1955 Goblin Teasmade D25

Production of the D25 probably began in 1955 and advertising certainly dates from 1955. It was made in the UK in Leatherhead, and was marked with its patent number: 571,849. It was marketed alongside the D26 as the 'Deluxe', whilst the Goblin D26, a basic model without a tray or teapot, was marketed as the 'Popular'.

Here's a selection of adverts from the Goblin's first year of production. The first two are from Punch and the third is from Ideal Home.

This teasmade's beloved Odeon styling was based on the D21 which it replaced. The main body of the teasmade was made from cream urea plastic (bakelite), with a matching cream kidney shaped tray.

There was a small orangey red Goblin figure on the front of the base, and the alarm operator was now set on the top of the body. 

It had a circular clock face with a green (or sometimes brown) on cream chapter ring and pale green luminous hands.

It had side lamps with translucent ribbed acrylic lamp covers. It had a cast aluminium platform, hinged on the left.

The teapot and kettle were included in the Deluxe set. On the left of the platform was a square ceramic teapot similar to that on the D21. The square chrome kettle was on the right and had knob-shaped screwed on feet.

The D25 kettle had a tall hoop transfer tube. The kettle lid was deeper than the earlier D21 lid, and the handle was no longer secured to the kettle by rivets top and bottom. Instead, the D25 handle was riveted to a strip which was brazed to the kettle corner. There was no longer a central seam between the top and bottom of the kettle.

The teasmade had a single external earth on a flat 2 pin socket/plug. Earlier models have a welded transfer tube.

The following operational description is adapted from text by Steve Thackery at his Horology website, copyright 28th November 1999, now offline.

Water heats up at pre-set time and decants into teapot when boiling, tipping kettle/teapot plinth and activating alarm. The clock movement uses a perfectly standard synchronous mains motor, albeit of the later self-starting type. The alarm contacts are larger than usual, and operate ten to fifteen minutes before the time shown on the indicator hand. When this clock was made, electric elements with built-in thermostats weren’t available, so to detect whether the element is safely covered with water a quite different method is used. The kettle stands on a sprung platform. When the kettle has water in it, its weight presses the platform down and operates a pair of electrical contacts which allow current to be passed to the element.

Before you retire at night, you fill the kettle and put a couple of tea bags in the tea pot. In the morning, the alarm contacts close and the kettle element heats the water. After ten minutes or so it comes to the boil, and the steam pressure forces the boiling water along the chrome tube you can see at the top, into the tea pot. After a few seconds the kettle empties, the platform it stands on rises and cuts off the current to the element. These contacts also switch on the audible alarm and the lights (behind the corrugated corner pieces) to awaken you. In reality, of course, your slumbers were disturbed several minutes previously by all the boiling and hissing sounds! Of course, you may have been awake all night anyway. The ratchet device on the end of the motor (part of the self-starting system) makes a continuous swish, swish, swish sound which some people just can’t sleep through…

This teasmade was also made in a 110v version for the US market.

The advert below shows the D25 Deluxe teasmade in the 1958 edition of the Lawrence Brothers Ltd Fancy Goods catalogue.

Production ended in 1960, when the D25 was replaced by the D25b.