Striking 120-year-old lantern slides used by Cadbury’s to promote their vision for better working and living conditions have been unearthed.

Bournville Village Trust, founded by chocolate-maker and philanthropist George Cadbury, discovered the glass lantern slides after a flood forced some of its archives to be relocated.

The stunning colour slides were used by Cadbury employees as they toured Britain and beyond to bring the Cadbury and Bournville story to life and help boost sales of chocolate.

Slides show factory workers taking a morning break in a beautiful garden and large family houses surrounded by trees and lush scenery.

The slides have now been digitalised and are being used, along with notes from an original Cadbury lecture, to inspire a family-friendly theatre performance in association with Birmingham Rep’s Creative Learning Department.

Drawing on research by students and historians from the University of Birmingham and using the slides, audiences will be taken on a part historical re-enactment, part immersive experience to see, hear and feel history unfolding around them.

Daniel Callicott, Heritage Manager at Bournville Village Trust, said: “We were so excited to find these slides in our archives. Not only are they rare but they take you on a wonderful journey of the Cadbury factory as it was in 1906, and the wider Bournville community.

“We couldn’t just put these slides back in a box on a shelf. So, when the opportunity came along to bring them to life with Birmingham Rep’s Creative Learning Department we jumped at it. We can’t wait to see what audiences make of the performance and these beautiful slides that transport you back in time.”

Matt Houlbrook, Professor of Cultural History at University of Birmingham, said: “It is almost a century since audiences last had chance to see these remarkable lantern slides. That we are now able to bring them back to life — to reimagine and restage the lecture of which they were part at the heart of Bournville — is exceptionally exciting.

“Given the radical vision for housing and community the slides were used to promote, it seems fitting that The Bournville Lantern Lecture is a collaboration between The Rep, Bournville Village Trust, and the University of Birmingham, three of our city’s most important civic institutions.”

Rachel Sharpe, Creative Learning Director, at Birmingham Rep, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Bournville Village Trust and University of Birmingham to explore this fascinating story from Birmingham’s past, and to share a glimpse into the people, communities and ideas that have helped shape the city.

“We’re always interested in finding creative and immersive ways to tell the many stories of Birmingham and connect them with audiences. This project brings together our Creative Learning and immersive practice with Bournville’s fascinating archive.”

The ‘Bournville Lantern Lecture… Disrupted’ performance will take place on Saturday 17th October 2026 at the Bournville Friends Quaker Meeting House, B30 1JT, with morning and afternoon performances. It would not have been possible without support from Birmingham University’s Public Engagement Fund.

To find out more and book, go to https://sellymanormuseum.org.uk/events/2026-10-17/bournville-lantern-lectures-disrupted

The lantern slides will also be on show at the ‘What’s in the Box’ exhibition at the Rest House, centre of Bournville Green, B30 2AA, on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th October 2026, 10am-4pm. Entry is free.

Bournville Village Trust is one of the Midlands’ longest-serving independent charitable trusts.

It works within more than a dozen diverse communities in south and central Birmingham and Telford and aims to create and sustain communities where people can thrive.

It was founded by social reformer and chocolate maker George Cadbury in 1900 and provides services to over 9,000 households and 25,000 people.