EDWARDIAN RUBBER PRODUCTS
Posted by STEVE M on
I thought that perhaps today's blog entry might be historical and factual, yet frivolous too! For your delectation then I present the following Edwardian advertisement - not radio or valve related I know - by The North British Rubber Company: -
What a wonderful contraption and following recent events, I can think of someone I would happily demonstrate this fascinating devices usage on and not to keep them warm with either!
The North British Rubber Company was situated in Edinburgh, Scotland and was started in 1855 by an American chap who brought the technology for working and forming rubber to the United Kingdom. Some of you may be thinking . " Well fancy that, I've never heard of them" but they were a large concern and in their heydey employed nearly 5000 people making not only hot water bottles but car tyres and even rubberised cloth for the production of barrage baloons, yes, some 225,000,000 yards of it during WW2.
You will however have heard of the company after it changed it's name in 1965 to Uniroyal. I am sure you will also have heard of or indeed even posess a pair of Hunter Wellington Boots, the Prince of wellies with their traditional logo proudly embazoned on the front upper of each boot, as yes, these too were manuafctured by North British Rubber/Uniroyal.
LIke most things in life, all good things come to pass and North British Rubber/Uniroyal, closed it's Edinburgh factory doors for the last time in 1973, however, their legacy lives on and today, you can still buy a pair of Hunter brand Wellington boots but alas, they will have been made in China.