Webers of Fishponds

Webers of Fishponds was a chocolate company based on Goodneston Road in Fishponds, Bristol. It was established in 1914 by a Swiss chocolatier identified in historical accounts as Mr Weber, joining Bristol's established chocolate-making industry alongside larger firms such as Fry's, Carsons and Cadburys. The business produced a range of chocolate products, including dark chocolate, and formed part of the local manufacturing economy during the early twentieth century. The founder was also associated with radio. He was described as a radio enthusiast and an early radio broadcaster, giving the enterprise a distinctive connection to the emerging communications technology of the period, although the available historical account does not provide further detail about his broadcasts or the relationship between that activity and the chocolate business. The factory's original role changed sharply during the Second World War. In 1941 it was taken over by Thrissells Engineering, and by January 1942 the premises were being used to manufacture breech casings and barrels for Oerlikon 20mm cannons. At the height of wartime production, the factory employed approximately 420 staff and produced more than 5,300 guns. Historical descriptions attribute 1,026 enemy aircraft to the weapons manufactured there, although the available reference does not explain the methodology or documentation behind that figure. A limited quantity of chocolate production reportedly continued alongside the armaments work. After the war, the factory returned to the control of Mr Weber's son. The son's name and precise business role are not identified in the available sources. The factory ultimately closed in 1964, bringing the Webers of Fishponds operation to an end. The former industrial site is now owned by Diamonite Aircraft Furnishings. Webers of Fishponds is therefore best understood as a defunct regional chocolate manufacturer whose premises acquired a major wartime engineering function before closing in the post-war period.

Webers of Fishponds began in 1914 when a Swiss chocolatier known as Mr Weber established a chocolate factory on Goodneston Road in Fishponds, Bristol. The company entered a city with a well-developed chocolate and confectionery sector, where manufacturers including Fry's, Carsons and Cadburys were already active. The surviving account identifies dark chocolate among the company's products but does not preserve a complete catalogue or details of its distribution network. The business appears to have been primarily a regional manufacturing operation rather than an internationally prominent brand. Mr Weber was also noted as a radio enthusiast and early radio broadcaster. This biographical detail reflects the technological interests of some early twentieth-century industrialists, but the available source does not provide enough information to establish the extent of his broadcasting work or whether it was commercially connected to the factory. The factory's history changed during the Second World War. In 1941, the premises were taken over by Thrissells Engineering. By January 1942, production had shifted substantially toward military engineering, specifically the manufacture of breech casings and barrels for Oerlikon 20mm cannons. The factory became a significant wartime workplace, reaching a reported peak workforce of 420 people. It produced more than 5,300 guns during the war. The historical account further states that these weapons were credited with bringing down 1,026 enemy aircraft, though it does not provide supporting calculations or clarify whether the figure refers exclusively to weapons made at the Fishponds factory. Chocolate manufacturing did not cease entirely during the wartime conversion. A limited amount of chocolate production continued alongside the armaments line, suggesting that the original industrial identity survived in reduced form while the site served the wartime economy. No detailed production volumes, contracts, or corporate arrangements are available in the cited material. Following the war, Mr Weber's son assumed responsibility for running the factory. The son's name is not recorded in the available reference. The business continued until the factory closed in 1964. The closure marked the end of Webers of Fishponds as a chocolate company and manufacturing operation. The former site later became associated with Diamonite Aircraft Furnishings, which is identified as its present owner in the cited account. The available history consequently documents a local chocolate enterprise that evolved into a wartime armaments facility and then disappeared as an operating brand in the post-war industrial transition.

• 1964

  Factory closes

  [1]Webers of Fishpondsen.wikipedia.org

  The factory, then run by Mr Weber's son after the war, closed in 1964.

• 1942

  Oerlikon cannon-component production begins

  [1]Webers of Fishpondsen.wikipedia.org

  By January, the factory was manufacturing breech casings and barrels for Oerlikon 20mm cannons, while a limited amount of chocolate production reportedly continued.

• 1942

  Wartime production reaches reported peak

  [1]Webers of Fishpondsen.wikipedia.org

  The factory reportedly employed 420 wartime staff and produced more than 5,300 guns during the war.

• 1941

  Factory taken over by Thrissells Engineering

  [1]Webers of Fishpondsen.wikipedia.org

  The premises changed hands or use under Thrissells Engineering during the Second World War.

• 1914

  Chocolate factory established in Fishponds

  [1]Webers of Fishpondsen.wikipedia.org

  Swiss chocolatier Mr Weber opened the company's factory on Goodneston Road in Fishponds, Bristol.

A local Bristol chocolate manufacturer operating within the city's historic confectionery industry, later associated with wartime engineering production after its factory was requisitioned or taken over.

• Confectionery · 1914

  Chocolate confectionery

  Webers of Fishponds operated as a chocolate manufacturer in Bristol from 1914. The available historical account describes a general chocolate range but does not identify individual branded bars, boxed products, recipes, or distribution channels. Chocolate production continued in limited quantities even after the factory was converted in part to wartime engineering work.

• Chocolate

  Dark chocolate

  Dark chocolate is the only specifically identified product type in the surviving description of the Webers range. No further information is available about cocoa content, formats, packaging, or retail positioning.

• 1941

  Conversion of the factory to wartime engineeringStrategy

  Background

  During the Second World War, the Fishponds chocolate factory was taken over by Thrissells Engineering.

  Action taken

  The premises were used for the manufacture of breech casings and barrels for Oerlikon 20mm cannons, while a limited amount of chocolate production continued.

  Aftermath

  The site became a substantial wartime production facility, reportedly employing 420 people at its peak and producing more than 5,300 guns before returning to post-war operation under Mr Weber's son.

  Source

1. 1Webers of Fishpondsen.wikipedia.org