Beechams, 1848-2000

Book excerpt: At the age of 28 a poorly educated but resourceful Oxfordshire shepherd took the historic step of moving 200 miles north to Lancashire in order to attempt a new career making and selling medicinal pills. Thomas Beecham already had a passing interest in pharmacy and for many years had concocted remedies for the farm animals under his care, but even he could not have believed that the firm he began with faltering steps would endure and prosper into the twenty-first century. This lively and thoroughly researched book traces Beecham's progress from home-made pills to the most advanced antibiotics. Early chapters describe, in a readable and engaging style, a number of colourful and turbulent episodes involving the talented but wayward founding family. Musical enthusiasts will welcome new background detail about Sir Thomas Beecham, while business historians, management specialists and economists are given an authoritative account of how a modest firm managed to survive and prosper over a century and a half. Many others will just enjoy a good read.