Crawford's Biscuits

Crawford's Biscuits is a long-established British company, which at its peak was Britain's fourth largest biscuit manufacturer. It survives as the economy sister company to McVitie's.

A Crawford's custard cream

History

In 1856 William Crawford (1818–1889) bought an established bakery at 31 The Shore, Leith from Robert Mathie (1789–1863). The bakery specialised in Ships' biscuits and had been established in 1813, with Mathie taking it over in 1817.[1]

Crawford wished to expand the business and set up a retail outlet at 14 Leith Street (which links Leith Walk to Princes Street) in 1861, relocating to the exclusive address of 2 Princes Street in 1866. In 1879 they built a large purpose built factory on Elbe Street in Leith.[2]

William's eldest son, William Crawford (1858–1926), became a partner of the business in 1880 and expanded it further. It was then known as Crawford ans Sons.

In 1897 William's two younger brothers, Archibald Inglis Crawford and James Shields Russel Crawford, set up a major new factory in Liverpool and trade in England was greatly expanded. This huge factory, the Fairfield Works, stands on Binns Road and was designed their architect brother, Alexander Hunter Crawford in 1895, taking two years to build.[3] The Liverpool factory was highly mechanised, allowing creation of more elaborate biscuit designs, in particular the Custard cream which promptly became one of Britain's most popular biscuits.[4]

At the time of his death in 1889, William lived with his family at North Trinity House in the suburb of Trinity just west of Leith. The original shop premises on The Shore survived until the First World War.[5] William the son moved out of Trinity to 16 Spylaw Road in the southern suburbs.[6]

In 1927 Crawfords were one of the first factories to provide employees with their own social club and sports facilities: at Sandown Hall in nearby Wavertree.[7]

In 1948 the company merged with McVities under the new umbrella of United Biscuits but both retaining their own identity.

The Elbe Street factory was expanded and modernised in the 1950s but demolished in the 1990s when housing in Leith's former industrial areas started to change the area. Around 200 people lost their jobs.

Products

The company is especially known for its shortbread, which Crawfords call Shortcake. Other products include:

Under the umbrella of United Biscuits the Fairfield works now makes Penguin biscuits and Bandits.

References
  1. "Crawfords biscuits history". Let's Look Again. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  2. Edinburgh Post Offivcer Directories 1866 , 1879
  3. Dictionary of Scottish Architects: A H Crawford
  4. Daily Mail (newspaper), 7 April 2020
  5. Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1889
  6. Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1911
  7. "Liverpool Picturebook". liverpoolpicturebook.com. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
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