Woodbine Cottage
William Ringer who lived at the address on Hill Street founded Ringer's Tobacco. As you can see, the sign below is very colourful, and 'shag' is an old name for rolling tobacco. He was originally from Clifton, Bristol, and a Quaker. He died in 1858 aged 68 and there is a memorial to him in St Martin's Church. The Ringer Tobacco Factory was in 60 Redcliff St, Bristol (see pic below). The company expanded when it became Edwards, Ringer and Biggs and was amalgamated into the Imperial Tobacco Company in 1901. It's suggested that Woodbine cigarettes were named after this cottage.
The Ringers Tobacco Factory in Bristol
Woodbine Cottage on the right, in 1903
The memorial to William Ringer
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