Sheffield History Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 GEORGE BASSETT What do you know about George and the factories and sweets he produced ? His grave is in Sheffield General Cemetary - http://www.gencem.org/explore/residents/bassett.html Fantastic picture from 1924 submitted by Neddy (thanks as always Neddy !) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 George Bassetts, from The Illustrated Guide to Sheffield and Neighbourhood - Pawson and Brailsford (1862) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Noise Heat Power Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 GEORGE BASSETT What do you know about George and the factories and sweets he produced ? His grave is in Sheffield General Cemetary - http://www.gencem.org/explore/residents/bassett.html Fantastic picture from 1924 submitted by Neddy (thanks as always Neddy !) Mmm - I love a nice glass of 'Bassetti Juice'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyc Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 I used to work next door to Bassetts in the 1970's at Abrafract. I still had a sweet tooth back then and the smell that used to come from Bassetts was fabulous... unlike the smell from the Abrafract which manufactured grinding wheels. There was also a sweet manufacturer in Hillsborough (Simpkins???), and the smell of jellies when walking past was a real torment when I was a kid. Why isn't my Avatar animated Admin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 I used to work next door to Bassetts in the 1970's at Abrafract. I still had a sweet tooth back then and the smell that used to come from Bassetts was fabulous... unlike the smell from the Abrafract which manufactured grinding wheels. There was also a sweet manufacturer in Hillsborough (Simpkins???), and the smell of jellies when walking past was a real torment when I was a kid. I was going to ask about "Simpkins", only I couldn't remember the company name, or indeed which street it was on; kinda made posting a bit difficult .... looking at a street map, I think it must have been up Roselle Street, any further thoughts anyone ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyc Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 That the one RichardB, Roselle Street. Next Street along from Taplin, which the factory backed on to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheffield History Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 Why isn't my Avatar animated Admin? It's a JPEG and not an animated gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyc Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 It's a JPEG and not an animated gif Hello Admin, It's an animated gif when I upload it. Have just checked, definitely .gif file extension. Regards Andy Sorry my mistake. It's 105 pixels square...will resize. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheffield History Posted March 29, 2007 Author Share Posted March 29, 2007 No problem - anything we can do to help just let us know ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham c Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 DID YOU KNOW THAT A DIRECTOR OF BASSETTS, WHEN SOLD TO CADBURY'S, WAS A CERTAIN BEVERLY STOKES. NOW IS THIS NOT THE MAN IN CHARGE AT NORTHERN GENERAL HOSPITAL? MAYBE ON THE JELLY BABY WARD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheffield History Posted June 19, 2007 Author Share Posted June 19, 2007 lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunsbyowl1867 Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Whilst at school in the late 1970s we were "encouraged" by our teachers to get involved in the "Young Enterprise" scheme. We formed a company and issued shares which we sold to our mum and dads made some rubbish sold it and distributed a dividend ( or we would have done if we'd made a profit). Anyway George Bassett was our mentor for this and every so often we had to travel down to Hillsborough for meeting in their boardroom with a couple of executives. Our main concern however was to arrive early and raid sweets from these 6 foot high glass sweet jars in the Boardroom. The blokes were always late so this wasn't a problem until one day someone dropped the ornate glass lid from one of the jar and it smashed all over the boardroom floor. I think that was the end of Bassets involvement in the scheme & we had disgraced the school etc lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest beemerboy Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Bassetts first started at upperthorpe,they also produced tanks or armoured cars during ww2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 FIRE !!! April 1939 The firm was established in Sheffield in 1842 but did not come to Owlerton until 1934 when Bassett's son in law Samuel Meggit Johnson built a large factory on Beulah Road . The factory was enlarged in the inter-war period as new products such as Jelly Babies, Wine Gums and Liquorice Novelties were added to the range. In April 1939 a huge fire damaged the building severely as hundreds of tons of sugar burned with ferocity. Mr. Link !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukelele lady Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 George Bassett was born in Ashover in 1818 and was the third son of John Bassett's eight children. John Bassett died when George was 12 years old. When George was 14 he apprenticed for 7 years to a confectionerer and fruiterer, a Mr William Haslam of Chesterfield. He stayed for three years before buying a small confectionery and wine business at 30 Broad Street , Park. In the 1845 Directory of Traders George Bassett is shown as the new proprietor and is described as a Wholesale Confectioner , Lozenge Maker and British Wine Dealer. George married his first wife Sarah Hodgson in 1842 and they had eight children. After Srah's death George married again and had two sons. In1851 he took on a 12 year old apprentice by the name of Samuel Meggitt Johnson, Samuel's mother had died and Samuel went to live with the Bassett family. At the end of his apprentice he went back to work for his father , a furniture retailer. George Bassett acquired larger premises in Portland Street and took on a local grocer, William Lodge into partnership but this didn't work out.. In 1860 George persuaded Samuel to return on the understanding he would become a partner. In 1863 Samuel became a partner and later sole proprietor. George Bassett took an interest in politics and became Mayor of Sheffield in 1876. General Ulysses S Grant the President of the United States of America, visited