Arnott’s Biscuits Homebush

By Cathy Jones 2006 (updated 2024)

The Arnott’s Biscuit Factory operated at Homebush from 1908 to 1997, when it was relocated to Huntingwood.  However, the administrative offices of Arnott’s Biscuits are still located in George Street Homebush.

Arnott’s Biscuits were originally established in West Maitland in the NSW Hunter region by William Arnott, a baker and pastry cook. Arnott immigrated to Australia from Scotland in 1848 with his brother David, also a baker.  After experiencing financial setbacks, floods and harsh economic conditions, Arnott moved the business to Newcastle NSW.  Newcastle was expanding and had a busy port, factors that supported new and growing businesses.

In 1865, Arnott established a bakery business in Newcastle, which achieved considerable success.  Arnott invested in machinery and adopted mass production techniques with reduced labour costs and increased production capacity. In 1882, Arnott commenced shipments to Sydney via coastal steamer.  By 1889, with the opening of Hawkesbury River bridge and rail, Arnott’s began transporting supplies to Sydney.  By the 1880s, Arnott’s employed over 300 men and women and 80 varieties of biscuits.

In 1894, Arnott took his sons into the business and purchased a factory at Forest Lodge Glebe, which continued operating until 1909, the year after the Homebush factory opened.  Arnott planned for his retirement and moved to Strathfield, eventually building the house ‘Arnottholme‘ in Albert Road Strathfield in 1899.

In 1904, the business was reconstituted into a limited liability company ‘William Arnott Ltd’, which restricted transfer of shares only within the family.

Under the company’s Articles of Association, the Chairmanship of the Board was restricted to the five sons of William Arnott involved in the business.  This remained place until 1961 with the death of the last brother Halse Rogers Arnott. The Board of Directors was made up of William Arnott’s direct descendants including his sons and later, his grandsons.

William Arnott supported the business obtaining land in Sydney to build a large factory with capacity to expand.  Requiring access to the railway for transportation, the Arnott’s purchased a six and half acre site at Homebush in 1906, with rail siding access. The original factory was designed by architect Charles Slatyer and built in 1907-08 at a cost of £10,400.

The purchase was known as ‘Arnott’s Folly’ as the site was considered too far from the City to attract workers. However, the Homebush factory which opened in 1908 was eventually the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and exported biscuits from Homebush to the rest of the world.

Though the area of Homebush was sparsely populated in the early 1900’s and considered a rural outpost of Sydney, the Homebush Arnott’s factory had little difficulty in finding workers in the district. It was often said there were few families in Homebush or Concord who didn’t work for Arnott’s.

Arnott’s were regarded as good employers. During the 1930s Depression, Arnotts reduced the operational hours of the factory rather than dismissing their workers, which was the usual practice. Arnotts also provided staff amenities near the Factory such as tennis courts and a lawn bowling green and provided worker entitlements such as sick and holiday pay long before it was a legal requirement and provided pensions to old and trusted employees who had given good service .

Many members of the Arnott family lived in Strathfield, including the founder William Arnott.

The original Homebush factory expanded with increased production, requiring a new building on the western side of George St. The two factories were connected by an overhead walkway. By 1933 the number of employees peaked at 2,500 and annual production exceeded 10,250 tons.

Deliveries were originally made by horse and buggy, but these made way for the famous red delivery vans in the late 1920s.

The Homebush factory covered three floors. The bottom level had an ingredients preparations section and processing department where icing, chocolate coating and cream filling were made. The middle level had a mixing room, Bakehouse and wafer and packaging department. The top floor had packaging facilities, office areas and workshops.

Arnott’s Biscuits were originally delivered in tins. Tins were sent to shops and then returned to the factory and recycled. However, biscuit tins which were damaged or broken were crushed. Many were buried under the car park and Arnott’s Bowling Green (which is now part of the Powell’s Creek Corridor).

Some tins were melted and used for land reclamation in nearby Mason Park. Albert Mason was the Mayor of Homebush and Chief electrician of Arnott’s Biscuits. The park is named after him.

The Arnott’s factory was relocated to Huntingwood in 1997 and the Homebush factory was closed.

The former factory has been readapted into the Bakehouse Quarter. Many of the former factories have been retained. This site provides many references to its Arnott’s history ranging from the SAO sign to small Arnott’s Parrot emblems woven into building facades. George St has been recast with a cobblestone road and Edwardian style-lighting harking back to the days in the early twentieth century when the Arnott factory was first built.

Attachment

Arnotts End of Era at Homebush 1997 (article from Inner West Courier)