Misplaced Pages

#923076

46-700: The Nabisco Shredded Wheat Factory is a disused factory which formerly produced variants of the shredded wheat breakfast cereal in Welwyn Garden City , in the United Kingdom. It was designed by architect Louis de Soissons to encourage companies to establish factories in the industrial areas of garden cities . The design of the Welwyn Garden City factory was inspired by an existing one in Niagara Falls , USA, also operated by

92-518: A bowl with four Shredded Wheat and the caption "I bet he drinks Carling Black Label." After Henry Perky died in 1906 and the patent on his Shredded Wheat biscuit expired in 1912, John Harvey Kellogg saw that as an opportunity for Kellogg's to sell its own version of the product. Kellogg obtained a patent on the biscuit in 1915, and Kellogg's Shredded Wheat was born. This provoked National Biscuit Company to sue Kellogg for trademark infringement, attempting to enjoin him from using Shredded Wheat as

138-567: A local landmark and are listed structures. The first 18 storage units were completed in 1926 with a further 27 constructed in 1938; in both instances they were built by Peter Lind & Company of London who continues in business today. In 1988, Nabisco sold the UK site to Rank Hovis McDougall (who made own-label cereals for supermarkets), whose breakfast cereals division briefly became the Shredded Wheat Company . In 1990, RHM sold

184-437: A mixed–use development in 2017 which included the construction of up to 850 homes, development of urban green spaces , and the restoration and conversion of the 18 original silos into commercial buildings. Spenhill subsequently sold the site to two property development businesses. Demolition of the newer 1930s silos took place on 17 January 2018 in preparation for future construction work. The current scheme for redevelopment

230-495: A trade name and from manufacturing the cereal in its pillow-shaped form. This series of litigations led to the United States Supreme Court case Kellogg Co. v. National Biscuit Co. in 1938. The Supreme Court ruled that shredded wheat was generic and not trademarkable; and that in any case, when the first patent for shredded wheat machinery expired in 1912, the right to apply the name "shredded wheat" to

276-512: A very young age when he accompanied his father to the 1876–1877 Constantinople Conference and a year later to the Congress of Berlin . Lord Cranborne sat as Conservative Member of Parliament for Darwen , then called North-East Lancashire, from 1885 to 1892. He lost his seat at the general election of the latter year . He was elected for Rochester at a by-election in 1893, continuing as MP there until 1903, when he succeeded his father and

322-580: A whisk broom." However, after co-founding the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company—later the Kellogg Company cereal manufacturer—with his brother Will Keith Kellogg in 1906, John Kellogg observed the success of Perky's product and offered to buy its patent from him, but at too low a price to pique Perky's interest. Premiering to the public at Chicago 's World Columbian Exposition in 1893, shredded wheat cereal

368-400: Is first cooked in water until its moisture content reaches about 50%. It is then tempered , allowing moisture to diffuse evenly into the grain. The grain then passes through a set of rollers with grooves in one side, yielding a web of shredded wheat strands. Many webs are stacked together, and this moist stack of strands is crimped at regular intervals to produce individual pieces of cereal with

414-416: Is most heavily advertised and marketed by Post Consumer Brands , which acquired the product in 1993 through its parent company, Kraft Foods , buying it from its long-time producer Nabisco . Kellogg's sells eight varieties of miniature, or bite-sized, shredded wheat cereal. Manufacturer Barbara's Bakery , a division of Weetabix Limited , also offers a version of plain shredded wheat. In the United Kingdom,

460-521: Is the "Wheat Quarter". Proposals in the January 2021 planning application included the building of 1,220 apartments on the factory site. Critics of the development noted that the ten-storey apartment blocks were significantly larger than a previously enforced five-storey cap, so they would overshadow existing buildings in Welwyn Garden's town centre. The Welwyn Garden City Heritage Trust argued that

506-419: The 1930s and 1950s. The 1937–39 expansion attempted to maintain the visually–appealing elements of the original factory's design, involving the construction of a single–storey production hall and 27 additional silos, increasing the number to 45. Expansions in the 1950s disregarded attempts at maintaining the original factory's aesthetics, with the development of office space and an extension of the factory floor at

SECTION 10

#1732775702924

552-666: The Board of Trade in 1905. In 1903 he was sworn of the Privy Council . In December 1908, he was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Hertfordshire . From 1906, following his uncle, he served as Chairman of the Canterbury House of Laymen. Salisbury played a leading role in opposing David Lloyd George 's People's Budget and the Parliament Bill of 1911 . He commanded the 61st (2nd South Midland) Division in

