This website has been put together to try and give collectors, local historians and genealogists a guide to old bottles and ephemera that have been used by Mineral water manufacturers, wine and spirit merchants and brewers in the Victorian and Edwardian Periods in North Norfolk.

The website has been broken down into Towns and Villages which can be found on the North Norfolk Index Link at the top of this page under the title, this will take you to an index of all the places featured. Click on a place name and you will go to that Town or Village where the merchants, manufacturers & companies are alphebetised. At the top of each place page you can click on a merchants name and you will jump to that merchant on the same page. Every Manufacturer, company or merchant has images of items they had made or produced and also advertisements and old images along with some information and also a brief history of the company with dates of operation and key events in their timeline.

The information on this website has been sourced from Norfolk Trade Directories between 1822 and 1932. These directories include Kelly's, Harrods, Whites, Post Office, Slater's, Town and County and more. Other information has been gathered from The London Gazette, National Newspaper Archive, Ancestry.co.uk & Ancestors of the people involved.

The area of Norfolk Which is covered within this website is everywhere North of the red line shown on the map below.

Aylsham, Bale, Bawdeswell, Blickling, Brampton, Brinton, Brisley, Briston, Burnham, Castle Rising, Clenchwarton, Colkirk, Coltishall, Corpusty, Cromer, Dilham, Docking, Downham Market, Dunham, East Bilney, East Dereham, East Rudham, Elm, Erpingham, Fakenham, Flitcham, Foulsham, Gayton, Gaywood, Gooderstone, Great Bircham, Great Witchingham, Heacham, Hethersett, Hingham, Holkham, Holt, Horning, Horstead, Hunstanton, Kimberley, King's Lynn, Lenwade, Letheringsett, Litcham, Ludham, Mattishall, Melton Constable, Melton Magna, Methwold, Mileham, Mundesley, Narborough, North Elmham, North Walsham, Northwold, Outwell, Overstrand, Rackheath, Reepham, Roydon, Ryburgh, Saxlingham, Sco' Ruston, Setch, Sheringham, Sidestrand, Snettisham, South Creake, Stalham, Stoke Ferry, Stratton Strawless, Swaffham, Swafield, Trunch, Upwell, Walpole, Walsingham, Watlington, Watton, Wells-Next-The-Sea, Wereham, Wisbech, Wormegay, Worstead, Wroxham.

The majority of items on this website date from between 1800 until around 1930. In those days nearly every town would have its own manufacturer of Wines, Spirits, Beers or Soft drink, which also meant they would need their own bottles to sell their products. Whether they were a wine and spirit merchant, ginger beer, mineral water or soda water manufacturer, porter dealer or dairyman, a glass or stoneware container was essential. In order to get their bottles back or promote their produce they would have their name embossed, etched, printed or impressed onto the bottle. This would also help to stop other companies or competitiors stealing and using their bottles.

Most of the bottles and pots on this website would have been thrown away at some point of there life and have spent probably the best part of 80 to 100 years buried underground and then recovered by bottle diggers or found by digger drivers, farmers etc.

New and unseen bottles and advertising are still turning up all the time so this website will be updated as when something new is recovered.