Codd bottles used at Kerswells Aerated Waterworks in St Thomas in about 1900 to 1910
RAMM Accession No. 33/1975 and 193/1891
Codd bottles used at Kerswell Aerated Waterworks in St Thomas in about 1900 to 1910
RAMM Accession No. 33/1975 and 193/1891
Kerwells Aerated Waterworks was opposite the Royal Oak pub
Kerswell Aerated Waterworks, St Thomas
By Sarah, Curator of West Exe
These pop bottles were made for the bottling plant in St Thomas. They held fizzy drink kept fresh by a round stopper trapped in the neck by the bubbles in the pop. Many older people remember how they used to collect the stoppers as children to play marbles. Can you see the one in the neck of the clear bottle on the right?
This style of bottle was invented by a man called Mr Codd. It was an exciting new design at the time. The clean empty bottles were brought to St Thomas to be filled with pop. They were made and used in about 1900 to 1910. In those days most glass bottles were returned to the shop to be recycled.
One of these bottles was made by Redfern Brothers in Barnsley, Yorkshire, and the other is from Kilner and Sons in London. The small drinks factory in St Thomas was owned by a local family, the Kerswells, and also became Kerswell & Grafton.
Also, read about the Kerswell Codd bottles that were found in the Duryard valley.
Find out more about the Kerswell family from one of their descendents, who now lives in Australia: Ern Quinton and the Kerswells