South Shields Sanddancers Forum

Any memories?

When I was at school, we always joked that if you were very bright, you went to teacher training college, if you were average, you went to the DSS in Longbenton, but if you were thick, you went to Wright's biscuit factory.

That chimney dominated the Stanhope Road/Boldon Lane part of the town for so long, it seemed unthinkable that there'd ever be a time that it wasn't there.

I can remember the Wright's adverts on the sides of vans - a curly-haired boy eating either a fig roll or a ginger snap, on a royal blue background. Looked like a young version of Benny Hill if I remember correctly.

Writing that post has just prompted me to look in Google Images, just on the off-chance...and look what I found!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/480 ... 2e129f.jpg

I think that's a very early version of the 'Biscuit Kid'.

I think the stone steps leading up to the factory are still there. To the right of Landreth House.

My mam would bring home a box of custard creams and other broken biscuits - Lovely

i remember you could a big tin of broken biscuits for five shillings. they used to have a Xmas's party for the workers children's i went to one.

The little boy in the adverts was called Mischief, he would have adventures such as this one http://www.southshields-sanddancers.co. ... scuits.htm They were on cards given away with Wrights own brand wagon wheel type biscuit.

When i was in the forces in GERMANY myself and another cpl wrote a letter to the factory requesting our names put on there notice board for penfriends.we did not get a penfriend. but we did get a box of biscuits each.this was in 1966

I have written on this memory before.

We used to sneak around the back of Wright's, along the railway line to Tyne Dock, past the back of the signal box. If the guy there saw you, he'd chase you away.

We would climb over the back fence, over the barbed wire, onto the roof of some outhouses at the back of the factory, then down a drainpipe - or hang and drop. Those outhouses were full of sacks of "spoiled" biccies! We would stuff ourselves til we were sick of 'em!! At times, we'd hide behind the bags when the watchie with his dog went by - I guess the dog only had a nose for biscuits!!

There'd be all sorts in there - ginger snaps, custard creams, garibaldis, marshmallows. John Hunter used to love them - called 'em Munchmallows!
At Christmas, there'd even be tins of stuff thrown out - probably past it's sell by date. Not that we gave a crap about that!

Then we'd leave with sacks full of crappy biccies, eating them til we couldn't face another one!!!
There's be "slaughtergrounds" of Wright's bisuits on the "black paths" at Temple Park!

Happy days!

Wrights called their ginger biscuits Ginger Nuts.

i work there for six weeks on custard cream line only 15 am now 73 and can not stand them even now

geordiejean wrote:i work there for six weeks on custard cream line only 15 am now 73 and can not stand them even now

We are in the same age group, which school did you attend?

i weht to open air school the lonnon lied in frances st

geordiejean wrote:i work there for six weeks on custard cream line only 15 am now 73 and can not stand them even now

Ahhhh Jean you were there and part of South Shields heritage. Custard creams and ginger nuts...being part of this should make you proud It's understood that you don't have to eat them like

shadypete wrote:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/480 ... 2e129f.jpg

Scary ...That baby looks like Chucky

flogging a whole set of wrights biscuits trade cards http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wrights-Biscuits- ... 27badb71a5

Was round at me mothers yesterday and she had been going through old bits and bats of her mams, and came across this!

In the days when most workplaces were unionised Wrights was a non-union firm. The owners were very anti-union with the result that conditions and pay were worse than many of the other factories in the Shields area. My uncle George Lynn was an organiser for the USDAW union and had many a battle with the management there.The owners failed to invest in new machinery and just took money out of the firm with the result that they were not equipped for manufacturing biscuits in the seventies.

Ive been tinkering with the idea of buying a promotional motor for my business ,while searching the net I came across this,it was the “cu” plate that caught my eye ,then I read the description,originally built for the owner of Wrights,anyone remember the car ? http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C399363

[quote=“Mr Smith"]Wrights called their ginger biscuits Ginger Nuts.[/quote]

Racists !

Does anyone remember a lady named Kitty Newby please? I believe she was a supervisor at the biscuit factory. Many thanks.