598-704: The Buffalo Avenue factory was sold. Despite being listed in the National Historic Register in 1974, the Buffalo Avenue plant was demolished in 1976. Production continued at the Rainbow Boulevard plant until it was closed in 2001 as production was consolidated on the Canadian side of the border. In 1920, Henry Perky's son, Scott Henry Perky, developed a round shredded wheat cereal, which he named Muffets. The Muffets Corporation

644-737: The Duchy of Lancaster from 1922 to 1923, as Lord President of the Council from 1922 to 1924, as Lord Privy Seal from 1924 to 1929 and as Leader of the House of Lords from 1925 to 1929 in successive Conservative governments of Bonar Law and Baldwin. He resigned as leader of the Conservative peers in June 1931 and became one of the most prominent opponents of Indian Home Rule in the Lords, supporting

690-528: The Nabisco name until 1999, whereupon it was sold under the slogan "Nabisco brought to you by Post." Canadian production has been at Niagara Falls, Ontario , since 1904 due to nearby hydro-electric power. Shredded Wheat was also produced in Niagara Falls, New York, first at Nabisco's factory on Buffalo Avenue beginning in 1901. In 1954, a new plant on Rainbow Boulevard opened less than a mile away and

736-533: The Shredded Wheat Company of America. Two buildings were operational at the time of its opening: a southern grain silo complex of 18 silos, and a western three–storey production area. Further expansions to the factory took place in the 1930s and 1950s with the construction of 27 additional silos, a new production area, and office space. The factory is considered a local landmark, with its image used heavily in marketing for Shredded Wheat to portray

782-678: The Shredded Wheat brand is owned by Cereal Partners , a Nestlé / General Mills company, although there are many generic versions and variants by different names. It was first made in the United States in 1893, while UK production began in 1926. Henry Perky invented shredded wheat cereal in Denver, Colorado , in 1890, as well as founding the "Cereal Machine Company". In 1895, Perky received United States Patent Number 548,086, dated 15 October 1895. The biscuits proved more popular than

828-567: The UK from September 1915 to December 1916. He continued as a committed and eager member of the Territorial Army : he was Honorary Colonel of 86th (East Anglian) (Hertfordshire Yeomanry) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery , and of 48th (South Midland) Divisional Engineers . In 1917 he was made a Knight Companion of the Garter . He returned to the government in the 1920s and served under Bonar Law and Stanley Baldwin as Chancellor of

874-430: The UK grew sufficiently to warrant the construction of a domestic factory.The Shredded Wheat Company was attracted to the Welwyn Garden site because of its proximity to London, railway access and minimal pollution. The factory was designed by de Soissons between March–July 1924. Inspiration for the Welwyn Garden factory's architecture was taken from the Shredded Wheat Company's Niagara Falls factory. Regardless, de Soissons

920-630: The battalion on the outbreak of World War I . He was also Colonel of the wartime Hertfordshire Volunteer Regiment and Hon Col of the 4th Battalion, Essex Regiment , of the Territorial Force . Lord Salisbury was ADC to Edward VII , and George V until 1929. He served under his father and then his cousin Arthur Balfour as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1900 to 1903, under Balfour as Lord Privy Seal from 1903 to 1905, and as Lord President of

966-715: The campaign waged in the House of Commons by Winston Churchill against the Home Rule legislation. Salisbury was part of two parliamentary deputations which called on the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Neville Chamberlain , in the autumn of 1936 to remonstrate with them about the slow pace of British rearmament in the face of the growing threat from Nazi Germany. The delegation

SECTION 20

#1732775702924

1012-546: The cereal as healthier and more hygienic than alternatives. Some buildings on the site were granted Grade II heritage status by the Department of the Environment on 16 January 1981. Since closing in 2008, there have been proposals to redevelop the factory as a brownfield site for residential and commercial purposes. Parts of the factory have been demolished in preparation for anticipated construction work, including

1058-497: The cost of workers' recreational space. The factory was opened by James Gascoyne-Cecil , the 4th Marquess of Salisbury, in March 1926. Operations were powered with gas from local gasworks . Grain was transported through the factory using vertical elevators. It was washed and passed through a pressure cooker , then shredded with rollers . The shredded grain was moulded into the required shape and finally baked in ovens. Manufacturing

