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Huntley & Palmers biscuit tins were as highly prized as the products they contained and today they are collectors items. From miniature replicas of vehicles to tins that could be re-used as household objects, there were no limits to their ingenuity. However the tins were originally created for a more practical use - the airtight storage of biscuits so that they could be transported to distant customers and stay oven-fresh and unbroken.
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Garden Roller, 1913 |
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The Founding of Huntley, Boorne & Stevens
Joseph Huntley used the position of the bakery on the busy London to Bath road to his advantage and the shop quickly developed a good name with hungry coach travellers. The potential to sell biscuits further afield was soon realised and in 1832 Joseph Huntleys younger son, also Joseph, began making tin boxes in his ironmonger's shop which stood opposite the London Street bakery.
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The First Tins
The first tins to be made were large, square, 10lb tins which Huntley & Palmers then labelled. These were made by hand and cut from standard-sized sheets of tinplate weighing 115lb. A trained box maker could make about a hundred per day and it was not long before demand outstripped supply.
Huntley & Palmers also made square 7lb shop display tins with glass lids. The biscuits were then sold directly from the tins and the grocer would weigh out the required quantity of biscuits into a paper bag.
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7lb Iced Wafer, around 1950 |
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Not Quite Square
When Huntley & Palmers began to use the railways to transport their biscuits, they found that the square tins did not fit well into the Great Western Railway's goods carriages. Later versions of these tins were produced with one side slightly longer than the other in order to fit in the carriages.
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Garter & Buckle
The garter and buckle trade mark was devised in 1851 by Owen Jones. This design became the distinctive mark of Huntley & Palmers and was recognised throughout the world. The Iced Wafer shop display tin above bears this trade mark.
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The First Tins
Tin Printing
