Spangles and Smarties: Black Country Living Museum is looking for your sweet memories!

Black Country Living Museum is currently collecting items related to confectionery from the 1940s to the 1960s as part of it's BCLM: Forging Ahead development. Did you have a sweet tooth in the post-war period? If so, they need your help!

Rhys Beardmore | Monday 18th July 2022 3:23pm

BCLM's Forging Ahead development includes the ambitious creation of a new historic town, complete with buildings set in eras ranging from the 1940s to the 1960s. Amongst others, these buildings will include Halesowen & Hasbury Co-operative (set in the 1940s), Burgin's Newsagents (set from the 1950s-60s) and Spring Hill Post Office (set in the 1960s). A common theme amongst these shops is that they would all have sold sweets and confectionery to the young (and young at heart!) in the post-war period.

To properly furnish the buildings and set the story for their visitors, BCLM is looking for donations related to sweets and confectionery from the 1940s to 60s. They are particularly looking for any examples of the sweets in their original paper packaging, as they are proving to be a very rare find.

There are several brands the Museum is keen to represent in their new development. These include items from world-renowned companies such as 'Cadburys', 'Rowntrees' and 'Mars', right through to smaller companies such as 'Barker & Dobson' and 'Callard & Bowser'. A particularly valued brand that BCLM is looking to acquire examples of is 'Spangles', a fruit-flavoured sweet manufactured by the 'Mars' confectionary company. The sweets were reportedly the favourite of Black Country footballer, Duncan Edwards, who frequently visited Burgin's newsagents with his father before World War II.

As well as original examples of the sweets themselves, the Museum would also gratefully receive any packaging, advertising, or related memorabilia to confectionery around this time. Do you have anything they may find useful? Perhaps you or someone you know worked at or owned a sweetshop between the 1940s-60s? If so, please do get in touch with their Forging Ahead team at collections@bclm.com or call 0121 557 9643.

(Image courtesy of the Black Country Living Museum)

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