Frank Cooper's is a British brand of
marmalades and
jams owned by
Hain Daniels. Frank Cooper's is known primarily for its "Oxford" Marmalade and holds a
Royal Warrant.
The brand was created by
Sarah Cooper in 1874 and as of 2012 is a brand of
Hain Celestial Group.
History
1874-1919; early history
Francis Thomas Cooper (1811–1862) was originally a hatter and
hosier with a shop at 46
High Street, Oxford
The High Street in Oxford, England, known locally as the High, runs between Carfax, generally seen as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east.
Overview
The street has been described by Nikolaus Pevsner as "''one of the world ...
.
He then became an agent for Ridgeway's Tea and in about 1845 converted his shop into a grocery.
[
In 1856][ F.T. Cooper paid £2,350 for the remainder of a forty-year lease on Nos. 83 and 84 High Street,] which were opposite his earlier premises. He ran 84 as a grocery shop and his family home. In 1867 his son, Frank Cooper (1844–1927) inherited the business and expanded the shop into No. 83 next door.[
In 1874 Frank Cooper's wife Sarah-Jane (1848–1932), made of marmalade to her own recipe.][ The marmalade proved popular, and until 1903 was made at 83–84 High Street.][Woolley, 2010, page 91] Frank Cooper then moved production to a new purpose-built factory at 27 Park End Street.[ He retained the High Street premises as a shop until 1919, when he sold it to Twinings.][
]
1920-1950; Park End Street factory
The Park End Street factory was designed by Oxford architect Herbert Quinton and built by long-established local builder Thomas Henry Kingerlee.[ The four-storey, factory had separate floors for cutting fruit and bottling the finished product, and the third floor included a separate cloakroom and staff dining room for employees.][ Boiling the marmalade and jam was in a separate building at the back of the yard behind the main factory.][ Quinton designed the premises in compliance with the Factory and Workshop Act 1901, and the difficulty of complying with the Act at 83–84 High Street may have prompted the building of the new factory.][
The factory was strategically sited close to the stations and goods yards of both the ]London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the LNWR was the largest joint stock company in the world.
Dubbed the "Premier Line", the LNWR's main line connec ...
at Rewley Road and the Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...
in Botley Road, making the delivery of fruit and sugar, distribution of marmalade and jam and business travel for company personnel, suppliers and trade customers as efficient as possible. Success of the business led to expansion of the factory in 1912, 1915, 1924 and 1925,[Woolley, 2010, page 94] using land between the 1903 building and the corner of Hollybush Row.
Frank Cooper's marmalade was especially popular with dons and students in Oxford University
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
.[ It was taken to ]Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
on Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott (6 June 1868 – ) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–04 and the Terra Nova Expedition ...
's expedition to the South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is the point in the Southern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True South Pole to distinguish ...
.[ A jar was found buried in the ice many years after the ill-fated expedition.][
In Arthur Ransome's children's book '' Missee Lee'', Miss Lee, the leader of the Chinese pirates, had been educated at ]Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
but learned to enjoy Cooper's Oxford Marmalade. As she says 'We always eat Oxford marmalade at Cambridge. Better scholars, better professors at Cambridge but better marmalade at Oxford.'
1951 to present; Further moves and takeover
After the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Frank Cooper's bought the site of the ice rink and Majestic Cinema west of the railway stations on the north side of Botley Road.[ A new factory was built on the site and the ]company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
moved production there from Park End Street.
The company also manufactured mint sauce and horseradish sauce in a separate building at the side of the Bulstake stream. In the summer months, they replaced marmalade production with fruit jams, such as strawberry. Both marmalade and jam could also be purchased in “fancy jars”, two sizes of china jars with matching lids, painted with designs such as “crinoline ladies”.
Brown & Polson Ltd. bought Frank Cooper's in 1964 and moved production away from Oxford in 1967,[ but retained the "Oxford" name for the marmalade.]
Some time between 1984 and 1987 Frank Cooper's again leased 84 and 85 High Street, running 85 as a museum and 84 as a shop until about 1990.[ Since 2001, 84 High Street has been marked by an Oxfordshire Blue Plaque commemorating Sarah Cooper's inception of Oxford Marmalade.]
The former factory at 27 Park End Street (now part of Frideswide Square
Frideswide Square is a Town square, square to the west of central Oxford, England. The square is named after the patron saint of Oxford, St Frideswide.
The "square" is actually more of a tapered rectangle in shape. Immediately to the north, th ...
) survives and is a listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.[ It is now called "The Jam Factory" and houses an arts centre, restaurant, and bar. "The Jam Factory" also houses Guardian Award-winning charity, "My Life My Choice" run by and for people with learning disabilities.
]Heinz
The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. ...
purchased Frank Cooper's in 1997. It was later sold to Rank Hovis McDougall which was acquired by Premier Foods
Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The group owns many well-known brands, including Mr Kipling, Ambrosia (food), Ambrosia, Bird's Custard, Angel Delight, Homepride cooking sauces, J. Lyons ...
in 2006. The brand was again sold in 2012, this time to Hain Celestial Group.
Literature and popular culture
Oxford marmalade was mentioned by John Betjeman (1906–1984) in his poetry. It was also consumed by character James Bond in the 1964 spy film '' From Russia with Love''.
References
Sources and further reading
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External links
Premier Foods: Frank Cooper's
{{portal bar, Food
Culture in Oxford
History of Oxford
Food brands of the United Kingdom
Premier Foods brands
Food and drink companies established in 1874
Marmalade
1874 establishments in England
Burials in Oxfordshire
Burials at Wolvercote Cemetery