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Anyone in the western world who loves chocolate will adore this offering. The Cadbury family built the purpose built factory and community in 1879 and from this a suburb was born. It lies out just beyond the university in the southwest of the city. Interesting that this is the first of the Quaker communities built by John Cadbury who started the empire selling Cocoa Nibs from the grocery store he has opened in Birmingham in 1824. Cocoa Nibs were used as a night cap before bed and a non alcohol alternative to beer for the working class. Within fifty years the business boomed to the extent that his sons George and Richard moved the hub from the centre of the city out to the new area of Bournville, dubbed at the time a factory in a garden. The Bournville scheme or village included gardens for each house a green in the centre of the suburb and shops to cater to the workers' needs. The ideas for the village were taken from the ideas of William Morris and the arts and crafts movement. As an architectural area, its only offerings are two Tudor buildings in Maple Road; the first Selly Manor is a timber framed manor house and the second Minworth Greaves is a hall furnished in period style and boasting perfect Tudor gardens. Moving swiftly along, however, the main attraction is of course Cadbury World situated at the back of Maple Road on Linden Road. This adjoins Cadbury's Bournville Works. This has to be the ultimate in chocolate experience and here you will learn all you ever wanted to know about chocolate but were to weight conscious to ask. The cooca bean is fascinating only to the point of whetting the appetite and at this point you cannot wait to get o the sampling section where you can enjoy free samples and buy cut priced pieces to take away. Reservations advisable. |