Brooke Bond

Brooke Bond is a brand-name of tea owned by Unilever, formerly an independent manufacturer in the United Kingdom, known for its PG Tips brand and its Brooke Bond tea card.

History

Brooke Bond & Company was founded by Arthur Brooke who was born at 6 George Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England in 1845. He opened his first tea shop in 1869 at 23 Market Street, Manchester, Lancashire. There was never a "Mr Bond"; Arthur Brooke chose the name simply because it sounded pleasing to his ears.

In the 1950s and 1960s, packets of Brooke Bond tea included illustrated tea cards, usually 50 in a series, which were collected by many children. One of the most famous illustrators of these cards was Charles Tunnicliffe, the internationally acclaimed bird painter. Most of the initial series were wildlife-based, including 'British Wild Animals', 'British Wild Flowers', 'African Wild Life', 'Asian Wild Life', and 'Tropical Birds'. From the late 1960s, they included historical subjects, such as 'British Costume', 'History of the Motor Car', and 'Famous Britons'. Complete sets and albums in good condition are now highly sought-after collectors' item. The inclusion of these cards in packets of tea ceased in 1999. There were well over 200 series issued and many of them have since been reprinted. A comprenhisive list of the these series can be found at he

The most famous brand of Brooke Bond was PG Tips, launched in 1930. The company merged with Liebig in 1968, becoming......
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