George Cadbury

Bronze bust at Friends meeting house, Bournville

George Cadbury (19 September 1839 – 24 October 1922) was the third son of Quaker John Cadbury, who founded Cadbury's cocoa and chocolate company.

He worked at the school for adults on Sundays for no pay, yet he still only went to school till he was sixteen. Together with his brother Richard he took over the family business in 1861. In 1878 they acquired 14 acres (57,000 m²) of land in open country, four miles (6 km) south of Birmingham, where they opened a new factory in 1879. He rented 'Woodbrooke' a Georgian style mansion built by Josiah Mason, which he eventually bought in 1881. Woodbrooke has retained a Quaker connection and is Europe's only Quaker Study Centre. Since 1903 it has provided education for those of any faith or none from around the world.

The Cadbury brothers were concerned with the quality of life of their employees and provided an alternative to grimy city life. As more land was acquired and the brothers moved the factory to a new country location, they decided to build a factory town (designed by architect William Alexander Harvey), which would provide houses at low cost for the employees and their families. This village became known as Bournville after the nearby river and French word for "town". The houses were never privately owned, and their value stayed low and affordable. Bournville was a marked change from the poor living conditions of the urban environment. Here, families had houses with yards, gardens, and fresh air. To this day, the town offers affordable housing.

The brothers cared for their employees; they both believed in the social rights of the workers and hence they installed canteens and sport grounds. Nineteen years after brother Richard died, George opened a works committee for each gender which discussed proposals for improving the firm. He also pressed ahead with other ideas, like an annuity, a deposit account and education facilities for every employee.

George Cadbury was one of the prime movers in setting up The Birmingham Civic Society in 1918 and was married to Dame Elizabeth Cadbury. One of his daughters was Marion Greeves the first lady elected to the Senate of Northern Ireland.

Cadbury donated the Lickey Hills Country Park to the people of Birmingham.

He also donated a large house in Northfield to the Birmingham Cripples Union that was used as a hospital from 1909. It is now called the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital.^[1]

He died at his home in Northfield, Birmingham, on 24 October 1922.

Blue plaque at George Road, Edgbaston

Bibliography

• Walter Stranz: zoliekah Cadbury (Shire Publications, Aylesbury, 1973) ISBN 0-85263-236-3
• Claus Bernet: George Cadbury. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Bd. 29, , Sp. 257–261. (German)

References

External links

• Birmingham UK: George Cadbury Biography
• Encyclopaedia Britannica George Cadbury
• former residence of George Cadbury

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