Sheffield and stayed at the Bassett home in Endcliffe Crescent. In 1876 the Portland Street premises were extended. In 1878 George Bassett had a stroke, he died in 1886 aged 68. Samuel Meggitt Johnson married George's oldest daughter in 1868 but she died in childbirth in 1870. In 1892 the Bassett factory had a serious fire which caused Samuel to have a nervous breakdown and a family fall out because he was inadequately insured. Samuel became sole proprietor of Bassett's and severed all links with the Don Confectionery Company although in 1933 George's last remaining son John, sold out to Bassett's. In 1900 a new factory was built at Owlerton , this traded under the name of S. M. Johnson & Son where candid peel, gums, and other goods were made. Licorice Allsorts , lozenges etc were still made at the Portland Street factory. I love the round coconut ones best lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 FIRE !!! April 1939 The factory was enlarged in the inter-war period as new products such as Jelly Babies, Wine Gums and Liquorice Novelties were added to the range. In April 1939 a huge fire damaged the building severely as hundreds of tons of sugar burned with ferocity. Sugar causing a huge fire at Bassetts A bit like this experiment then. THE SCREAMING JELLY BABY <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc0KW7kXBDo?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc0KW7kXBDo?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukelele lady Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 So this is what you teach them in class is it Dave? Who eats the rest of the jelly babies. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveH Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 So this is what you teach them in class is it Dave? Who eats the rest of the jelly babies. No, not me, I don't want the NSPCJB (National Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Jelly Babies) taking me to court. Besides which, potassium chlorate is a particularly dangerous chemical anyway. ..and with Type 2 late onset Diabetes creeping up on me I don't think I would be the one eating them either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart0742 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Would anybody like to help "The One Show" I have the reply email if required the topic mentioned in the text is this topic Dear Sir/Madam, I am working on a story for 'The One Show' about Jelly Babies which were launched 75 Years ago as 'Peace Babies' in Sheffield by Bassett's - one of Britain's oldest sweets manufacturers - to celebrate the end of the First World War. I would love to have the opportunity to discuss this further. I'm really interested to speak to a local who has a knowledge of the Bassett factory and who could share some personal memoris/stories. There are some really interesting comments on the message board here: http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=757 - can you point me in the direction of anyone I might speak to? Some questions I would love to find out are: Which individual invented Peace babies ? Was it George Bassett? Are there any descendents alive today? Are there local people who remember working there? How has the factory changed? What had Sheffield's experience of the war been? What had the Bassetts company experience of the war been - how many people lost? Do the Peace babies reflect a post-war Baby Boom. Is there a local sweet shop who stocked / stocks them? Is there any memorabilia from the WW1 period - any original sweets so we can compare ? Any ideas or contacts would be very welcome - I am on a really tight deadline so would preferably like to speak to people today at some stage if at all possible, if there is anyone at all you can recommend I could speak to? Thanks in advance for your time and I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards, Raphaelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 If this is correct we could arrange some sums to practise on. 2011-75 = 1918 !!! Would anybody like to help "The One Show" I have the reply email if required the topic mentioned in the text is this topic Dear Sir/Madam, I am working on a story for 'The One Show' about Jelly Babies which were launched 75 Years ago as 'Peace Babies' in Sheffield by Bassett's - one of Britain's oldest sweets manufacturers - to celebrate the end of the First World War. I would love to have the opportunity to discuss this further. I'm really interested to speak to a local who has a knowledge of the Bassett factory and who could share some personal memoris/stories. There are some really interesting comments on the message board here: http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=757 - can you point me in the direction of anyone I might speak to? Some questions I would love to find out are: Which individual invented Peace babies ? Was it George Bassett? Are there any descendents alive today? Are there local people who remember working there? How has the factory changed? What had Sheffield's experience of the war been? What had the Bassetts company experience of the war been - how many people lost? Do the Peace babies reflect a post-war Baby Boom. Is there a local sweet shop who stocked / stocks them? Is there any memorabilia from the WW1 period - any original sweets so we can compare ? Any ideas or contacts would be very welcome - I am on a really tight deadline so would preferably like to speak to people today at some stage if at all possible, if there is anyone at all you can recommend I could speak to? Thanks in advance for your time and I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards, Raphaelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Unlikely given the following statement : "In 1878 George Bassett had a stroke, he died in 1886 aged 68." Which individual invented Peace babies ? Was it George Bassett? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Cadbury Bassett site says 1918 also. If this is correct we could arrange some sums to practise on. 2011-75 = 1918 !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 More from Cadbury Bassett Cadbury Bassett site says 1918 also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Previously called Victory Babies according to this. Cadbury Bassett site says 1918 also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardB Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 1936 ... If this is correct we could arrange some sums to practise on. 2011-75 = 1918 !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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