SWANHistory
OurOur History
Bulpitt & Sons Ltd was a brass founders established in the latter part of the 19th century. The "Swan Brand" name was registered by Bulpitt & Sons Ltd in the early part of the 20th century and was primarily used for their domestic range of polished aluminium products like frying pans, kettles, tea sets and jelly moulds.
In the 1920s, Bulpitts moved into electrical appliances including kettles, irons, heaters and steamers.
They pioneered the first electric element that could be immersed in water. This was a very important breakthrough because it meant that a whole 6 pints of water could be boiled in just over 9 minutes. This led to a whole range of products based around their "immersion element", including tea urns, kettles, steamers and coffee percolators. Later, they developed and patented a unique safety cut-out for kettles, where the connector would be automatically disconnected if the element overheated.
So Elementary Swan Kettles
In 1933 Swan were the first to develop an electric heating element that could be immersed in water. This led to the Swan kettle range that could boil up to six pints of water in just over nine minutes - pretty hot for the time! These days it takes about two minutes for a Swan kettle to boil.
Warm Your Buns Swan Toasters
The "8-30" toaster was one of the most efficient at the time. At just over £1 it was also one of the cheapest. This was a two slice model in chrome plated steel. Even back in 1939 Swan was at the forefront of product innovation. This toaster was one of the first to have a special plate on top for warming buns/muns etc
Our History - Part 2
The Swan brand continued its success throughout the next few decades and became synonymous with solid British manufacturing quality and innovation. There was a Swan branded product in virtually every home.
Bright Ideas Swan Irons
In 1933 most homes were heating their irons over the gas ring or still putting hot coal in them. This Swan iron was basically an element with a handle, which plugged straight into a light bulb socket. And at a mere 14 shillings (70p), it meant many households could own a prestigious Swan Product.
War Of The Worlds Swan Heating & Cooling
This may look like a ray gun from a sci-fi movie but it was one of Swan's most popular heaters. The "Swan" bowl heater featured a cast iron base and copper reflector. These days, it wouldn't stand a chance of passing the strict European safety standards that current Swan products conform to. Trade price in 1939: about 50 pence.
Our History - Part 3
BSR were manufacturers of turntables, amplifiers and other electronics equipment, famous for their autochanger mechanism used on over a million record players! In the 1970s BSR employed around 14,000 people at their factories in the Black Country. It was also in the 1970s that BSR acquired a number of companies/brand names:
- Goblin (B.V.C) Ltd - Judge International Housewares Ltd - Bulpitt & Sons Ltd