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We have had lots of lovely comments about the fascinating History of Sweets article written by Peter McGeehan owner of Ye Olde Toffee Shoppe who could easily be known as Horwich ' s very own Willy Wonka , his knowledge of Sweets is truly scrumptious … And here is the final part of Peter ' s history of sweets all wrapped up for you to enjoy ! As we know sugar cannot be grown in Britain . However , in the areas capable of growing sugar cane , as early as 1750 there were 120 refining plants producing 3,000 tons , annually . However , it was a very expensive commodity . In 1816 , the Government decided to tax this import , now called ' White Gold ' it certainly proved to be a goldmine for the Government , by raising £ 3,000,000 in taxes . Public pressure , or more likely big business pressure , forced the Government to abolish the Sugar Tax , making sugar affordable to all . The high price of sugar in the early 1800 ' s brought about unintended consequences on Bradford Market . It was common practice with many traders to mix sugar with cheap fillers , such as limestone or plaster of Paris , to increase profitability . Unfortunately , a market trader , called Willy , later to become known as ' Humbug Willy , mixed some thickener called
' Daft ,' with his sugar . On this occasion it contained arsenic . The result of this disastrous mistake was that 20 people died and 200 were seriously ill after eating Willy ' s humbugs . As a result of this event , the Government brought in legislation to control the ingredients and storage of goods for pharmacies , thus cutting off access to dangerous substances . Along with this development and the abolition of the tax , sugar became a cheap everyday item in the household . Sweets , as we know them today , didn ' t come about until the 19th Century . Machinery enabled large scale manufacturing and of course , more varieties were created . Many of the most popular sweets of today were invented around 100 years ago , and haven ' t been improved upon . The earliest sweets were boiled and remain popular today . Copper pans were used to boil the mixture which would then be poured onto steel tables to cool before being stretched , rolled and given air , to change the colour . It was then pulled into shape and cut accordingly . Blackpool Rock is still produced using this method today . The Victorian era saw the introduction of specialist sweet shops . Walls lined with oak shelving from the floor to ceiling , stacked high with every variety of sweets and chocolates imaginable . A wonderful place for children and a social gathering place for ladies to gossip . Sweets were weighed out in ounces and it was possible for a child to by 1oz of sweets . A popular Victorian sweet was called ' Kelly in a Coffin ,' and featured the figure of an infant in a coffin Victorian humour was very strange ! There was a challenge to the sweet tooth market in the form of chocolate . In 1824 , John Cadbury opened his first shop in Birmingham . However , at this time chocolate was for drinking and it was rather like ' A going to the pub ' experience . It wasn ' t until 1857 that the first chocolate bars appeared and , of course as you would expect when a great idea is marketed , there were some rivals in the market place , initially from Frys and Rowntrees . The pre-war rivalry between these three companies inspired Roald Dhal ' s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory story . The Victorian-style sweet shop didn ' t have it all their own way either . Woolworth ' s stores had large areas for pick and mix sweets in their department stores . And shelves full of chocolate bars and prepacked sweets . Often the main windows were ablaze with colour , due to massive displays of sweets and chocolate . Woolworth opened its first large store in Liverpool , in 1909 and soon the stores became a familiar sight in large towns and city centres . Sweets at this time were Tuppence ( 2 pence ) per quarter , half-pound chocolate bars tupppenceha ' penny , ( 2 and a half pence ) and Milady sweets dominated the early 1900s market . Examples of early Woolworth ' s prices were , Buttered Brazils 4d per quarter , Devon Toffee 3d per quarter , Supreme Chocolate Toffee 3d per quarter , and weighed boiled sweets 2d per quarter . By 1930 Woolworths dominated the sweet market . Rationing operated from 1942 to 1953 . This affected the market , but after 1953 , there was an explosion in the sweet market . The famous Everton Mint brand was introduced by Old Ma Bushell , at her shop outside the Everton football ground . The shop was called Ye Ancient Everton Toffee House . It was she who invented the Everton Toffee . The toffees were sold to the crowds at matches . Unfortunately , the Everton team re-located , which left Ma Bushell high and dry . She managed to secure a deal with the club to continue to sell to the crowds inside the new stadium . The tradition can still be seen on match days , when ladies and girls , dressed in Victorian costume , throw toffees into the crowd . Enter Mother Noblett , who had a toffee shop near the new stadium . She invented Everton mints , also very popular today , with all the toffee and mint competition , and crowd participation , earned the team the nickname of ' The Toffees .' With the rise of the supermarket , the small traders suffered , which has made the specialist sweet shops quite rare nowadays . Some medium sized businesses have experimented with ultra modern sweet shops and franchises , but many fail in the first year to eighteen months . There is still a place for old fashioned sweet shop , which has the style and ambience of days gone by . They appeal still to old and young alike . The supermarkets play an important part in modern shopping needs , but the experience is pure shopping , without the slower paced , personal service , which certainly still has its part to play . To wrap up this selection here are some mouth watering facts about sweets . Gob stoppers have 1000 layers of sugar . 60 million Mars Bars are sold each year . Liquorice Allsorts came about by accident , when a Salesman dropped his samples and hurriedly mixed them up before his presentation .
For more delicious sweets call at Ye Olde Toffee Shoppe 58 Lee Lane , Horwich 01204 694371 or visit www . yeoldetoffeeshoppe . co . uk
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