Automation Sensation

In 1924, there were at least two hundred and thirty cordial manufacturers in NSW alone. James Herbert Clarke (1873-1954) in Narrabri, northern NSW, was one of them. Bert found his passion for cordial making while working for Edmund Fuss, a chemist turned cordial maker. At the time, cordial factories produced an enormous range of drinks […]

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Thirsty Business

Standing the test of time, these ceramic bottles have remained in a near-pristine condition for over a hundred years. They tell the story of Narrabri’s famous cordial maker, Septimus Faulkner (1859-1936). In the late 1800s, a young Faulkner arrived in Narrabri to work for Edmund Fuss, a chemist who had turned to cordial making. Under […]

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Legacy in a Bottle

 In the late 1800s and early 1900s, cordial making factories sprung up across central-west NSW. With modern single-use plastic bottles yet to be invented, many drinks were sold in glass or ceramic bottles, usually with a cork stopper or stamped metal cap. These particular ceramic bottles contained drinks that were produced by James Herbert Clarke’s […]

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Fizz Games

In the 1870s, an English engineer and inventor, Hiram Codd (1838-1887), designed and patented an ingenious bottle design for fizzy drinks. Codd’s design ensured drinks would stay fizzy thanks to thick glass walls and a pinched neck holding a glass marble. To work, this style of bottle was filled upside down. When full, the pressure […]

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