The ‘Codd’ style of bottle, which had a marble as a seal, was designed in 1872 by Hiram Codd, a British soft drink manufacturer of Camberwell, London. It was made from thick glass to withstand internal pressure, with a pinched section which formed a chamber holding a glass marble. The pressure from the liquid inside the jar kept the marble in place against a sealing washer when the bottle was filled, upside down.
To open it you needed to strike the marble. This could be done using a special opener. These bottles were expensive to make and there was a refund given for the empty bottle when it was returned. A dilemma for children, the money or the marble?
In 1772 Joseph Priestly found a way to make mineral waters artificially fizzy by adding carbon dioxide. They became popular as drinks for medicinal reasons in the 18th century. There were several producers of Mineral Waters in Gosport during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Original page created by David Moore.