City of Moorabbin Historical Society (Operating the Box Cottage Museum)
Containers, matchbox 'Redhead' with matches, 20thC
On 15th December 1909, Bryant & May, Australia’s first match factory at Church Street, Richmond, Victoria. was opened by The Honourable Alfred Deakin, Prime Minister of Australia, and Mrs. Deakin. It was heralded by the first Commonwealth Government of newly-federated Australia because the government of the day was anxious to encourage secondary industry and pledged tariff protection of local manufacturers. The building was constructed in 1909 as the Empire Works to a design by prolific Melbourne architect William Pitt and was purchased soon after by British safety match manufacturer Bryant and May, who significantly expanded the building, adding another level and the landmark clock tower.
Bryant and May were unique in that they operated as a model factory, providing workers with conditions and amenities that even today seem generous. These included a dining hall and sports facilities such as a tennis court and bowling green which were constructed in the 1920s. Bryant and May ceased Australian match manufacture in the early 1980s as a result of import competition. Their iconic Redheads matches are now imported from Sweden. The complex has since been converted for use as offices and showrooms but is extremely well preserved. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.
Bryant and May was a United Kingdom (UK) company created in the mid-nineteenth century specifically to make matches. Their original Bryant and May Factory was located in Bow, London. They later opened other match factories in the United Kingdom and Australia, such as the Bryant and May Factory, Melbourne; and owned match factories in other parts of the world. Bryant and May survived as an independent company for over seventy years, but went through a series of mergers with other match companies and later with consumer products companies. To protect its position Bryant and May merged with or took over its rivals. In 1971 the Northern Ireland factory, Maguire & Patterson closed down following a terrorist attack.. In the 1980s, factories in Gloucester and Glasgow closed too leaving Liverpool as the last match factory in the UK, until December 1994.
. The registered trade name Bryant and May still exists and it is owned by Swedish Match, as are many of the other registered trade names of the other, formerly independent, companies within the Bryant and May group.
Two French chemists, Henri Savene and Emile David Cahen, proved in 1898 that the addition of phosphorus sesquisulfide meant that the substance was not poisonous, that it could be used in a "strike-anywhere" match, and that the match heads were not explosive. British company Albright and Wilson, was the first company to produce phosphorus sesquisulfide ( Red Phosphorous) matches commercially. The company developed a safe means of making commercial quantities of phosphorus sesquisulfide in 1899 and started selling it to match manufacturers.
Matches were first produced by Bryant & May in Australia in 1909. The Redhead name applies to the red striking heads of the matches which were introduced to Australia in 1946. The logo on the matchbox depicted the head and shoulder of a redheaded woman and has had four major updates since that time with a number of special issues depicting birds, animals and notable persons also produced.The Bryant & May Ltd factory in Church St Richmond is a listed building and has been converted to apartments following the closure of the Company 1980. Bryant & May's Ltd were influential in fighting against the dreadful disease known as Phossy jaw which was caused by white phosphorus used in the manufacture of the early matches. They were also the object of the 'Match Girls Strike' in London 1888, which won important improvements in working conditions and pay for the mostly female workforce working with the dangerous white phosphorus. The public were slow to purchase these safety matches because of the higher price .A box of safety matches with unused matches made by Bryant & May Pty Ltd , Richmond Victoria Australia. The tray containing the matches slides inside the open ended cover.. The striking patch is on both sides of the cover.
Av. CONTENTS 50 MADE IN AUSTRALIA / Brymay / 1/3 / Safety Matches / Redheads / a colour picture of a Kookaburra / Laughing KOOKABURRAsafety matches, bryant & may pty ltd, phossy jaw disease, early settlers, moorabbin, bentleigh, cheltenham, lights, lamps, tobacco, white phosphorous, phosphorus sesquisulfide, swedish match pty ltd, pitt william, savens henri, cahen emile david , richmond victoria,
Dandenong/Cranbourne RSL Sub Branch
Anglesea and District Historical Society
Yarrawonga and Mulwala Pioneer Museum
Anglesea and District Historical Society
Dandenong/Cranbourne RSL Sub Branch
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
City of Moorabbin Historical Society (Operating the Box Cottage Museum)
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.