Stotherts Codd Bottle

This bottle was used by Stotherts of Atherton to store carbonated drinks. The bottle is embossed with the image of a bearded man. The bearded man is Richard Stothert who founded the company in 1852. Stotherts made their name by selling medication and ointments. They went on to sell canned and bottled soft drinks.

The mineral water and soft drinks department was started at Atherton in 1897. Owing to shortage of room production was moved to John Street, Warrington in 1905. Carbonated drinks needed bottles strong enough to stand the build up of pressure and to keep the 'fizz' inside. In 1872 Hiram Codd introduced a design featuring a glass marble to keep it airtight. The Codd-neck bottle, as it was called, enclosed a marble and a rubber washer/gasket in the neck. The pressure of the gas in the bottle forced the marble against the washer, sealing in the carbonation. Codd bottles were still widely used until the 1930s.

This bottle was machine-made in a mould. We know this because you can see the join where the two halves met. A lack of bubbles and uniform glass thickness also indicate that it was machine made.

See the bottle at the Museum of Wigan Life, Library Street, Wigan.