Chivers & Sons Ltd – Histon
Chivers of Histon was a large employer of people from many of the local villages in the area, including Longstanton. Villagers were working at Chivers before and during the war. After the war the company was probably the largest employer of locals outside the village farms. We have a lovely photograph of Mary Reader in her cooks uniform whilst working for Chivers. As soon as we have sorted out our image loading we will try and get the photograph on the site.
I believe that Chivers may have owned land in Longstanton at New Close Farm near the A14. I have no proof of this! Can anyone help? Eventually LDHS hopes to have some more information on this important and influential local company.
When removing soil containing possible honey fungus at the east end of the Manor, we found an old rubbish tip from I believe the 1950’s – when George Law was farm foreman of Manor Farm. The old rubbish tip contained many small bottles marked with The Cambridge Lemonade on one side and Chivers & Sons Ltd Histon Cambridgeon the other. The bottles were numerous and must date from the period before the Chivers family sold their entire business. A few years later (1959 – early 60’s I believe) they bought back the jam making part of the business but the lemonade business remained with the company Schweppes! We have recently received an e mail advising us that a Chivers lemonade bottle has been dug up in Kent. This indicates that Chivers goods were being distributed nationally and that they were a significant business at this time.
We have kept all the old bottles found in this tip as they provide a great record of life before the invention of plastic. My family also have a number of other bottles that were found on Home Farm. Some of them are marked with the names of other businesses local to the Cambridge and Newmarket areas.
Please do let us know if you have any more information / photographs relating to Chivers & Sons Ltd of Histon and its possible links to Longstanton. Certainly many local growers from the surrounding villages must have been sending supplies of fruit to the the Histon factory. The company must have had a major influence on many residents of Longstanton & District and I suspect that Longstanton Station played a major role in transporting fruit from this area to the Chivers factory.
Click on link for further information: http://www.hisimp.net/history/hishist4.htm
We would be most grateful contributions on this subject or any other found on the website. If any of the above is incorrect please let us know via e mail.