MAZAWATTEE TEA COMPANY

Many South Africans will recognise the name Mazawattee. It was found on tin cans in Granny’s kitchen.

John Boon DENSHAM, age 36 years in the March 1851 Plymouth Census, was a chemist and druggist. By 1860, John had moved to London, where he became a partner in a tea import company run by Charles LEES. They renamed the company Lees & Densham. By 1873, John’s three eldest sons (Edward, Alfred and Benjamin) had joined the business and the name was changed to Densham & Sons. The youngest son, John Lane, joined a few years later.

John Lane travelled around the south of England selling his father’s tea. When his father died, John Lane became a full partner and was responsible for advertising. The first change he made, was to the company name. He wanted an exotic name that would stand out. After spending some time in the Guildhall Library, he chose the Hindu word maztha (meaning luscious) and the Singhalese word wattee (meaning garden of growth). He combined the two to form the famous Mazawattee. He then commissioned an artist to paint “The old folks at home”, a painting of a smiling, bonneted and shawled grandmother having tea with her grand-daughter. The painting soon became well-known and the tea was referred to as “Granny’s tea”. In 1891, the company’s name was again changed to the Mazawattee Ceylon Tea Company and in 1899 they expanded into the coffee, cocoa and chocolate business.

John Lane’s health was deteriorating and in 1904 he handed over directorship to a Mr. McQUITTY. In March 1906, John Lane rushed back from India to save the company from bankruptcy, firing McQUITTY. With the outbreak of WWI, the price of tea was raised and it became too expensive for the ordinary person. In 1915, Henry ADAMS, the American representative for Mazawattee, was on honeymoon and travelling on the Lusitania, which was torpedoed by a German submarine. This was the last straw for the ailing company and John Lane decided to start a factory in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. His wife accompanied him to Port Elizabeth. His health remained poor and when he heard that his youngest son had died in the War, he worsened. He died in 1918.

Alex JACKSON who did much to promote the company's products succeeded John Lane DENSHAM. One of his advertising ploys involved a team of 4 zebras that had been trained to pull a wagon - shaped like a tea box and driven by khaki-clad African drivers. The Depression of the 1930s knocked the company hard. During WWII, Joseph Alexander DENSHAM, John Lane's eldest son, headed the company. When Joseph died, so did the company.

Today, Mazawattee tin cans are collector’s items, along with any other Mazawattee memorabilia. In South Africa, many reproduction tin cans are easily obtainable - with the famous painting “The old folks at home”.
Source: Story of Mazawattee Tea by Diana James

OLD PHARMACY STILL EXISTS

Johan and Ursula BRESLER bought the Robb & McLees Pharmacy in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, in 1998. They have kept many old pharmacy items, including a 101-year-old prescription book. The first prescription filled at the pharmacy is dated 1903, the year the pharmacy was started by two Scots, David Wallace ROBB and John Prentice MCLEES. They are both listed as Chemists and Druggists in the Government Gazette dated 29 January 1915, both qualifying in the UK in 1900. David's address is given as 414 Paisley Road West, Ibrox, Glasgow, Scotland; whilst John's is Middelburg, Transvaal. John registered as a Chemist in South Africa in 1903 and David in 1905. John was married to Edith Ann MITCHELL. She passed away in 1928. John died in 1962, and had married three times - first to Edith, then Harriet Helen TRACEY (died 1958), and lastly to Magdalena Petronella DU TOIT. David died in the Cape Province in 1931. Bottles containing various old remedies, are still to be seen in the pharmacy. The prescription book lists each prescription filled, along with the person's name. Most of the early prescriptions were for stomach ailments and skin problems. The Scots kept two large glass bottles, one red and one green. When there was a contagious disease in town, the red bottle stood in the window to warn the residents. Once the disease had passed, the green bottle was placed in the window.

CORNER STORE HISTORY

One of East London’s oldest corner shops closed in February 2008 after almost 75 years. Quigney Supply Store was co-owned by Dolly RADLOFF and her siblings Edith and Lee. It was started by their father in 1934. One of the oldest customers was Harry CHOATES (58) who had been a customer for over 40 years.

