The Flickr Cooperativewholesalesociety Image Generatr

One of many such 'give-away' items produced by the Co-operative Wholesale Society, the production arm of Britain's many co-operative retail societies, that would have been handed out at events or stores. It is a small format booklet, cheaply printed, with a colour cover showing a packet of the C.W.S. Sutox brand of shredded beef suet and pages of recipes using the ingredient. The booklet was, of course, printed at the CWS's own printing works at Longsight in Manchester.

Beef suet was a common larder commodity even in my childhood days and, for my family in Lancashire, a staple of many meals especially suet puddings and dumplings. As the booklet says; Suet for health and nourishment.

One of many such 'give-away' items produced by the Co-operative Wholesale Society, the production arm of Britain's many co-operative retail societies, that would have been handed out at events or stores. It is a small format booklet, cheaply printed, with a colour cover showing a packet of the C.W.S. Sutox brand of shredded beef suet and pages of recipes using the ingredient. The booklet was, of course, printed at the CWS's own printing works at Longsight in Manchester.

Beef suet was a common larder commodity even in my childhood days and, for my family in Lancashire, a staple of many meals especially suet puddings and dumplings. As the booklet says; Suet for health and nourishment.

One of many such 'give-away' items produced by the Co-operative Wholesale Society, the production arm of Britain's many co-operative retail societies, that would have been handed out at events or stores. It is a small format booklet, cheaply printed, with a colour cover showing a packet of the C.W.S. Sutox brand of shredded beef suet and pages of recipes using the ingredient. The booklet was, of course, printed at the CWS's own printing works at Longsight in Manchester.

Beef suet was a common larder commodity even in my childhood days and, for my family in Lancashire, a staple of many meals especially suet puddings and dumplings. As the booklet says; Suet for health and nourishment. This sample page shows a recipe for C.W.S. Cake.

A brochure issued by the builders George Wimpey & Co. Ltd on behalf of the Housing Committee of the County Borough of Southampton in 1960 to mark the Northam Comprehensive Re-Development Scheme. The new housing estate, dominated by the sixteen storey Millbank House, was constructed following the Corporation's compulsory purchase order in 1956 that designated the area as being of poorer quality, life expired housing that had also suffered from war damage.

Southampton's earlier municipal housing schemes had seen suburban estates constructed on the periphery of the town (Southampton became a city in 1964); this scheme was closer into to the city centre and the new scheme, to accomodate 1652 persons in 498 dwellings along with a shopping centre, was overseen by the Borough's Engineer and Surveyor's Department on behalf of the Housing Department.

It was the Chairman of that Committe, Councillor R. Burns, who presided over the opening of Millbank House at 11.30 am on the morning of Tuesday 1 November 1960 when the Mayor, Councillor W. Greenaway, formally opened the block. I suspect the guests were given opportunity to view the Show Flat Number 2 that had been, as described in one of the advert, furnished by the Southampton Co-Operative Society with their range of CWS Zodiac furniture. Other adverts include those of the builders Wimpey who had also built 2,000 other council homes for the County Borough. A stapled sheet gives further details from the Borough Engineer and Surveyor, F. L. Wooldridge, and the various contract and unit prices for the scheme; it came in at about £1,205,615 to cover the tower block, the surrounding maisonette blocks, new shops and garages.

This advert, issued by the city's Co-operative Society, shows the use of CWS "Zodiac" furniture used in a show flat in Millbank Tower. Zodiac Furniture was manufactured by the Co-operative Wholesale Society who had started cabinet making in their Birmingham workshops in 1893. However much production was transferred to a new factory in Enfield, Middlesex, in 1931. The Southampton Society's new "Co-operative Central Store", constructed to replace their earlier buildings that had been lost in the wartime Blitz, are also shown.

Headquartered in Corporation Street, Manchester, the Co-operative Wholesale Society was once the world’s largest consumer-owned business. It has evolved into today’s Co-operative Group, the product of the merger of many independent retail co-operative societies and their wholesale societies and federations. The Grade II Listed building of 1911 is currently being repurposed.

The Rochdale Pioneers Museum - Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

The Rochdale Pioneers Museum - Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

A plate from one of the many 'Caxton' books on trades and professions that were intended to allow a degree of 'self learning' often alongside Evening or distance learning courses. This deals with Modern Grocery Display and is sub-titled 'a practical work on window dressing and interior display'.

Amongst the various plates and images is this fine frontispiece showing a Co-operative Society shop window display. The Co-operative Wholesale Society, owned by the various subscribing retail local Co-operative Societies, provided many services to member socities and this included a vast array of products and manufacturing. The CWS opened a mararine works at Higher Irlam, to the west of Manchester, in 1917 at a time of a higher demand for edible fats; margarine was seen as an acceptable substitute for butter 'for the working classes'. The Works was close to the CWS's Soap and Candle Works and the chemical processes involving hydrogenation are in some ways allied and indeed prior to the opening of the works Co-op Margarine was made in plant in the Soap Works. The Margarine Works stayed in production until 1995 but the main building has been preserved for new uses.

The window display shows the Co-op's margarine brand "Silver Seal" in various weights and prices along with the 'free deal'; a packet of Sutox Shredded Suet with today's purchase of Silver Seal. It is all set amongst 'English" roses and spring flowers no doubt to give a representation of the purity and freshness of the product!

A remarkable spirally bound landscape book full of the 'learn to cook with Patsy' cartoon strip that it appears the Daily Mirror ran in post-war years to help new cooks navigate their way through not only unfamiliar recipes but post-war rationing and shortages. The comic strip approach covers many areas of both cooking, with a variety of recipes, but also other home and domestic issues. The premise is that Patsy got married to Peter in 1946 and, towards the end of the book, Patsy and Peter are new parents and so strips dedicated to bringing up baby.

