Sunday, July 25, 2010

Midland Counties Ice Cream



One of the highlights of the canal holidays we had when I was a little boy was Midland Counties Ice Cream. In Hertfordshire it was all Walls or Lyons Maid, but further north they had a different company with different lollies.

This television commercial must come from about the same period. Ten bonus points to anyone who recognises the canalside location, because I can't.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't help on the location but, as one who grew up near Wolverhampton, well remember the Art Deco Midland Counties Dairies buiding there - all blue and white tiles and clear sight of the production line through large plate glass windows; all steel and hygiene. Alas, apparently - see the link below - no longer with us.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/687722574/

Simon Titley said...

How refreshing to see children not strapped into child safety seats.

Philip Wilkinson said...

I can;t recommend the location either. It's still pure nostalgia, though. I grew up in Gloucestershire, home of the enormous Walls ice cream factory. I seem to remember being able to buy Walls, Lyons, and Midland Counties ice cream - Gloucestershire is sort-of in the southwest, but also has a toe in the Midlands.

Miscellaneous fact: the Morris Minor in the commercial has a Gloucester registration.

Jonathan Calder said...

The consensus among those who know about such things is that this was filmed at Stoke Bruerne on the Grand Union.

Derek said...

That was me - I'll try again!

The location is in fact in Hertfordshire, and beside Winkwell Locks on the Southern Grand Union. The arboreal growth is much increased, and the Lock House has gained a porch and front hedge along with a car port at the side. The buildings are quite distinctive, as are the various poles carrying overhead wires for power. Rather a long address, but copy and paste into a browser pahe for 'streetview' 'today':

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Northchurch,+Berkhamsted&aq=0&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=20.857001,57.084961&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Northchurch,+Berkhamsted,+Hertfordshire,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.777851,-0.601373&spn=0.021242,0.055747&z=15&layer=c&cbll=51.777953,-0.601373&panoid=U47MvjY0vSVOUhU7e-N5KA&cbp=12,328.05,,0,5.27

Derek said...

Oops! I wrote "Winkwell" - it is in fact - Dudswell.

Jonathan Calder said...

Thanks very much, Derek.

I lived in Hemel Hempstead when I was little, so I would have recognised Winkwell.