picture archives

Maldon's Old Salt
A delivery truck in 1923 in carnival procession entered as 'Maldon's Old Salt'
Feeding the furnaces
Cyril Osborne feeding the coal furnaces at the Downs salt works prior to the installation of gas
Salt making
Passing down the skills of salt making from father to son (Cyril to Clive)
Salt making
Passing down the skills of salt making from father to son (Clive to Steve)
Ancient salt works
The discovery of an ancient salt works, possibly from the middle ages, during the expansion on the Downs site
The Downs salt works
The Downs salt works at Maldon during the early 1950s
Harvesting the salt
The process of harvesting the salt is the same today as it was in the 1970s
Packaging department
The packaging department in the 1960s was very different to the automated facility of today
Packaging from the 1970s
The packaging of Maldon Salt has changed many times over the decades. Here it is as packaged in the 1970s
A Jubilee gift for The Queen
Clive Osborne with a Silver Jubilee gift for her Royal Highness The Queen in 1977
Margaret Thatcher visits the salt works
Margaret Thatcher visiting the Maldon Crystal Salt Company during an election campaign in the early 1980s
The installation of gas
The installation of gas in 1981 resulted in Maldon Salt receiving an energy management award
The port of Maldon
The Thames barges and fishing smacks here are a reminder of the once busy port of Maldon
Drawing the pans
Drawing the pans at the Downs salt works in the 1970's
The aquisition of Tidman's
The companies of Tidman's and Maldon Salt were amalgamated in 1973
The Downs at Maldon
The Maldon Crystal Salt Company have operated out of this site since 1882
Delia Smith
Clive Osborne with Delia Smith - a great advocate of Maldon Salt
Packaging from the '80s and '90s
Maldon Salt as packaged in the 1980s and '90s - a reflection of the design styles of the times
A royal visit
Her Majesty The Queen visits the Maldon Crystal Salt Company in 2010
Maldon Salt today
The Maldon Salt range of products as packaged and distributed throughout the world today

A History in Pictures

Maldon Salt's rich and varied history is completely unique and their family story is an inspirational one. Many stories and tales have been passed down through the generations and much has been well documented through family scrap books and archives. Gillian Soudah's book 'The Salt Maker of Maldon' is a facinating insight into the life and times of her father, Cyril Osborne, and details of the book are available on this web site.

Although Maldon Salt's history extends a lot further back than modern photography, recent generations have chronicalised its progress and growth through photos and documents over the last 50 years or so. From a collection of hundreds of family photos we have compiled a few examples that tell a bit of the story that is 'Maldon Salt'.

Press Area

The press area of the Maldon Salt web site has been set-up for writers, designers and publishers who need resources when researching and compling materials on The Maldon Crystal Salt Company and its products.

Logos, pictures and editorial are available here for download and can be used in the publishing of articles for the press, magazines, interviews, broadcast and in electronic media such as web sites.