07 Nov 2005

University College Cork (UCC) acquires Woodford Bourne Archive

UCC has acquired the archive of the Woodford Bourne Company for generations one of the icons of business in Cork City. Woodford Bourne (wine and tea importers) occupied one of the premier sites on the corner of Patrick Street and Grand Parade. The archive, containing records of the import and sale of exotic and luxury goods offers an important economic snapshot through over a period of a 100 years.  "This collection will complement our existing business holdings and will be in high demand by academics" commented Librarian John FitzGerald. "We are delighted that David Nicholson choose to deposit his family papers with the Boole Library."

Established in 1750 the records show the development of the business through the 19th century up until the late 1960's. Ledgers and account books showing the import and sale of wines and spirits and later teas, coffees and spices give a unique insight into the tastes of Cork people. Amongst the gems in the collection are a series of miniature almanacs dating from pre Famine days produced by Woodford Bourne and given to customers at Christmas time. The Almanacs contain maps of the city identifying prominent buildings as well as giving details of the amazing array of green and black tea, blends of coffee, cocoa and chocolate available for purchase. The list of coffees from 1849, all fresh roasted by the company, would rival any of today's suppliers! Other exotic goods such as Maccaroni and Vermicelli were available for just over a shilling a bag.

The Woodford Bourne collection once cleaned and processed will be available for study through the Boole Library Archives Service. There it joins other collections such as the archive of Murphy's Brewery, the papers of Daniel Corkery and the Bantry Estate Collection. Full details of all the archival collections together with opening hours are available on te Library's web site at http://booleweb.ucc.ie/

An active collecting repository, the primary purpose of the Archives Service is to support University College, Cork's research and teaching programmes by providing access to archival collections and facilities, which have been developed to satisfy the research, and information needs of the Library's users.

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