Tickler’s and Crosbie’s Price List – March 1954

This is the front page of a four-sided price list issued in March 1954 by T. G. Tickler Ltd of Grimsby, fruit growers and preservers. Tickler’s and Crosbie’s were different trading names used by the same company. The cover advertises Crosbie’s fresh fruit jams, featuring a colourful illustration of Nell Gwyn holding a basket of fruit alongside a large jar of marmalade. The slogan “Famous for fine Quality” appears above the company’s Grimsby address and telephone number.

Founded in Grimsby by Thomas George Tickler in 1877, the company grew into one of the town’s important manufacturers and major employers, producing jams, marmalades and preserves for markets throughout Britain. During the First World War, Tickler’s became a principal supplier of jam to the British Army, with its plum and apple jam sent to troops at the front. Empty jam tins were also reportedly adapted by soldiers into improvised grenades. The company’s wartime contribution forms an important part of Grimsby’s industrial heritage.

The original Grimsby factory closed in 1957. Production later resumed briefly under Robertson’s, but the factory finally closed in 1973.

The price list gives prices for a range of Tickler’s and Crosbie’s products, providing an interesting insight into the company’s business in the 1950s, shortly before the original factory closed.

This item forms part of a collection of research into the history of Tickler’s jam factory in Grimsby, undertaken in the early 1990s by historian Mr J. W. H. Russell, who lived in Shipston-on-Stour. His granddaughter, who lived in Selby, kindly sent us his research dossier, preserved in clear album pockets. It contains correspondence with other researchers, photographs, newspaper cuttings and other material, including song lyrics, bringing together a wealth of information on the company’s history.

The Grimsby & Cleethorpes Museum website also features a wonderful model of Nell Gwyn advertising Tickler’s marmalade, which visitors may enjoy viewing alongside this price list.