Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

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Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 167,669 pages of information and 247,074 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

CWS Silvertown Productive Works

From Graces Guide

of Silvertown

part of Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS)

For a long time there was a generalised use of this phrase CWS productive works rather than a reference to specific works, for example:

1898 Lecture on The C.W.S. and its productive works, illustrated by lantern views manipulated by Mr Higginbottam, of the C.W.S. Laboratory, Irlam by Mr Moorhouse[1].

1907 In a discussion on trade unionism it was reported "that the C.W.S. productive works cover a very large number of trades of the most diverse description. They include flour tobacco manufacture, cabinet making. hosiery, soap making. lard refining, biscuit, jam, cocoa, underclothing, and other works"[2]

1914 "... he thought the president of the society, who came from Halifax, might use his influence to get a C.W.S. productive works set up in the town.[3]


of Silvertown, manufacturers of a wide range of products sold through CWS grocery stores

The Silvertown plant was specifically described as the CWS Productive Works:

1904 The Silvertown Grocery Productive Department was opened

1932 CWS Productive Works mentioned.[4]

1936 Expansion planned will take the number of employees from 750 to 1,000.[5]

1937 "Sweets by the ton from the C.W.S. Productive Works, Silvertown." Liquorice All Sorts, Lardon Mixtures, Dainty Bits, Fruit Jewels, Polar Mints, Mintos[6]


See CWS Irlam Soap and Candle Works where it was noted the CWS also had soap works at Silvertown and Dunton-on-Tyne.[7]


See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. Whitchurch Herald 12 February 1898
  2. Yorkshire Factory Times 24 May 1907
  3. Halifax Daily Guardian 27 July 1914
  4. Shipley Times and Express - Saturday 30 April 1932
  5. Eastern Post - Saturday 13 June 1936
  6. Faversham News 11 September 1937
  7. [1] 'Building Co-operation: A Business History of The Co-operative Group, 1863-2013' by John F. Wilson, Anthony Webster, Rachael Vorberg-Rugh, Oxford University Press, 2013