Elizabeth Shaw is a

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

-based company that markets chocolate-based confectionery, including the brands Famous Names chocolate

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...

s and Elizabeth Shaw after dinner

mints A mint or breath mint is a food item often consumed as an after-meal refreshment or before business and social engagements to improve breath odor. Mints are commonly believed to soothe the stomach given their association with natural byproducts ...

. The business was founded in 1881, as H.J. Packer, in Armoury Square, Bristol, but, having outgrown its original premises, moved to a newly built factory in Greenbank, Bristol in 1915. Its fortunes waxed and waned over the next century, being owned by, amongst others,

James Goldsmith Sir James Michael Goldsmith (26 February 1933 – 18 July 1997) was a French-British financier, tycoon''Billionaire: The Life and Times of Sir James Goldsmith'' by Ivan Fallon and politician who was a member of the Goldsmith family. His contr ...

and James (Lord) Hanson. In 2006, faced with the high costs associated with the 330,000 sq feet building, the company relocated its manufacturing to factories in the UK and in mainland Europe, and closed the then 105-year-old factory. In March 2006 Elizabeth Shaw was purchased by Nói Síríus, the largest confectionery manufacturer in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. It was subsequently purchased by a Norwegian company, Imagine Capital.A Sweet Friend of the Icelandic people; Nói Síríus expands beyond domestic shores Vol. 2 3-2006 page 13 October I&I (Issues and Images Iceland) magazine In 2016,

Colian Holding Colian Holding S.A. (from 2014), (until 2011, Jutrzenka Holding S.A.) is a corporate group of enterprises specialised in the food industry controlled by Jan Kolański. The headquarters of the dominating corporate unit is located in Opatówek near ...

, Poland's largest confectionery manufacturer, acquired Elizabeth Shaw from Imagine Capital

Greenbank factory site

Local residents successfully argued against redevelopment of the closed factory into flats and houses. The building, in the eyes of local residents, represented part of the industrial heritage of Bristol. The opposition to this redevelopment was supported by George Ferguson (architect), George Ferguson, whose vision had earlier turned a defunct tobacco factory in Bedminster into one of Bristol's leading artistic and creative venues, called the

Tobacco Factory The Tobacco Factory is the last remaining part of the old W. D. & H. O. Wills tobacco factory site on Raleigh Road, Southville, Bristol. It was saved from demolition by the architect and former mayor of the city George Ferguson (architect), George ...

. However, as of 2012, the building was still standing empty, following the failure of all the parties involved to deliver an acceptable and workable solution for the future use of the building and site. By late 2013 the building had reverted to the

Clydesdale Bank Clydesdale Bank ( gd, Banca Dhail Chluaidh) is a trading name used by Clydesdale Bank plc for its retail banking operations in Scotland. In June 2018, it was announced that Clydesdale Bank's holding company CYBG would acquire Virgin Money for ...

and developments were being planned by the Generator Group. More information is held on the current community group website for the chocolate factory (External Links below). In August 2014, the site's new owners Generator South West look likely to proceed with a new project after holding a public meeting to understand local residents' opinions. The plan is to create open spaces around a development of flats and housing. As of 2016 there have been many problems surrounding the development of this site, namely that developers Generator South West "have asked to be excused from the legal obligation that between 30 and 40 per cent of any development be social housing, on the basis that the extra costs of restoring old, historic buildings makes the plan economically unviable." Community action group ACORN are one of the groups campaigning against this back-tracking on the provision of social housing due to the current housing crisis in Bristol and severe lack of social or affordable housing being built. Developers Generator Group worked with Bristol City Council to ensure that 36 shared ownership homes were created alongside the private housing. The first homes to be built for occupation in 2021 are shared ownership.

References

External links

Elizabeth Shaw's web page

A Short History of the Greenbank Chocolate Factory
John Penny (archived 2016)

Chocolate Memories (archived 2011)

Living Easton * ttp://www.whateversleft.co.uk/industrial/elizabeth-shaw-chocolate-factory-bristol Elizabeth Shaw Chocolate Factory, Bristol Whatever's Left, 6 December 2009
Website for the new community group, ChocBox2 with further news of developments on the siteWebsite for the proposed development by Generator South WestRecords of HJ Packer & Co, Carsons Ltd and Elizabeth Shaw Limited
{{coord, 51, 28, 1, N, 2, 33, 16.2, W, type:landmark_region:GB-BST, display=title Buildings and structures in Bristol Confectionery companies of the United Kingdom Defunct companies based in Bristol Manufacturing companies based in Bristol

Greenbank factory site

Archives

References

External links