Kipper box stencil
Date made: 20th century
Description: A metal kipper box stencil used to mark the sides of boxes of Manx kippers, smoked in Peel. The stencil was found in Eddie Leece's smithy on Peel quayside.
The stencil reads 'Kipex Ltd/ Oak Smoked/ Manx Kippers/ Peel Isle of Man' and has the distinctive Manx three legs symbol to show that the kippers are Manx kippers.
Manx herring were traditionally sold as fresh fish, smoked (red herrings) or salted fish, but since the late 19th century, the most popular use of herring was in the production of the world-famous Manx kippers. As a result a large number kipper yards and smoke houses developed in Peel, where herring could be split, cured and smoked and be on the breakfast plate of a tourist or posted off-island as a tourist souvenir within days. Manx kippers are no longer dispatched in wooden boxes but are more likely to be found vacuum-packed in plastic and packaged in pre-printed cardboard boxes.
#imuseumsouvenir
Measurements: Whole: 12.2 x 25.8 cm
Materials: Metal
Object name: stencil
Collection: Social History Collection
ID Number: 1996-0173