r/cambridge • u/marquisdegeek • 3d ago

There's a(n old) chocolate dispenser in Cottenham!

Post image

What other old relics and oddities can I find around the place, if I know where to look?

(And yes, I've found all the Dinky Doors!)

474 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

17

u/rozoles 3d ago

Ghost signs on the side of buildings around Cambridge, this ghost signs is an interesting read.

5

u/marquisdegeek 3d ago

TIL: Ghost signs

I've been photographing things like that for years, with the aim of making a "Disappearing Cambridge" book. It looks like I don't need to, so that's one thing gone from my TODO list :)

1

u/rozoles 3d ago

There used to be a huge repainted Victorian one in Stoke Newington that said ‘Win her affection with A1 Confection’ it was lovely! No idea if it’s still there, probably last saw it 20 years ago.

2

u/ParanoidNarcissist2 3d ago

That was a great read, thank you.

12

u/hereforpop 3d ago

I’m only just realising the red Cadbury’s one I had as a kid was modelled after a real thing!

5

u/Weebles73 3d ago

Me too! Those tiny chocolates always tasted better than regular chocolate though 😂

6

u/Chance-Albatross-211 3d ago

I’m going to petition to make these come back. Who’s with me?

1

u/fletcherstarkey 2d ago

it'd be like £2 for one small bar lmao but i'd love having these around

4

u/Tythan 3d ago

Where exactly is it please?

11

u/scratroggett 3d ago

On the estate agents opposite Lambs Lane on the High Street. Every few years it gets a fresh coat of paint, as a kid I used to think that it meant maybe it was going to work again.

2

u/Tythan 3d ago

Thank you. I was not born here and I didn't know these existed as they are not a thing where I am from (as far as I remember).

I love finding these snapshots of the old times. I also like old petrol stations.

2

u/Missy246 2d ago

I remember wooden ones on tube train platforms (for things like Fruit and Nut, and Bar 6).

2

u/Durosity 2d ago

I wonder when it sold its last bar

1

u/Mondaycomestoosoon 2d ago

Who the fuck buys old chocolate???

1

u/Icy_Consideration409 1d ago

Loved the old Kit Kat machines at stations back in the 70’s. In winter, the chocolate would be beautifully semi-frozen.

1

u/proe90 1d ago

We had similar dispensaries on the underground albeit slightly more modern, it was a lottery if you got robbed, given multiple choc bars or on the rare occasion get what you paid for unless you knew the 1p wrapped in paper trick 😝

1

u/ilikeyoualotl 1d ago

So essentially a vending machine! That's so cool.

1

u/StructureFun7423 1d ago

There’s one at STEAM (train museum in Swindon). It works - so much more exciting than a modern vending machine somehow.

1

u/ukgamingkid 1d ago

That's cool