Swan Vesta
Encyclopedia
Swan Vesta is a brand name for the most popular brand of 'strike-anywhere' matches currently available in the UK
, shorter than regular pocket matches they are particularly popular with smokers and have long used the tagline
"the smoker's match" although this has been replaced by the prefix "the original" on the current packaging.
Swan Vesta matches are manufactured under the House of Swan brand, which is also responsible for making other smoking accessories such as cigarette papers, flints and filter tips. The matches are manufactured by Swedish Match
in Sweden using local, sustainably grown aspen
.
on Merseyside
near Liverpool
introduced 'Swan wax matches' these were superseded by later versions including 'Swan White Pine Vestas' from the Diamond Match Company, these were formed of wooden splint soaked in wax. They were finally christened 'Swan Vestas' in 1906 when Diamond merged with Bryant and May
and the company enthusiastically promoted the Swan brand. By the 1930s 'Swan Vestas' had become 'Britain's best selling match'. The brand is now owned by the Swedish Match
company.
animation A Grand Day Out
, thinly disguised as "Duck Matches". The homage recurs in the fourth Wallace and Gromit short, A Matter of Loaf and Death
.
They are also mentioned in Mark Z. Danielewski
'sHouse of Leaves
on p. 466 as a personal item Navidson decides to bring with him into the house.
"Vestas", without the capital, appear in the Sherlock Holmes
story Silver Blaze
, and finding a half-burned one is one of the clues that helps solve the crime. They also appear in the story The Man with the Twisted Lip
, as the professional beggar Hugh Boone pretends "a small trade in wax vestas" to avoid the police. In both of these stories, "vesta" appears to be used as a generic term for "match
". The discovery of "an odd vesta or two" made it possible for Richard Hannay to escape confinement in John Buchan's novel "The Thirty-Nine Steps."
Swan Vesta matches are also used as an instrument in the off-Broadway and touring productions of Stomp
, with the actors alternating between shaking and striking full boxes of matches - with the striker heads removed - to create a musical number.
Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo
, the 1968 debut album by the British psychedelic rock
group The Status Quo, features the band members seated atop a mountain of Swan Vesta matches.
In an episode of Only Fools and Horses
, Derek Trotter compares Rodney Trotter
to a Swan Vesta after he is deliberately burned under a sun bed.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, shorter than regular pocket matches they are particularly popular with smokers and have long used the tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
"the smoker's match" although this has been replaced by the prefix "the original" on the current packaging.
Swan Vesta matches are manufactured under the House of Swan brand, which is also responsible for making other smoking accessories such as cigarette papers, flints and filter tips. The matches are manufactured by Swedish Match
Swedish Match
Swedish Match is a Swedish company based in Stockholm that makes snus, tobacco, cigars , Red Man Chewing Tobacco, dipping tobacco, matches and lighters. It was founded as Svenska Tändsticksaktiebolaget by Ivar Kreuger in 1917 in Jönköping...
in Sweden using local, sustainably grown aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
.
History of the brand
The Swan brand began in 1883 when the Collard & Kendall match company in BootleBootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
on Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
near Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
introduced 'Swan wax matches' these were superseded by later versions including 'Swan White Pine Vestas' from the Diamond Match Company, these were formed of wooden splint soaked in wax. They were finally christened 'Swan Vestas' in 1906 when Diamond merged with Bryant and May
Bryant and May
For the Bryant and May series of crime mystery books, see the author Christopher Fowler.Bryant and May was a United Kingdom company created in the mid-nineteenth century specifically to make matches. Their original Bryant and May Factory was located in Bow, London...
and the company enthusiastically promoted the Swan brand. By the 1930s 'Swan Vestas' had become 'Britain's best selling match'. The brand is now owned by the Swedish Match
Swedish Match
Swedish Match is a Swedish company based in Stockholm that makes snus, tobacco, cigars , Red Man Chewing Tobacco, dipping tobacco, matches and lighters. It was founded as Svenska Tändsticksaktiebolaget by Ivar Kreuger in 1917 in Jönköping...
company.
In popular culture
An immediately recognizable Swan Vesta box appears in the first Wallace and GromitWallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...
animation A Grand Day Out
A Grand Day Out
A Grand Day Out is an award-nominated 1989 animated film directed and animated by Nick Park at Aardman Animations in Bristol. This was the first adventure featuring the eccentric inventor Wallace and his quiet but smart dog Gromit...
, thinly disguised as "Duck Matches". The homage recurs in the fourth Wallace and Gromit short, A Matter of Loaf and Death
A Matter of Loaf and Death
A Matter of Loaf and Death is an animated television short created by Nick Park, and the fourth of his shorts to star his characters Wallace and Gromit...
.
They are also mentioned in Mark Z. Danielewski
Mark Z. Danielewski
Mark Z. Danielewski, born March 5, 1966 in New York City, New York, is an American author, best known for his debut novel House of Leaves...
'sHouse of Leaves
House of Leaves
House of Leaves is the debut novel by the American author Mark Z. Danielewski, published by Pantheon Books. The novel quickly became a bestseller following its March 7, 2000 release. It was followed by a companion piece, The Whalestoe Letters...
on p. 466 as a personal item Navidson decides to bring with him into the house.
"Vestas", without the capital, appear in the Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
story Silver Blaze
Silver Blaze
"Silver Blaze", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 in the cycle collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. It was adapted in 1937 to a film starring Arthur Wontner, and an ITV drama starring Christopher Plummer which was...
, and finding a half-burned one is one of the clues that helps solve the crime. They also appear in the story The Man with the Twisted Lip
The Man with the Twisted Lip
"The Man with the Twisted Lip", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the sixth of the twelve stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The story was first published in the Strand Magazine in December 1891...
, as the professional beggar Hugh Boone pretends "a small trade in wax vestas" to avoid the police. In both of these stories, "vesta" appears to be used as a generic term for "match
Match
A match is a tool for starting a fire under controlled conditions. A typical modern match is made of a small wooden stick or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by frictional heat generated by striking the match against a suitable surface...
". The discovery of "an odd vesta or two" made it possible for Richard Hannay to escape confinement in John Buchan's novel "The Thirty-Nine Steps."
Swan Vesta matches are also used as an instrument in the off-Broadway and touring productions of Stomp
Stomp
Stomp may refer to:*Stomp , a downwards kick using the heel*Stomp , a percussive physical theatre troupe*Stomp Records, a record label now part of Union Label Group*Stomp Entertainment, an Australian entertainment group...
, with the actors alternating between shaking and striking full boxes of matches - with the striker heads removed - to create a musical number.
Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo
Picturesque Matchstickable Messages From The Status Quo
Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo is the 1968 debut album by the British psychedelic rock group, Status Quo. The album features a large number of covers, including "Green Tambourine" by The Lemon Pipers....
, the 1968 debut album by the British psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
group The Status Quo, features the band members seated atop a mountain of Swan Vesta matches.
In an episode of Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
, Derek Trotter compares Rodney Trotter
Rodney Trotter
Rodney Charlton Trotter is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst.-Personality:Rodney's personality was based on the experiences of series creator John Sullivan, who also had an older sibling and, like Rodney, claimed to have been a dreamer and...
to a Swan Vesta after he is deliberately burned under a sun bed.