The book also contains a series of full page colour adverts, no doubt intended to offset the production and cost; the book retailed at 5/- (Five Shillings). It was produced by Mirror Features, part of the Daily Mirror Newspaper Group and it is curiously anonymous apart from the name "Dunkley" hidden on the front cover. This will be Jack Dunkley (1906 - 1994) who worked for the Mirror group for many years. As well as Patsy he drew 'Mr. Digwell', a gardening strip, and is often recalled for his long running cartoon strip "The Larks".

This advert, also in cartoon strip style, is for the Co-operative Wholesale Society's own brand of flour known as Federation Flour and that was milled at the CWS's own flour mills. It was primarily sold through the many retail Co-operative Societies who were 'federated' to the CWS, the Manchester based wholesale society, purveyor of services and manufacturer of a vast array of products, that they owned themselves. It is also a reminder of the social mores of the time; very much a view of a woman's work is baking to satisfy smug hubby!

A charming paper fan issued as an advertising and publicity 'give-away' by the Co-operative Wholesale Society and dating from the 1930s. The C.W.S. was the organisation run by the subscribing retail societies that produced central goods and services on behalf of the Movement and, as seen here, was a major owners of factories, works and estates producting a wide range of goods, from foods to products.

The fan shows five panels showing tea, jam, fish, coal and transport. The Co-op's tea estates in India were part of a joint underaking with the Scottish CWS but the Co-op did own its own collieries - as well as the Printing Works at Longsight in Manchester where this fan was printed and produced. Several preserve and jam factories were operated, including a major one in Middleton, Lancashire, and fish products were produced under the Waverney brand at factories in Lowestoft.

The back of the fan exhorts members to buy the products of the CWS and so enable greater dividend payments and shows the Wheatsheaf symbol that was a de facto 'logo' for the Movement reading 'labour and wait".

A charming paper fan issued as an advertising and publicity 'give-away' by the Co-operative Wholesale Society and dating from the 1930s. The C.W.S. was the organisation run by the subscribing retail societies that produced central goods and services on behalf of the Movement and, as seen here, was a major owners of factories, works and estates producting a wide range of goods, from foods to products.

The fan shows five panels showing tea, jam, fish, coal and transport. The Co-op's tea estates in India were part of a joint underaking with the Scottish CWS but the Co-op did own its own collieries - as well as the Printing Works at Longsight in Manchester where this fan was printed and produced. Several preserve and jam factories were operated, including a major one in Middleton, Lancashire, and fish products were produced under the Waverney brand at factories in Lowestoft.

The back of the fan exhorts members to buy the products of the CWS and so enable greater dividend payments and shows the Wheatsheaf symbol that was a de facto 'logo' for the Movement reading 'labour and wait".

A delightful item of Co-op ephemera and issued to push the sales of the Co-operative Wholesale Society's own goods and services. The Manchester based CWS was the organisation set up by affilicated Co-operative retail societies to produce, obtain and manufacture their own 'brand' of goods and at the time of this item they had over 180 separate factories, works and agricultural estates producing a wide range of foodstuffs and products.

The cover shows the CWS 'Wheatsheaf' that after WW2 would be more genrally adopted as the brand name for many CWS productions. The back cover is an unusual use of a commercial artist by the CWS as this anthropomorphic family of rabbits buying CWS goods is by the prolific artist and designer Harry Rountree (1878 - 1950).

The real treat is when the folder opens as it reveals a die-cut 'ppo-up' Co-op store complete with counter, saleman and shopper. A wide range of CWS goods are advertised including Pelaw Polishes, Avondale and Friary dairy products, CWS Jams, Sauces, Jellies and Pickles, CWS Lowestoft fish products, Co-operative bread and flours and CWS Paint. To add to the effect the lino floor and CWS floor mat (yes, they made their own mats and brushes) is designed to hlep to the look of the store. The banner mentions the important 'divi' or dividend that made membership of a local Co-operative Society a valuable thing.

The folder in the whole is aimed at 'childern who love playing shop' as noted on the interior foldout and this would have been distributed at fairs, fetes or Co-operative events.

A delightful item of Co-op ephemera and issued to push the sales of the Co-operative Wholesale Society's own goods and services. The Manchester based CWS was the organisation set up by affilicated Co-operative retail societies to produce, obtain and manufacture their own 'brand' of goods and at the time of this item they had over 180 separate factories, works and agricultural estates producing a wide range of foodstuffs and products.

The cover shows the CWS 'Wheatsheaf' that after WW2 would be more genrally adopted as the brand name for many CWS productions. The back cover is an unusual use of a commercial artist by the CWS as this anthropomorphic family of rabbits buying CWS goods is by the prolific artist and designer Harry Rountree (1878 - 1950).

The real treat is when the folder opens as it reveals a die-cut 'ppo-up' Co-op storecomplete with counter, saleman and shopper. A wide range of CWS goods are advertised including Pelaw Polishes, Avondale and Friary dairy products, CWS Jams, Sauces, Jellies and Pickles, CWS Lowestoft fish products, Co-operative bread and flours and CWS Paint. To add to the effect the lino floor and CWS floor mat (yes, they made their own mats and brushes) is designed to hlep to the look of the store. The banner mentions the important 'divi' or dividend that made membership of a local Co-operative Society a valuable thing.

The folder inthe whole is aimed at 'childern who love playing shop' as noted on the interior foldout and this would have been distributed at fairs, fetes or Co-operative events.