Menu
A+ A A-

Bickiepegs Ltd started in London in 1925 and came to WGC in 1927, manufacturing nursery and invalid foods in a factory in Broadwater Road. They were best known for 'Bickiepegs', which were teething rusks for babies. To secure the rusk so that it wasn't dropped to the floor, each rusk had a length of ribbon attached to it that could be safety-pinned to the baby's clothing. Bickiepegs Ltd was one of a number of companies questioned about WGC as an industrial town. These answers appear in the 2nd edition of C.B.Purdom's book The Building Of Satellite Towns. The company moved to WGC 'because we could not find suitable accommodation for renting anywhere in London'. Asked if the company's experience of Welwyn Garden City as an industrial centre was been satisfactory the answer was yes. According to Bickiepegs Ltd the advantages of WGC as an industrial town were that 'Labour is of a better class than in large cities, and the employees have no long train journey. From an advertisement point of view, Welwyn Garden City is ideal for food manufacture-clean air, neat and tidy town, trees and flowers, clean factories. Visitors are favourably impressed.' Asked what improvements were required in the town from an industrialist's point of view the company felt 'Wider range of industry should be attracted, towards a self-supporting principle, followed by a greater commercial relationship between all firms; e.g. a small firm wishing to make nuts and bolts should be attracted here and encouraged to market their goods locally.'

Bickiepegs Ltd
Bickiepegs Company Diary dating from 1925-1952 contributed to the WGC Heritage Trust's 'Where Do You Think We Worked?' project by Bickiepegs. This page mentions the company's move from London to WGC in 1927 and that a sample of Bickiepegs was acknowledged by H.R.H. Duke of York for Princess Margaret Rose in 1931. Our thanks to Tony Cowan for allowing us to add this material to the Trust's archive.
Bickiepegs Ltd
WGC town plan showing the industrial area. The Bickiepegs company started working from a factory in Broadwater Road (yellow highlighted number 15) then moved to 46 Tewin Road (yellow highlighted number 71). This wonderful map is held in the HALS archive and shows a total of 86 factory sites.
Bickiepegs Ltd
Beautiful Teeth For Baby by Catherine Millington Lymn. A leaflet on the care of young children's teeth that includes mention of Bickiepegs. It states that 'What a child needs is some hard substance upon which it can gnaw and exercise the jaws and buried teeth. Crusts dried in the oven, a chop bone, a drum-stick, all help to exercise and make room in the soft little jaws for the rapidly growing teeth. Special bone biscuits and other hard foods are now made by a firm of nursery food specialists (Bickiepegs Ltd., Welwyn Garden City) for this purpose.' Donated to the Welwyn Garden City Heritage Trust archive by the Bickiepegs company as part of the 'Where Do You Think You Live?' project.
Bickiepegs Ltd
Bickiepegs - factory interior. Photograph dated c1938 and is held in the WGC Library Local Studies Collection.
Bickiepegs Ltd
The Bickiepegs factory (the left of the picture) on the corner of Broadwater Road and Hyde Way. This image is from the Welwyn Garden City Library Local Studies Collection.
Bickiepegs Ltd
'Toys For Orphanage' item from page 1 of the Welwyn Times of Saturday 28th December 1946. Bickiepegs employees held a Christmas party at the factory to which 6 airmen from Mill Green RAF camp were invited. Toys, many made by the employees, and books were on show. These items were later sent to 176 children in the Harpenden Orphanage. This newspaper was donated to the Welwyn Garden City Heritage Trust archive by BJW and is reproduced courtesy of the Welwyn Hatfield Times.
Bickiepegs Ltd
Front and back view of a blue & white coloured tin of Chu-Chus described on the tin as 'Tough solid rusks, containing body-building properties of wheat and growth vitamin B. They prevent over-lapping teeth, enlarged tonsils, adenoids,etc. Made by Bickiepegs Ltd, Welwyn Garden City'. This image sent to the Welwyn Garden City Heritage Trust archive by Bickiepegs as part of the 'Where Do You Think We Worked?' project.
Bickiepegs Ltd
Front & back view of a pink & blue coloured tin of Chu-Chus described on the front of the tin as 'Tough solid rusks to improve children's teeth'. Chu-Chus were made by Bickiepegs Ltd. This image was sent to the Welwyn Garden City Heritage Trust archive by Bickiepegs as part of the 'Where Do You Think We Worked?' project.
 
Powered by Phoca Gallery