Teasmade facts for kids
A teasmade is a special machine that makes tea automatically. These machines were once very common in the United Kingdom and other countries that were part of the British Commonwealth.
Teasmades usually have an alarm clock built into them. They are designed to sit next to your bed. This way, your tea can be ready for you first thing in the morning!
Simple versions of these machines existed a long time ago, even in Victorian times. But they really became useful when electric versions were made in the 1930s. Teasmades were most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Their use went down after that, but now they are becoming popular again. People like them as a fun, old-fashioned item.
The name teasmade was originally a brand name. But now, many people use it to talk about any machine that makes tea automatically.
Contents
History of Teasmades
People have been trying to make automatic tea makers for a long time.
Early Ideas for Automatic Tea Makers
On September 19, 1891, a man named Charles Maynard Walker shared his idea for an "Early Riser's Friend." He published details and drawings in a magazine called Work. However, he never patented his tea maker.
On December 17, 1891, Samuel Rowbottom from Derby applied for a patent. This was for his "Automatic Tea Making Apparatus." He received the patent in 1892. His machine used a clockwork alarm clock and a gas ring with a pilot light. There is a picture of Rowbottom showing his tea maker at an exhibition. We don't know if he sold many of them. But his clever idea of using steam from boiling water to push the water into the teapot is still used today!
Another tea maker was invented by Albert E. Richardson. He was a worker from Ashton-under-Lyne. A gunsmith named Frank Clarke from Birmingham bought Richardson's machine and all its rights. On April 7, 1902, Clarke registered a patent for this tea maker. He called it "An Apparatus Whereby a Cup of Tea or Coffee is Automatically Made." Later, it was sold as "A Clock That Makes Tea!".
The First Electric Teasmades
On May 2, 1932, George Absolom applied for a patent for his invention. It was an electric automatic tea maker. He received the patent (number 400672) on November 2, 1933. This invention was made and sold as the "Teesmade."
The word "teesmade" was first used by George Absolom. It was used about four years before the word "teasmade." George Absolom tried to register the name "Teesmade" as a design. But the Patent Office did not accept it. They said the machine was not made near the River Tees. They worried this might confuse people. At that time, names linked to places were often not allowed. Even so, George Absolom continued to use the name Teesmade Co. from 1932 onwards.
Another similar electric tea maker was patented in 1933. This was by William Hermann Brenner Thornton, who worked with a company called Goblin. This happened shortly after Absolom's patent.
Goblin's next model was also invented by William Hermann Brenner Thornton. It was patented in 1934 and made from 1936. This was the very first tea maker sold using the name "Teasmade." A drawing from the 1934 patent shows how it worked. It had a kettle with a tube leading into a teapot. An electric heater warmed the kettle. An alarm clock turned the heater on and off. The kettle sat on a special spring-loaded pad with a switch. When steam pushed the boiling water into the pot, the pad would rise. This would cut off the power to the heater.
Who Owns the Teasmade Name?
In the 1970s, the company Goblin was bought by another company called Birmingham Sound Reproducers (BSR). At some point, the "Teasmade" brand name moved from Goblin to Swan Housewares Limited. Swan was another company owned by BSR.
Records show that in 1991, the trademark went from Swan to Moulinex. Moulinex had bought Swan and other brands from BSR. Then, in 2001, after Moulinex closed down, the trademark went to Littlewoods Retail Limited. Littlewoods joined with Shop Direct Group in 2005. This group changed its name to The Very Group in 2019. As of 2020, Littlewoods Limited still owns the "Teasmade" trademark.
How Teasmades Are Made Today
The Swan Teasmade D01, made by RBC electronics, is no longer being produced.
However, the Swan Teasmade STM series is still made. Swan Products has been making them in China since October 2009. You can find them in many stores in the UK, like John Lewis and Tesco Direct. There are different types, including white, cream, and old-fashioned looking models.
The Breville Wake Cup automatic tea maker has been made by Breville UK since 2012.
Sales of the Micromark Tea Express stopped in the UK. This happened when Micromark's main company, BDC, went out of business in November 2008.
Teasmade Collections
The biggest known collection of teasmades belonged to Sheridan Parsons. He had 172 examples in Royal Wootton Bassett!
See also
In Spanish: Teasmade para niños
