Barratt (confectionery)

History

George Osborne Barratt launched a confectionery business in 1848 with a single sugar boiler at 32 Shepherdess Walk in Hoxton. The venture quickly expanded, prompting the purchase of adjacent properties. Barratt himself used a pony and trap to deliver and advertise his sweets around London; later, his eldest son, George, took over those rounds, while the founder spent the next two decades covering much of the country. A key to the company’s growth was a toffee called ‘stickjaw’, reportedly created by accident, which became a hit with children.

Once the Hoxton site became too small, the firm moved to a former piano factory on Mayes Road in Wood Green, owned by a Mr Ivory, with the first building ready in 1882. By 1904, despite a serious fire on 18 October 1899 that razed five buildings, eight structures stood on nearly five acres. Two years later, around 2,000 workers produced 350 tonnes of sweets weekly, making Barratts the world’s largest confectionery maker. The business became a limited company in 1909, valued at £330,000.

George Osborne’s youngest son, Albert, served as chairman and managing director from 1911 to 1921; he was knighted in 1922 and died on 28 November 1941. Barratt & Co. Ltd. was bought by Bassett’s in a friendly takeover in 1966, then by Cadbury Schweppes in 1989, and since 2008 has been part of Tangerine Confectionery. The Barratt brand was revived in 2018. The Wood Green site closed in 1980 and is now home to The Chocolate Factory. Bruce Castle Museum in Haringey holds a collection of old photographs, brochures, and letters from former employees.

Product lines

In the early days the product range was mainly boilings such as butter, raspberry and ginger toffees, later including Almond Rock, Brandy Snaps, Stickjaw, Coffee Almonds, Brandy Nips, Ching Chang Marbles and Coker Tines. Tichborne Rock, a pulled rock incorporating the figure of Sir Roger Tichborne, was displayed with a card reading 'Crack the rock where’re you will / You'll find Sir Roger in it still' and was said to be the most talked-about line of confectionery Mr Barratt ever invented.

In the 1880s came Yankee Panky (a low-boiled sweet wrapped in wax paper, an industry first), Rose Pastilles and Refresher Sticks. Black Jack and Fruit Salad appeared in 1920, followed by Sherbet Fountain in 1925. By the 1950s Barratt's produced some 200 lines of confectionery from seven types of manufacture. Tangerine Confectionery's reintroduced Barratt brand portfolio includes DipDab, Refreshers, Nougat, Sherbet Fountain, Fruit Salad, Black Jack, Wham, Refreshers Softies and Fruit Salad Softies; the modern Sherbet Fountain introduced in 2009 was not to everyone's satisfaction.