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Vintage Tortoise Jelly Mould
An interesting piece of kitchenalia that we have collected. Measuring 8 1/2 inches long and 4 3/4 inches wide, this aluminium jelly mould with a tortoise impression can hold up to approximately 600ml of liquid. It is in a good condition with its original stands in place for keeping the mould upright and even when making jelly. That this jelly mould is marked "Made in England" and and carries the patent No. 355327. Also on the rim there is a faint mark that says "wan Brand" which we understand once read Swan Brand, prolific manufacturers of many different jelly mould in a variety of shapes but all bearing the same patent number.
Aluminium kitchenware first became popular after WW1 and it is recorded that author James Frank Breazeale opined that aluminium "is without doubt the best material for kitchen utensils", noting that it is "as far superior to enamelled ware as enamelled ware is to the old-time iron or tin". He qualified his recommendation for replacing worn out tin or enamelled utensils with aluminium ones by noting that "old-fash, we estimate it as being from ironed black iron frying pans and muffin rings, polished on the inside or worn smooth by long usage, are, however, superior to aluminium ones".
The "Swan Brand" name was registered by Bulpitt & Sons (founded in 1868), brass founders, in the early part of the 20th century and was primarily used for their domestic range of polished aluminium products like frying pans, kettles, tea sets and jelly moulds. In the 1920s, Bulpitts moved into electrical appliances including kettles, irons, heaters and steamers. The company is still in business today (2018)
The pattern 355327 indicates that this mould design was registered in 1936 although as it was found in an old warehouse dating from the 1950's we estimate it as being from that period.
The third picture above, donated by Ipoh Remembered, is an advertisement taken from a 1952 copy of the Birmingham Post: it shows a version of the Swan Brand jelly mould made by Bulpitt.