This jar comes from the Sharpe Brothers Warrnambool factory. John Sharpe founded the soft drinks business in 1903 and it existed until 1972. At one stage the company had 35 factories in Australia and New Zealand. It specialized in the home deliveries of ginger beer and other brewed beverages in one gallon earthenware jars. The Warrnambool factory opened in 1919 at the site of the Rowley cordial factory at the corner of Banyan and Timor Streets. It continued until 1951. John H. Sharpe, the former manager of the Sydney factories, put his signature on the base of this jar when he visited the Warrnambool and District Historical Society headquarters at History House in the mid 1980s. This jar is of considerable importance as it is a fine memento of the Sharpe Bros soft drinks factory that operated in Warrnambool in the 20th century for over 30 years.This is a stone jar in beige/brown colouring with a cylindrical base with a bulbous-shaped piece above the base and a dome-shaped top above that. A metal handle is attached to the neck and there is a composite material screw top. The maker’s information is printed on both sides of the jar. Keep this stopper tight This jar is the absolute property of, and must be returned to, Sharpe Bros Australia & New Zealand Original and largest hygiene brewers Caution. Persons Damaging, Willfully Retaining, Trading with or Misappropriating the use of this jar WILL BE PROSECUTED John H. Sharpe. Jar made prior to 1914 sharpe bros factory, john h. sharpe, history of warrnambool

This demijohn was made by Bendigo Pottery for Sharpe Bros, brewers of non-alcoholic drinks such as Dandelion Ale, Ginger Beer and cordial. Sharpe Bros began in New Zealand and expanded to Australia in the early 20th century. The company was taken over by Cadbury Schweppes in 1972.An item made during the first half of the 20th century by a Bendigo pottery as a container made for the Sharpe's brewery in Victoria to contain their non alcoholic drinks for retail sale.Glazed stoneware bottle with dark brown glaze to top section, one gallon size, narrow neck glazed stoneware stopper and wire handle missing. SHARPE BROS. AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND Text printed in black on body: 'This bottle is the absolute property of and must be returned to Sharpe Bros. Australia and New Zealand.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, bottle, stoneware bottle, sharpe bros., drink, non alcoholic drinks, bendigo pottery, demihohn

This Sharpe Bros. one gallon stoneware Demijohn is in excellent condition and includes its original stopper. It was made between 1904 and 1930, the date from the patent of the handle until the time that the factory no long produced returnable items. The bottle was once part of Dr W.R. Angus' household and is part of the W.R. Angus Collection and could have been purchased from Warrnambool's Sharpe Bros. factory. SHARPE BROS. 1903-1972- The first Sharpe Bros. cordial factory was opened in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1903 by English prohibition brothers John and Percy Sharpe. Sharpe Bros. made ‘health’ beverages that were non-alcoholic drinks such as ginger beer, ginger ale, lime juice, soda and cordials. The containers of these drinks were not sold with the drinks but were marked as returnable items, to be cleaned and re-used, until this practice ceased in the 1930s. Sharpe Bros. made a niche in the soft drink market by delivering drinks by horse and cart to its customers’ homes. John Sharpe patented the unique wire spiral handle in 1904. By 1905 the New Zealand company also had factories in Australia. By 1910 the company had over 20 factories including Wanganui, New Zealand; Adelaide, Albury, Ballarat, Bathurst, Forbes, Geelong, Goulburn, Lithgow, Melbourne, Newcastle, Orange, Sydney, Tamworth, Warrnambool and Wollongong. The Warrnambool factory was established in 1919 and existed until 1951. The company won awards at Australian exhibitions for its carbonated drinks, including First Prize for its ginger beer made in the Brisbane factory. The company was taken over in 1962 by Tarax Drinks Holdings Ltd, which was in turn taken over by Cadbury Schweppes in 1972. W.R. Angus Collection- The W R Angus Collection spans from 1885 to the mid-1900s and includes historical medical and surgical equipment and instruments from the doctors Edward and Thomas Ryan of Nhill, Victoria. Dr Angus married Gladys in 1927 at Ballarat, the nearest big city to Nhill where he began as a Medical Assistant. He was also Acting House surgeon at the Nhill hospital where their two daughters were born. He and his family moved to Warrnambool in 1939, where Dr Angus operated his own medical practice. He later added the part-time Port Medical Officer responsibility and was the last person appointed to that position. Dr Angus and his wife were very involved in the local community, including the early planning stages of the new Flagstaff Hill, where they contributed to the layout of the gardens. Dr Angus passed away in March 1970.This stoneware Demijohn is connected to the history of Warrnambool, as it was owned by the daughter of Dr W. R. Angus and his wife Gladys. It is part of the W.R. Angus Collection, which is notable for still being located at the site connected to Doctor Angus, Warrnambool’s last Port Medical Officer. It is also connected through its manufacturer Sharpe Bros. which had a branch in Warrnambool from 1919 to 1951, overlapping the time when the Angus family resided there from 1939 to the 1970s. The bottle is also significant as an example of the early-20th-century beverages found in local households and could have been purchased from the local Sharpe Bros. factory.This stoneware Demijohn is glazed, with a brown neck with internal thread and shoulders and a cylindrical cream base. The one gallon bottle has a flat, black stopper with a cork stem and a rubber, threaded tip. The ‘U’ shaped wire carry handle has a spiral of wire around the handpiece. An overhanging lip is on top of the bottle’s short neck above its rounded shoulder. The clay has been joined at the base of the neck, shoulder and body. The underneath is unglazed. The brown glazing on the shoulder has a run mark. Inscriptions are on the stopper and bottle. This container is part of the W.R. Angus Collection.Stamped in black on the shoulder: “KEEP THE / STOPPER TIGHT” Stamped in black on the body: “THIS JAR IS THE ABSOLUTE PROPERTY OF AND MUST BE RETURNED TO SHARPE BROS. AUSTRALIA / & NEW ZEALAND. ORIGINAL & LARGEST HYGIENIC BREWERY. CAUTION Persons Damaging, Willfully Retaining, Trading with or Misappropriating the Use of this Jar WILL BE PROSECUTED “ Stamped in script writing: “Sharpe Bros. TRADE - - - ED “ Embossed on the stopper: “AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, SHARPE BROS.”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, dr w r angus, dr roy angus, dr ryan, sharpe bros., bendigo pottery, bottle, stoneware bottle, demihohn, one gallone bottle, soft drink, non-alcoholic drink, drink container, jar, jug, warrnambool soft drink, hygienic brewery, cordial factory, new zealand, australia, john sharpe, percy sharpe, non-alcoholic, spiral wire handle, ginger beer, w.r. angus collection, demijohn