1104-553: The factory and on delivery vans, with an image of the factory on every cereal packet until 1960. The factory was nicknamed "The Wheat". Visitors were invited to view the factory in further support of marketing on its cleanliness. The factory is considered to be a local landmark, and elements of it remain visible to rail passengers travelling on the East Coast Main Line . Parts of the factory were granted Grade II heritage status by Historic England on 16 January 1981, and it

1150-439: The factory's aesthetic was used as a marketing tool. This was achieved through the inclusion of whitewashed concrete and ceramic tiles in the exterior design, as well as its location in a garden city with little pollution. The welfare of the factory workers was also publicized, with recreational facilities such as football pitches and showers available to them upon opening. These details were advertised on cereal packets produced in

1196-557: The lyrics: The Three Shredded Wheat campaign, which came later, suggested that the cereal was so nourishing that it was impossible to eat three. Even a black hole was shown as exploding when the third biscuit was sucked into it. Phrases such as "I bet you can't eat three" and "He must have eaten three" were in common use as humorous remarks in the 1970s and 1980s, with celebrities such as Brian Clough , Peter Shilton , Richard Kiel and Ian Botham all 'unable' to eat three. A later UK poster advertisement for Carling Black Label showed

1242-537: The machines, so Perky moved East and opened his first bakery in Boston , Massachusetts , and then in Worcester, Massachusetts , in 1895, retaining the name of The Cereal Machine Company, and adding the name of the Shredded Wheat Company. Inspired by his observation of a dyspeptic diner blending wheat with cream, he developed a method of processing wheat into strips that were formed into pillow-like biscuits. The wheat

1288-417: The new line format. The factory originally had workers pack the cereal manually with the assistance of electric conveyor belts . In 1960, the packing and quality control process was automated by machinery, reducing the number of workers involved in the packing process from sixteen to six. Shredded wheat cereals were promoted in the UK as a healthy breakfast option produced in a hygienic environment, and

1334-498: The newer 1930s silos. The factory was designed by architect Louis de Soissons , who was responsible for the construction of Welwyn Garden City as a second attempt at developing the garden city concept. As a garden city, de Soissons wanted Welwyn Garden to have both residential and industrial areas to prevent it from becoming a commuter town . Advertisements were distributed in the national media inviting manufacturers to take up residence in Welwyn Garden. The eastern section of

1380-487: The product passed into the public domain along with that patent. Shredded wheat consists entirely of whole wheat . Two biscuits (47 g) contain 160 calories, 1 g of fat and 6 g of dietary fiber (12.8% by weight). James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury , KG , GCVO , CB , PC (23 October 1861 – 4 April 1947), known as Viscount Cranborne from 1868 to 1903,

1426-406: The remaining silos were important to the town's heritage and would be hidden by the new plans. In January 2024 the eleven-acre northern part of the development was bought by Malaysian firm IJM Corporation . The sale included planning permission for 811 apartments and the renovation of listed factory buildings for non-residential purposes. Shredded Wheat In the United States, shredded wheat

Nabisco Shredded Wheat Factory - Misplaced Pages Continue

1472-465: The site in 2008 to lower manufacturing costs by consolidating production lines. Production was moved to Staverton , Wiltshire costing 370 jobs. There have been various attempts at redevelopment . It was first sold in 2008 to Spenhill , who initially attempted to build a Tesco superstore . The plans included a controversial demolition of all the factory's silos, and planning permission was eventually refused in 2012. The firm later gained permission for

1518-415: The site to Cereal Partners . Since 2007, all Shredded Wheat is made at Staverton , Wiltshire, and the Welwyn Garden City site was shut in 2008. The "Bitesize", "Fruitful" and "Honey Nut" Shredded Wheat variants are also made in the UK. Shredded Wheat has a particular place in UK popular culture due to a long-running television advertising campaign. The campaign in the 1970s featured Linda Hoyle , singing

1564-494: The south of the site and the other to the west. The southern building houses the factory's grain silos . On opening, there were eighteen silos in three rows of six, with a maximum capacity of 5,700 tons of grain. The silos are over 100 feet (30 m) tall and covered by an "attic storey". The western building is a three–storey structure which was used as a production hall. Its multi-storey design incorporates reinforced columns to create large amounts of floor and ceiling space; this

1610-804: The strands attached at each end. These then go into an oven, where they are baked until their moisture content is reduced to 5%. Perky first sold his shredded wheat cereal to vegetarian restaurants in 1892, distributing it from a factory in Niagara Falls, New York . A health-oriented publication, The Chicago Vegetarian , recommended the use of shredded wheat biscuits as soup croutons. At the same time, Perky leased cereal-manufacturing machines to bakers in Denver and Colorado Springs through his Cereal Machine Company and sold wheat processors. One of his wheat-processor buyers, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg , admired Perky's manufacturing process for his shredded wheat cereal. Kellogg declined to purchase Perky's patent on it, however, considering it too weak in taste, "like eating

