This rest house was biult to celebrate the Silver Wedding Anniversary of George and Elizabeth Cadbury, but first I should maybe explain about Bournville and its relation to Mr. Cadbury and his now world famous chocolate.
Bournville must be one of the nicest places in Birmingham. To understand how it came to be so, one needs to look back to 1879 when George and Richard Cadbury moved their chocolate factory from Bridge Street (near The Mailbox) in the centre of Birmingham to a rural area near Bournbrook Hall in the hope that it would be easy to develop and there was a canal and railway station nearby, which would be necessary for the transportation of their products. They named this new place after Bourn Brook (known now as The Bourn).
At the time, most workers were paid poor wages and their living conditions were cramped and the working conditions very hard. However, the Cadburys were Quakers and they believed in providing their workers were better accommodation and working conditions (although still nowhere near today's standards). A similar set-up can be found at Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Village near Manchester.
The rest house is now used to house local information.
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