Banana skins used to be a staple of cartoons and slapstick comedy, because they cause people to fall over.
They also entered the political lexicon. Sometimes politicians, most notably Margaret Thatcher’s right-hand man Willie Whitelaw, are dubbed “Minister for Banana Skins”, the person whose job it is to spot potential political trip-hazards and swerve the government round them.
This is mostly Bristol’s fault.
Bananas are very popular in the UK. Apparently we consume about five billion annually, but in Victorian times we didn’t eat nearly as many. They’re extremely difficult to grow in Britain and shipping them is hazardous; they must be kept at the right temperature, and if there’s any delay they can over-ripen.
They were an expensive delicacy, though by the 1880s they were being shipped in successfully from Madeira and the Canary Islands.
Things really only took off in 1901 when the government, desperate to boost the economy of Britain’s colonial possessions in Caribbean, particularly Jamaica, signed a deal with the Elder Dempster shipping line.
In return for a subsidy and the mail contract, company chairman Alfred Jones agreed to run a service taking passengers and fruit to Britain, and he chose Avonmouth as the point of import.
Bristol’s Docks Committee provided the port infrastructure while the Great Western Railway would ship the bananas onwards in specially insulated and temperature controlled wagons.
Bristol Live WhatsApp Breaking News and Top Stories
Join Bristol Live’s WhatsApp community for top stories and breaking news sent directly to your phone
Bristol Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.
Through the app, we’ll send the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more straight to your phone.
To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select ‘Join Community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live team.
We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.
To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The first consignment arrived on Elder Dempster’s Port Morant in March 1901 (along with pineapples, mangoes and rum, plus some passengers.)
Almost overnight, bananas became available in quantity. The prices dropped, and they were particularly cheap in Bristol, which is where the trouble began.
People ate them in the streets and threw away the skins. Suddenly, people who had no idea that the things could be so slippery were getting a rude awakening – sometimes in the infirmary.
The local press carried reports of people who had broken bones and concussions as a result of the skins. In Bedminster a man slipped and fell through a plate glass window.
Thanks to forward shipment by train from Avonmouth, there were plenty of such stories elsewhere. Things worsened in coming years as other ports got in on the trade, though by 1914 Avonmouth was still where 40% of Britain’s bananas arrived. Between 1900 and 1910 banana skins were mentioned in at least 50 different coroners’ inquests around the country.
By 1903 at least one fatality had been caused in Bristol when an elderly man died after slipping on a skin. They were also how we got some of the country’s first public waste bins.
By 1902 there were bins fixed to lamp-posts in Clifton, a move the Western Daily Press said was “to prevent orange peel, and especially banana skins, and other waste being thrown on the streets.
“Clifton leads the way in English towns in following this sensible plan.”
The press around the country was full of letters and editorials demanding something be done about the banana peel menace. In 1911 Bristol introduced a by-law which imposed fines of up to £5 for anyone caught dropping orange or banana skins on a pavement or road; £2 a week was a very good wage for a working man, so the council was not messing around.
Want the latest Bristol breaking news and top stories first? Click here to join our WhatsApp group. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.