Cadbury’s Chocolate Box Celebrating 1935 Silver Jubilee (George V)

This object, a small tin Cadbury’s decorative chocolate box, was part of a wider collection gifted to children attending Egham Parish School on Station Lane in 1935. This was in celebration of the Silver Jubilee of George V and Mary, happening to be the first ever Silver Jubilee, which took place on 6th May 1935. George V’s Jubilee was commemorated with various souvenirs, such as silver crown coins, decorative stamps, chocolate tins, and even a recipe for Jubilee Chicken made with mayonnaise and curry powder.

Egham Parish School was designed by Charles Henry Howell, who was the chief architect of asylums for the mentally ill and Surveyor for Public Buildings for the County of Surrey from 1860-1893. Paid using Poor’s Allotment Funds and gifted by Queen Victoria in 1868, the school was opened as an affordable school for Egham’s local children, with fees up to 4d a week.

This small, rectangular gold tin has a printed decoration on the lid, showcasing the busts of George V and Mary, and behind them, the billowing flags of Union Jack and George’s coat of arms. A small red-and-gold crown, positioned underneath a golden lion, connects the two monarchs. As the printed date on the bottom reads 1910-1935, it commemorates the twenty-five years of George V and Mary’s reign.

Originally containing a small bar of Dairy Milk chocolate, the tin is now empty but is still in brilliant condition.