As happens from time to time, I am making a short diversion away from the ‘bookish’ posts you will usually find here, to share one of my other pastimes with you.
Yes! I am a not so secret dissectologist – or someone who enjoys jigsaw puzzle assembly.
Unfortunately, as this is quite a ‘vintage’ puzzle, there is no image available for magnification. However, if you click on this Amazon link there is a slightly more ‘uncluttered’ image to take a look at!
CADBURY’S
In 1824, John Cadbury opened hid grocery business in Bull Street, Birmingham, UK.
By the turn of the Century, Cadbury’s had grown from a one-man business into a company employing 2,700 people in a modern factory, built at Bournville, just outside Birmingham. It was a factory built to standards well ahead of its time both in terms of the work environment and generous recreational facilities provided by Cadbury for its employees.
By the beginning of the twentieth Century, advertising was very much accepted as part of day to day life, in helping to establish brands such as Cadbury’s, as household names. We are talking about a time long before radio or television and one of the most popular methods of advertising was the use of posters.
Hundreds of posters were published over this period, advertising many famous Cadbury products. The very familiar Cadbury script logo, was first introduced in 1952, and was based on the signature of William A. Cadbury.
GIBSONS PUZZLES
Gibsons Games is an independent, family-owned British board game and jigsaw puzzle manufacturer, and the oldest of its kind in the United Kingdom.
In 1903, Harry Gibson managed to obtain an unsecured loan of £500 from the Royal Bank of Scotland in Bishopsgate, London. This generous sum enabled him to start a business, which at that time was called The International Card Co. Trading from offices in Aldersgate Street, he supplied retailers with a range of products including card games and postcards; an unlikely combination these days, but back then, most towns would have a number of stationers in the High Street and they became Harry Percy’s first customers.
The International Card business was sold to the De La Rue Company and H. P. Gibson & Sons Limited was formed in 1919. The International Series brand continued to be used on some products right up to the early 1980s, but H P Gibson & Sons Ltd made its name with the ‘HPG’ brand of indoor games, with old favourites such as L’Attaque and Dover Patrol; huge sellers before and after the Second World War. Sadly the company’s premises, along with all its manufacturing equipment were destroyed during the Blitz in 1940 and when the war ended, it was almost a case of starting from scratch.
Robert and Harry Gibson, sons of the founder, re-established trading from Barrett Street in London’s West End. The company continued to sell its own family games and pastimes, alongside ranges from other established names, including Waddingtons and Chad Valley. 1966 Harry Percy’s grandson, Michael Gibson joined the family business. He remembers his father paying him £11.00 a week out of which he had to pay his mother living expenses. In the late 70s H P Gibson & Sons shortened its name to ‘Gibsons’, and shortly after, in the early 80s, Gibsons introduced their first jigsaw puzzles.
Visit Gibsons at their website
Follow Gibsons on Twitter
Connect with Gibsons on Facebook
Cadbury’s, like so many of my jigsaws, was a charity shop purchase, so I am at the mercy of the donor as to the quality of the product. In this instance the quality was excellent and joy of joys! all the pieces were there!
Any thoughts or comments are my own personal opinion and I am in no way being monetarily compensated for this, or any other article promoting Gibsons puzzles.
I personally do not agree with ‘rating’ a purchase, as the overall experience is all a matter of personal taste, which varies from person to person. However some review sites do demand a rating value, so when this review is posted to such a site, it will attract 5 out of 5 stars.
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