys.co.uk/the-story