PHARMACY CLOSES AFTER 98 YEARS

The Midlands Pharmacy in Mooi River has been open for business for 98 years. The current owner, Robin PHILP (75), is closing down but will continue to serve as a locum in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. He has owned the pharmacy for 42 years, and is closing due to unfavourable trading conditions such as pricing regulations and reduced dispensing fees. Robin was a former Round Table chairman, chairman of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa for the Pietermaritzburg region, and a town councillor. He still has the pharmacy's prescription books dating back to 1908. One of the earlier owners was William Henry Wesley PECK. He died on 26 March 1947, aged 77 years, and was buried at St. John's Anglican Church Cemetery in Mooi River. His wife, Rosa Christian HAWKINS, was born in London and died in 1956. In 1966 Robin started working as a manager at the pharmacy, then known as Berg Pharmacy and owned by Willem KROG, a pharmacist in Howick. Before he owned it, it was known as Helletts Pharmacy. In 1973 Robin bought the pharmacy and changed the name to Midlands Pharmacy

HALFWAY HOUSE PUB IN KIMBERLEY

The Halfway House is one of Kimberley's most famous pubs, situated in Du Toitspan Road, half way between Kimberley city centre and Beaconsfield. It is affectionately known as The Half. It is believed to be the only drive-in pub in the world. Legend has it that the first customer was Cecil John RHODES on his horse. Here you can enjoy a Barnato Bitter draught or a Rhodes Ale produced by Mitchells in Knysna. The pub was recently renovated by the owners, Brian DOHERTY and Peter RICKETTS. The original bar area is decorated with relics from the past. A label on a bottle of Johnnie Walker shows that Kimberley was the best seller of this whiskey in the world in 1892. The courtyard will serve as a coffee shop during the day and a beer garden at night.

The Half opened up when a burnt brick house between New Rush (Kimberley) and Du Toit’s Pan (Beaconsfield) was put up for sale. The newspaper advertisement stated that the house would make a good hotel. It opened in 1875 and was known as the Cogins Hotel, situated opposite the current location. It moved to the current spot in 1897 when Cecil John RHODES decided to build a sanatorium on the site of the old Half. The name changed to Halfway House Hotel. The first liquor licence was granted in 1880 under the proprietorship of Mrs. LAITY. In 1970 some people decided to put a stop to the pub serving drinks to people in their cars. The court ruled that it had historic value and the tradition remained. Kimberley had another drive-in pub - the Kimberlite Hotel, which closed down. The Half had a flag-staff in the front of the building and at night the proprietor, Mr. BEDDOME, would hang a lantern on it. In 1884 Kimberley experienced a labour strike. The strikers held their meetings at the Half, where they were addressed by Mr. BROWN, chairman of the Artisans Society.

THE PIG ’n WHISTLE

Bathurst’s historic Pig ‘n Whistle Hotel, the oldest licensed pub in South Africa, was provisionally liquidated in December 2007 and put up for auction. No details are known as to whether a buyer has come forward or not. The current owners, Carel KIRSTEIN and Zelda ODENDAAL, bought the complex from show jumping Springbok Mickey LOUW four years ago.

The Bathurst Inn, as the Pig ‘n Whistle was originally known, was built by 1820 settler Thomas HARTLEY, a blacksmith from Nottinghamshire. In 1825 he built a house on Lot 8 next to his forge. The inn provided accommodation and provisions, along with a blacksmith and farrier service. From 1832 surgeon Ambrose CAMPBELL rode in from Grahamstown and attended to patients on the first Saturday of every month. After Thomas’s death in 1840 his widow, Sarah, took over the running of the inn and it became known as Widow Hartley’s Inn. In 1849 Thomas BAINES made an oil painting of the inn and village. Later that year Sarah died and her son, Thomas, ran it for a short while before selling in 1852 to another 1820 Settler, Jeremiah GOLDSWAIN. During WWII it was renamed The Pig 'n Whistle by the pilots from the nearby 43 Air School. Part of the current kitchen walls include a portion of Thomas HARTLEY’s original house.