Inside Jordans
Once Upon A Time
From flour to cereals - a Jordans potted history
Posted by Jordans Cereals 12 Sep 2008 2:51pm
There are quite a few Williams in the Jordans family’s illustrious history, from the stunt-flying Spitfire pilot William John Jordan, to ex-drummer, Bill. The very first William kept his horses busy on his 18th Century Bedfordshire farm hauling equipment around for the local millers.
This sparked the second William’s interest in the milling business. And out of his two sons, Alfred and William, it was Alfred’s fascination with milling machinery that led him to rent Holme Mills in Biggleswade, while his brother sold flour from his depot in London.
William 3rd then bought Holme Mills and kept the mill going through the challenging Depression years, then Bill’s Dad – William 5th (known to all as John!) took over and finally, sixth generation Bill and David installed a rudimentary processing plant and started making the Jordans breakfast cereal products we enjoy today.
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Comments (7)
I remember John through the Country Millers association and the East Herts Millers. The East Herts still meets once a year and John was our Life President. He entertained us with all his stories of lorries, flying, milling, old lawnmowers, rugby etc. A true Englishman. Flour milling went into fewer and fewer hands. The Country Millers were in his kitchen one day (early '80's?) & I remember he told us in 1890 there were 10,000 family run mills in the UK, in the 60's it was down to 250 and now we are all in this room! John got out by starting his cereal business with his 2 sons.
i remember when john j had a work shop in sandy i think it was macanics as well as the mill in sandy my dad work fo john when he left school .an when i was at junoier school the workshop was just across the road.
John was my father's pilot during WW2 and I remember staying at the mill when I was only 5. John took me out for a spin in a gullwing mercedes, the first time I had been over 100mph. Glad your business is doing so well.
Picking up the thread 3 months on... it was a Lola T330 with a (very loud) short block Chevy V8, described as a lorry engine, if my memory serves. Mr Jordan (John) was very kind to let me join his pit crew over a weekend at Brands Hatch in 1985, providing me with material for an A-level graphics project. It also happened to coincide with a Lotus weekend, at which Ayrton Senna was the star attraction, and as I had a pit pass, I managed to "that close" to him, before the camera jammed (...my "one that got away" story for a couple years, thanks). Then there was the Mr Jordan's acrobatics above our cottage and the short landings & takeoffs at the rugby club next door, and the tales told. John Jordan esacpades would surely provide material for book, film or TV serial. (pun intended)
Yes, David and my father, John, raced G.T.40's, BRM's. Lolas and Formula 3000, and was known in the family as "Shunter". He did a lot of flying too which David also does, although not fixed wing. Don't know who won the bet - but keep eating the cereals!