old bestyett works

[Holcombe]

Thanks Chapesse. Your confirmation of Tony Flint is appreciated. I was told he had two daughters. Do you know if he lived in North Lynn?

[desira37]

I've had a copy of a Newspaper clipping sent to me. It's a picture of Corona staff, possibly early 1960's, outside former Bestyett factory in The Friars. The man centre front has a cup but I don't know what it was for. On the back row, 2nd from the right is Gerald COOK and beside him, 3rd from right is John Crake. a few faces look familiar but I can't remember the names.
Can anyone name any of the others and tell me what the cup was for?

Just shown my husband this photo
Back row standing centre is Geoff Carter brother of his aunt.

[liz]

I have a colour picture of the Bestyett picture, my dad was Ernie Chilvers and he said tha they saw this man in a field drinking a bottle of Bestyett pop and asked if they can take a picture and use it, and of cause the rest is history.

[liz]

Yes, dad Ernie Chilvers was always the first to put up Christmas dec, if I remember he put them up at the end of October each year.

[EWW]

Alfred Massingham of Harpley. Thanks liz for that bit of info. And thanks to our member Holcombe, we know who the gentleman is/was.

[Holcombe]

The picture posted by Liz looks like it could be original artwork of the type advertising agencies produced when deciding how the final poster or sign would look. Checking my notes again, Alfred Massingham lived in Harpley and was employed by A. Dring of Manor Farm, Little Massingham. The suggestion was that Alfred was having a break in a field and his boss took a photograph of him drinking from the bottle. The farmer sent the photograph to Bestyett at the beginning of 1957.

[DAB7]

I think the chap 3rd from left top row was?Seals my father also worked at Corona with Geoff Carter but not in this pic.

[EWW]

This is door to door delivery in Highgate around 1961.


Order form left by delivery men at private houses or small shops and collected when the empties were picked up.


I've been researching Bestyett for a while but the Gaywood roundsman link prompted me to do a bit more. EWW put a picture of an order form on this topic on 12.10.2006. I have located a newer version that was probably created as the business grew.

The attached was new addition to the Bestyett fleet. The background is the Boal Quay. The registration number suggests about 1962 because the numbers only went up to 9999 and a new format came in in 1963.

Photos of lorries taken by J E Gittens, Photographer, 68 Norfolk Street, Kings Lynn.
There's a photo of lorries in Goodwins Road that Littleoldboy added on 23.11.2006. The names of the people in that photo are, left to right, Arthur Chilvers, Walter Chilvers, George Sooley, ? Franklin, T. Simpson (but it may have been George 'Sandy Simpson) and T. Brown. I've been told that either Simpson or Brown played for football for a well known Football League club and scored a notable goal in the FA Cup but |I haven't been able to find out any more about it.

Gittens shop mentioned in this post.

[littleoldboy]

Re Holcombe's photo of Corona staff, just realised what a small world it is. My great uncle Walter Chilvers owned the Bestyett. My great uncle Isaac Manning's son Arthur Isaac Manning is in the front row 3rd from left, and his son Ray Manning is 6th from left at the back
Little Old Boy

I've had a copy of a Newspaper clipping sent to me. It's a picture of Corona staff, possibly early 1960's, outside former Bestyett factory in The Friars. The man centre front has a cup but I don't know what it was for. On the back row, 2nd from the right is Gerald COOK and beside him, 3rd from right is John Crake. a few faces look familiar but I can't remember the names.
Can anyone name any of the others and tell me what the cup was for?

Just shown my husband this photo
Back row standing centre is Geoff Carter brother of his aunt.

[old-git]

The picture shows Arthur Chilvers with each 'Valery' pictured in the other photo. The Valery on the left of the photo may have lived in West Lynn and had a maiden name of Skeggs. In the background on the right is a man with a bow tie. He may be local builder Joe Overton who demolished houses in All Saints Street and built the Bestyett extension. (see pics in All Saints Street thread).

I remember Arthur Chilvers in his tool shop along Norfolk street. When I worked for Delmote in West Lynn they used to give us a fairly good tool allowance that had to be spent in Chilvers tool shop,, whether you needed tools or not, it was quite hard to choose stuff sometimes when you were already well tooled up.

[AlanW]

Hi I recently found this bottle buried in the Octagon Chapel graveyard in Wisbech. On it it says Bestyett. Kings Lynn. This bottle must be returned. Wilful damage to this bottle will result in prosecution.

[old-git]

Thanks Alan I find that interesting,, made me wonder when deposits on bottles started,, 1905 according to this article • The idea of offering a deposit refund on glass bottles can be traced back to 1905 in the UK.

I wonder if anyone actually got prosecuted for damaging one!

[EWW]

I honestly cannot remember that warning on the bottles. When kids we would put all types of bottes on tree branches that would fit in the necks
and use them for catapult target practice. I reckon pop bottles must have been among them.
Cannot remember money back for pop bottles either...beer bottle yes. Maybe the ol memory is dimming.

[EWW]

I know some of the past owner family who are members on can tell us the dates.

[desira37]

When I started at Liptons in 1952 we used to take back jam jars at halfpenny each but can't remember for how long it went on for.