In the 1880s, Elders & Fyffes started importing bananas to the UK from the Canary Islands through Southampton Docks. The trade grew and from the 1930s, millions of bananas were imported to Southampton from the Caribbean in specially-built ships.
In 1935, Fyffes obtained a special berth at Southampton docks and bananas were marketed as a health food. A special preferential trade tariff was introduced for ‘Empire-grown’ bananas. By the late 1930s, 1.5 million bunches of bananas passed through Southampton every year.
The import of bananas was banned during the Second World War, in order to ensure that shipping only carried vital stores. Fyffe’s ships were requisitioned by the Government and the company’s warehouses in Southampton Docks were used as emergency food stores.
After the war, bananas again became popular in Britain and Southampton residents with links to the Caribbean remember how local farmers there grew bananas for export.
Courtesy of Associated British Ports:
Southampton Docks collection.
3 май 2020
