Cadbury World gifted thousands of items of chocolate memorabilia that trace company’s history

Cadbury World, the visitor attraction created and run by the Cadbury Company in Bournville, Birmingham, has unveiled a new exhibition showcasing nearly 2,000 pieces from a collection dating back to the 1800s.

‘The Gill Cocks Collection​’ was unveiled by Gill Cocks herself, who has gathered Cadbury memorabilia for the last 40 years. In October 2018, Cocks decided to gift it all to Cadbury World and the Cadbury Archives in Bournville.

The company, owned by Mondelēz International, said that over the past 12 months, Cocks has worked alongside members of the archive team at Cadbury World to recreate her living room, which served as the home of the collection until recently and displays more than 400 items of the extensive collection.

Key pieces of the collection include Richard Tapper Cadbury’s bible from the 1800s, traditional wooden chocolate boxes, framed advertisements dating back to 1890s and royal souvenir tins and boxes, all of which will be on show in the imitation living room at the Bournville-based attraction.

 “I am so pleased to know that my life-long passion for collecting all things Cadbury is now on display for visitors at Cadbury World and future generations can enjoy the collection as much as I have over the past 40 years​, ”said Cocks.

Sarah Foden, Cadbury archivist at Mondelēz International, said: “From early 1800s memorabilia, to pre-war packaging and gift mugs from the 1980s and 1990s, Gill painstakingly assembled the most impressive collection I have ever come across​.”