The History of Stone's
166 Fore Street, Exeter, Devon. England was the
headquarters and factory of Stone's of Exeter since about
1760. A wide range of pharmaceuticals were manufactured
for both human and animal use.
A photograph taken in
about 1900 shows a production line producing a large
quantity of the polish. At that time it was probably the
only manufactured polish on the market.
Hilda Stone and
cousin Alan were the last members of the family to own
and manage the business. They were both well known and
respected in the West Country.In 1942 the building,
along with much of Exeter was destroyed by bombing.
Manufacture was moved out of town. Hilda and Alan soon
retired passing the business on to their employees as
neither had any family of their own.
In about 1960 the business was sold to
Jackson's, a
local manufacturing chemist, who by 1990 had become a
small part of the multinational Cadbury Schweppes.
Furniture polish did not blend with the production of
cough sweets, and so production ceased.
Louisa Wagg asked a friend, who was the production
manager, if there was any stock left as the polish was no
longer available in the shops. The answer came back that
there was no stock available but if she sent her husband
around they would teach him how to make it.
David Wagg has been in production ever since.
Christopher Chanter became a partner in 1998 and has been
very successful in regaining markets lost some fifty
years ago.
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