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ABOUT NRHG TROWSE TRIANGLE NATURAL HERITAGE HISTORY GEOGRAPHY PEOPLE FOR SCHOOLS NEWS 
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The mustard capital of England John Jeremiah Colman was responsible for making Norwich the centre for mustard manufacture. He set up his first works at Stoke Holy Cross in the 1850s, using wind and water power to produce mustard, flour and wheat starch. Soon the business moved to Trowse, where, as well as river and rail transport, there was cheap factory space and labour available because the textile industry had declined. Production expanded, and over nearly a century and a half, the firm of J.J. Colman (later Reckitts & Colman). turned out a variety of household and food products: laundry blue and Harpic; Robinsons Patent Groats; tomato ketchup and tonic wine; dried peas and lemon barley water; every imaginable form of mustard - and birdseed. |
The Colman family were enlightened employers. They built a school on Carrow Hill for their workers' children in 1857;
set up a dispensary and employed an industrial nurse in 1864; and introduced cooked dinners for workers in 1868.
Later they added a hostel for girl workers, clothing club, savings bank, lending library, reading room, cookery lessons,
and a playground, athletics field, and cricket ground.
Click to view larger pictures. 
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