About the object
This malted milk drink has offered comfort – from infants to explorers – for over a hundred years – tell us a story that makes you feel warm inside…
Slough’s answer to sleepless nights, gastric ulcers and some forms of diabetes? Horlicks Malted Milk!
The Horlicks factory in Stoke Poges Lane is perhaps the most beautiful historical industrial building still standing in Slough. The idea to build in Slough occurred in 1906, when James Horlick bought a green field site from Eton College, but the building was not operational until 1908. The entire project cost £28,800 and by 1969, the extended factory produced 30 million pounds of powder a year.
Unlike the Mars Bar, Horlicks Malted Milk was not born in Britain, but originated in the United States. In 1873 James and William Horlick took a trip from the Forest of Dean to Chicago and started to manufacture a patented malt drink made especially for infants. In 1883 the famous drink we know today was born. However, it took until 1890 for Horlicks to be marketed in Britain.
Since the Slough factory was built, the firm has spread globally. In 1935 a factory was built in Australia and in 1960 a factory was built in the Indian Punjab to make Horlicks from buffalo milk. The success of the company also led it to buy other companies, including Slough’s own Elliman, Sons & Co. in 1961.
In 1930 Horlicks even had an Antarctic mountain named after it, though this was mainly due to the company sponsoring the explorer who named it. In 1969, Horlicks was bought up by the Beechams.