1656-457: The town was assigned as its industrial district and multiple factories, including Shredded Wheat opened on Broadwater Road. Shredded Wheat breakfast cereals were originally produced in the United States. The Shredded Wheat Company of America first arrived in the United Kingdom in 1908 with offices in Aldwych , London and began exports to the country later that year. Demand for the cereal within

1702-690: The transport Goorkha , with Lord Cranborne as the senior officer in command, arriving in Cape Town the following month. He received the Queen's South Africa Medal and was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) for his service during the war. In July 1902 he received the Honorary Freedom of the borough of Hertford in recognition of his service during the war. He was still in command of

1748-556: Was a British statesman. Born in London, Salisbury was the eldest son of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury , who served as British Prime Minister, by his wife Georgina ( née Alderson). The Right Reverend Lord William Cecil , Lord Cecil of Chelwood and Lord Quickswood were his younger brothers, and Prime Minister Arthur Balfour his first cousin. He was educated at Eton and University College, Oxford , graduating BA in 1885. He started public life early, being of

1794-673: Was elevated to the House of Lords . On 29 October 1892, Lord Cranborne was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 4th (Militia) Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment , (formerly the Hertfordshire Militia ) of which his father was Honorary Colonel . Cranborne was in command when the battalion saw active service in South Africa from March to November 1900, during the Second Boer War . The battalion, numbering 24 officers and 483 men, left Queenstown on 27 February in

1840-531: Was expanded to other shredded wheat products throughout the factory's tenure, such as "Small Shredded Wheat" in 1939 and Shreddies in 1953. Products which were not variants of shredded wheat were later introduced, including cake mixes in 1955 and Ritz crackers in 1961. This led to a reorganisation of the factory floor from its original "U-shape" to more a more complex line structure. Despite good sales, some products, including Golden Nuggets , were discontinued due to high production costs and an incompatibility with

1886-513: Was led by Sir Austen Chamberlain , a former Foreign Secretary and its most prominent speakers included Winston Churchill , Leo Amery and Roger Keyes . The Marquess of Salisbury was Lord High Steward at the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937. Lord Salisbury married Lady Cicely Alice Gore (born 15 July 1867, died 5 February 1955), second daughter of Arthur Gore, 5th Earl of Arran , on 17 May 1887 at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster . Between 1907 and 1910 she served as

Nabisco Shredded Wheat Factory - Misplaced Pages Continue

1932-524: Was sold to the Quaker Oats Company in 1927. The cereal is still marketed in Canada as Muffets, but in the U.S. is now sold as Quaker Shredded Wheat. The original company opened a factory in Welwyn Garden City , Hertfordshire, in 1926 at which time Welgar was its registered trade mark, which became part of Nabisco in 1928. The tall concrete cereal silos that formed part of the factory are

1978-532: Was still responsible for the designs of the boiler house, garage and wheat elevators . Construction had begun by May 1924, with an application for planning permission submitted retrospectively in July. The modern architecture of the factory buildings contrasted with the Georgian style de Soissons used for the rest of Welwyn Garden. There are two main concrete structures supported by steel reinforcements : one to

2024-557: Was the entry for 1926 in the Twentieth Century Society 's book 100 Buildings 100 Years . The Shredded Wheat Company of America was acquired by the National Biscuit Company in 1928, later abbreviated to Nabisco. The factory was an important local employer, with many locals working there or knowing people employed by it. The factory was acquired by Cereal Partners Worldwide in 1990, who closed

2070-455: Was then manufactured by The Natural Food Company in Niagara Falls, New York , in 1901. It became the Shredded Wheat Company in 1904. It was bought by Nabisco (National Biscuit Company) in December 1928. United States production of Shredded Wheat moved to Naperville, Illinois , in 1954, where it is still made. In 1993, Nabisco sold the brand to Kraft General Foods , but it was still under

2116-470: Was to help support a planned extension of the building by an additional two additional stories that was ultimately not pursued. Furthermore, it allowed for the installation of a large quantity of windows on the outside walls to let in natural light, however this led to heat and light problems during the building's tenure. The silos were built by Peter Lind & Company Ltd. and the other buildings by Messrs. F.P. Henderson Ltd. Further developments took place in

#923076