The Full Entry
St. Martin’s Jam Factory, Ely
Published Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 by Karl Bedingfield
If you go back several decades you may be surprised to learn just how industrious Ely was. It had a well renowned brewery, ‘Ely Ales’ and Ely was also had a major Sugar Beet Factory built in 1928 by Joanness Van Rossum (The factory closed in 1981). And for nearly twenty years (from 1939 to late 1958) Ely had it’s own Jam Factory at the end of Bray’s lane. The factory was called St. Martin’s Jam Factory.
Late last year Ely Online received an email from the nephew of St. Martin’s Jam Factory’s managing director (Arthur Strevens). The email read:
“My uncle, Arthur Strevens, was Managing Director of the St Martin’s Jam Factory for many years in the 40s & 50s. My wife was his executrix, and when he died we ended up with various boxes of records and some small artifacts from the factory (Ely & Grimsby). We were reluctant to throw them away in case they might be of interest to local historians, but never got round to doing anything about it!”
It was quite exciting to receive 2 steel boxes full of documents, photographs, jam labels & the jam recipes. Most of the documents related to the Grimsby factory but there was one brown envelope full of black & white photographs and fortunately some of these photographs were of the Ely factory.
Although Ely Online doesn’t have much in the way of a documented history of Ely’s St. Martins Jam Factory we are happy to produce some photographs that have not been generally available for decades.
A delivery of ‘Chunky’ marmalade in Westend, Ely.
Arthur Strevens in Ely (1951).
Staff at St. Martin’s Jam factory, Ely (1951).
St. Martin’s Jam factory for sale.
St. Martin’s Jam factory for sale.
Photograph’s From St. Martin’s Grimsby Jam Factory
Unfortunately we do not have any photographs of how the Ely factory operated but we do have images from their sister factory in Grimsby. I can only imagine that the same production-line would have been in operation at the Ely factory.
The Jam
The famous ‘Chunky’ marmalade
One of the many brands made at Ely.
One of the many brands made at Ely.
In Memory Of Arthur Strevens
From ‘The Ely Standard’:
The death of Arthur Strevens, ‘Strev’, which occurred on 29 January, may well bring back memories of the St. Martin Preserving Company factory in Brays Lane, where from 1939 to late 1958 he was the General Manager, and later director of the company. St. Martin’s gave employment to many local people, the number of which fluctuated throughout the year. Employment rose during the fresh fruit season and later when mincemeat was needed for Christmas. Then, later still, it peaked when the famous ‘Chunky’ marmalade was made from imported Spanish oranges.
The late fifties saw the beginning of the ‘take-over’ in the manufacturing and distributive food trades and St Martin’s was acquired. It became part of a larger operation, but market pressures led eventually to the closure of its plants in Ely and Maidenhead. Mr. Strevens finally became the General Manager of the T G Tickler factory in Grimsby and retired in the early seventies.
In 1975 Mr. and Mrs. Strevens returned to live in Ely in Cambridge Road, where Mrs. Evelyn Strevens died in 1992.
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At 8:15 pm on February 22nd, 2008, valerie jones wrote:
I have just taken up the hobby of metal detecting. My first dig, yesterday, was very exciting as you can imagine – in my back garden. Guess what I found – a lid of a St. Martin Chunky Marmalade jar. I shall treasure it, although it is a bit worse for wear. It must be 50 years old.
At 11:50 am on February 26th, 2008, Sylvia Bell wrote:
I was so excited to see all this information about Martin’s Jam Factory.
I used to live across the road from it, from about 1949 to 1957, in what was my Grandma’s cottage.
I can still remember the smell from the oranges as they were processed and I also remember the wasps which used to swarm around us all. They packed a sting too.
On hot days, the girls in the canteen, which was at the top of the factory, used to throw down ice creams to my brother and me. The blocks were wrapped in paper and used to hit the ground with a thud. But we always managed to get enough off the paper to eat.
Grandma’s cottage is still there in Bray’s Lane. Number 3. We drive past it every time we visit the UK. Would there be any chance of me getting copies of the photos?
At 7:07 pm on July 22nd, 2008, Brian Lythell wrote:
My father (Charles W Lythell) worked closely with Arthur Strevens both during the days of St Martins at Ely and then subsequently at TG Tickler in Grimsby. He is seen sitting to the left of Arthur Strevens in the group photograph above. I still have a few artifacts from the Ely days and if anyone wishes to make contact I will do my best to provide any additional information, as accurately as possible.
Brian Lythell
At 4:08 pm on August 27th, 2008, Amanda Pyatt wrote:
I was pleased to find this article on line as I have a porcelain pot, the lid of which depicts the front court of Trinity College Cambridge. On the base St. Martins Marmalade is embossed in large letters. I wondered where it was from. It is a local item!
At 11:11 pm on October 9th, 2008, Mr D J Schofield wrote:
I came across your web site whilst looking for any information about a St MARTINS MARMALADE ceramic pot that I have just bought in Salisbury.
If any one can help with dating it or with any other information that would be great.
Here are some details:
White ceramic base being about 5.5″diameter x 2.5″ deep.Embossed St MARTINS MARMALADE.
It has a lid with a wonderful picture of WINDSOR CASTLE with cattle in the for ground.
Regards,
David of Portsmouth.
At 1:23 pm on January 28th, 2009, Max Ofenböck wrote:
Hello,
what exactly means “St. Martin’s Jam factory for sale.”
Actually or was that in the past?
Thank you,
kind regards
Max Ofenböck
At 7:31 pm on January 28th, 2009, Karl Bedingfield wrote:
In the past.
At 3:11 pm on December 29th, 2009, Neil Paffard wrote:
I believe that St Martin (or was it Oxo?)
took over Foster Clark Ltd in Maidstone about 1963. I am interested in Foster Clark history and any information about this era would be welcomed.
Neil Paffard
At 12:17 am on January 25th, 2010, Dr Bruce Osborne wrote:
You may be interested – when collecting archive material for the web site we acquired a 9.5mm family holiday film, probably taken in the 1930s that includes a scene taken against a background of a St Martin Chunky Marmalade advertisement. Out of interest I searched it on google and came across your details. BEO
At 7:38 pm on February 3rd, 2010, Peter Dench wrote:
Delightful images but excuse my ignorance, can the marmalade still be purchased?
At 5:21 am on February 22nd, 2010, Karl Bedingfield wrote:
The marmalade is long gone I’m afraid to say.
At 10:07 pm on May 2nd, 2010, Phil from Fairford wrote:
I recently bought a st martins marmalade pot with newham college on the lid, plus I have trinity college lid only.I would like to know how many were in the series and i presume they were all of cambridge centres of learning, and a rough idea of when they were made.