Adams Bruce expanded its bakery empire and chain of retail shops
throught the 1920s, until its brand of chocolates, ‘Queen Anne’,
had become a household name.
By 1929, Queen Anne Ice Cream was beginning to make
its name as a high quality product as well, "in three distinctive
flavours", Maple, Vanilla and Chocolate, served in a dish (ice cream
6d, sundae 9d and banana split for 1/-), in three sizes of take-home
container (6d,1/-, and 2/-) and in "the big Queen Anne Cake Cone":
Queen Anne Ice Cream advertisement, Evening Post, February 1929.
The Depression led to the formation of a new company, Ernest Adams Ltd.,
to take over the South Island part of the business, with Adams Bruce
continuing to cover the North Island.
Queen Anne Ice Cream advertisement, Auckland Star, 23 December
1929
Queen Anne Ice Cream advertisement, Evening Post,
2 February 1929
Queen Anne Ice Cream advertisement, Auckland
Star, 18 November 1933
With their distinctive black-and-white tiled interiors and ornate lead-lighted
frontages, featuring the now-famous "Queen Anne" symbol,
the iconic Adams Bruce and Queen Anne shops became synonomous with
luxury treats, and hold fond memories for anyone who grew up in those
times.
Original Queen Anne shopfront, Dunedin.
- Chris Gregory.
In 1932, in Auckland, there were two Adams Bruce Queen Anne shops selling
ice cream in Queen St, and two in Karangahape Road. You could buy ice
cream cones in three sizes; 1/2d (or two for a penny!), 1 1/2d, and
3d. Sundaes were 9d each, with three new flavours announced: Butterscotch,
Caramel (vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and a pink wafer on top),
and Walnuts in Maple.
Factory manager Vic Kent worked for the company for 30 years, including
the war years, when he remembered people queuing for Queen Anne chocolates,
and the time that the company was fined for putting too much cream in
its ice cream during rationing.
In 1945, the Adams Bruce business was sold to two of the company's managers,
Hollis Reed and John Rhodes, who set about expanding the operation even
further.
Queen Anne cardboard 1 pint pack, ca 1960?
- Mike Davidson.
Queen Anne milk shake cup, 1960s?
- Noel O'Riley.
Ice cream was also sold under the Adams Bruce brand.
Adams Bruce ice cream cup, 1950s-60s.
- Mintie
Cottle.
Continued growth in the 1960’s meant that cake, ice cream and confectionery
shops were opened in almost every centre in the North Island. The shops
competed with the milk bars, complete with scoop ice cream, milkshakes
and ice cream sundaes, plus of course, cakes, biscuits, chocolates and
other goodies. However the spread of the supermarkets began to eat into
their viability.
Queen Anne Half-Gallon can lid, 1960s.
- bjubes.
In 1976, after 50 years of chocolate and ice cream making, and facing
extensive costs to upgrade the factory, the Queen Anne College Street
business closed down and the famous Queen Anne brand disappeared.
Ernest Adams died in Christchurch on 29 August 1976.
After the company left the ice cream business, the Queen Anne Ice Cream
brand was purchased by Westland Snowflake Ice Cream Co, Greymouth. Queen
Anne brand ice cream was manufactured for some years, through into the
late 1990s, but sadly it is no longer available.
Header from Queen Anne Ice Cream flavour list, ca., 1995?.
- Owen Norton collection.
In 1997, the Queen Anne Chocolate brand was resurrected
by Sarah Adams, granddaughter of Ernest Adams, and
in 2011 a new Queen Anne factory was opened at 19 Cable St, Sockburn,
Christchurch.
- Queen Anne.
You can read more about the history of Queen Anne,
recollections of its customers over the years, and the current range
of Queen Anne products on their website:
 www.queenanne.co.nz
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Ice Cream Brands from the Past.
http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/
biographies/
5a4/adams-ernest-alfred
