How to get the best out of your Morphy-Richards Astral refrigerator : booklet : Morphy-Richards Ltd. : London : Astral Commodore Model

            A few pages from an undated, but possibly mid-1950s, booklet issued by Morphy-Richards Ltd., the UK producer of electrical domestic appliances and describing the 'Astral' range of refrigerators; these were the Astral Commodore, Console and Table models. Each model was available for mains electricity, town or bottled gas operation.

The booklet gives hints and tips on the use and maintainence of the fridge at a time when for many UK households this would have been their first; the uptake of refrigerators in Britain had been somewhat slow certainly in comparison with the US market. 

The company's origins were in 1936 when two Kent based engineers Donal Morphy and Charles Richards set up in business to make electric fires. In 1938 they manufactured their first electric iron although during WW2 most production was for aircraft equipment to aid the war effort. In post-war years the company began to prosper, especially in the 1950s as austerity eased, UK consumers had more disposable income and domestic electrical appliances became more available. It was also the case that the more widespread availability of Hire Purchase allowed more consumers to acquire such goods.

During the war, in 1944, Reyrolle had acquired a share in the company and in 1948 Morphy-Richards bought an existing refrigerator manufacturer in Dundee, Astral Equipment, and although wholly subsumed the name lived on as can be seen in this brochure. In 1949 the first electric toaster appeared followed by, in 1953, a hairdrier range - we still have my mother's, in the original box, that she acquired at the time. The company had a strong market presence and brand identity using the pale cornflower blue seen used here. In later years the company's ownership changed several times following Morphy's sell off of his share of the company to EMI in 1960, stopping Philips Electricals taking ownership. In 1966 it became part of BDA - British Domestic Appliances - following the decision of EMI to merge their ranges with those of AEI-Hotpoint. Thus the company fell to GEC and eventually was sold to the Irish company Glen Dimplex who have recently sold the brand on to a Chinese company.

Taken on: February 7, 2024

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Mike Ashworth Collection

1950s

booklet

marketing advertising

trade catalogue

retail

domestic appliances

electric appliances

Morphy-Richards Ltd.

London

Morphy-Richards 'Astral' Refrigerators

refrigerator

Morphy-Richards Astral Commodore refrigerator

Astral Console refrigerator

Astral Table Model refrigerator

owner's manual

hints and tips

recipes

brand

illustration

graphic design

lettering

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typography

Astral Commodore Model

refrigerator design

appliance design « less

Sets appears in: • How to get the best out of your Morphy-Richards Astral refrigerator : booklet : c.1955 - 60 • Some old advertising

Groups appears in: • Vintage Advertising • That Old Timey Feeling more » • Golden Age of Advertising: 1950s - 1970s • Advertising through the years • 1950s Britain (Original '50s images only) • PLANET EARTH BACK IN THE DAY • Vintage Electric UK « less

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