Former Rowntree’s factory gains sweet themed time capsule for residential development
A significant milestone for the former Rowntree’s confectionery factory in York, UK, has taken place, as Henry Boot Construction and developer Latimer, buried a sweet themed time capsule at the Cocoa Works residential development, writes Neill Barston.
There has been much anticipation surrounding the £52 million regeneration of the renowned location into 279 apartments, which sit alongside what is now the present-day Nestle factory in the city, which is home to the company’s flagship KitKat production facilities.
Representatives from contractor Henry Boot Construction, developer Latimer by Clarion Housing Group, Haxby Primary Academy, St George’s Primary, and York College gathered at the celebratory event on Friday 4 October, to bury the time capsule. It was placed with a book depicting the entire history of The Cocoa Works, alongside heritage items found by the site team during the redevelopment process at the former chocolate factory.
This includes a newspaper dating back to 1980, an original Aero chocolate bar, confectionary packaging (After Eight and Black Magic from 1933), book records from the on-site Library (1973), scratch cards from 1970, and payslips from previous workers dating back to 1980. Sam Thompson, whose mother worked at the factory for 32 years and her grandfather for 48 years, also donated a photo from her mother’s induction day back in 1973.
As part of the capsule, objects from local schools and colleges were also gathered. These included Haxby Primary Academy donating a school jumper and all classes wrote a letter explaining what life is like at the academy in 2024, St George’s Primary included a school jumper and information about the history of the school and chocolate in York, and York College contributed a memory stick with photos and information about the college.
York’s community-run riverside walk, The Foss Fairy Trail, provided a fairy keyring, and letters from Latimer’s 2020 ‘Sweet Memories’ campaign were added, too. This memories campaign saw former Rowntree Factory workers, along with their families and friends, share their accounts of what life was like during that time, and how the Rowntree family is remembered. Community engagement has been key throughout the project.
Jack Kidder, Responsible Business Manager at Henry Boot, said: “It’s a real privilege to be part of this project, sensitively reforming this iconic York landmark in a way that will help to recapture the pride, character, and social aspect that once thrived in the days when it was an operational chocolate factory.
“And this time capsule burial is a crucial milestone in the project. It marks our collaboration with Latimer and local schools to leave a lasting, positive legacy on this historical site.
“It forms a vital part of our social value plan for The Cocoa Works, demonstrating both our collaboration with the local community and our commitment to maximising the social benefits for people who live in the area.”
The time capsule is the final component of Henry Boot Construction’s social value delivery on the scheme. Other social value outputs on the project have included: hosting site visits for schools, providing work experience placements for York College students, and raising over £10,000 for Place2Be and Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, to name a few. Volunteers from Henry Boot Construction, together with key partners, also helped significantly smarten up the much-loved Foss Fairy Trail on the banks of York’s River Foss last year.
Moreover, as its development team explains, the project includes a sensitive restoration of the iconic Rowntree Factory, alongside the construction of a new Pavilion and refurbishment of Joseph Rowntree Memorial Library to the front of the development. As Confectionery Production has previously featured, the site was originally built by Joseph Rowntree in the 1890s, and prior to redevelopment, the eight-hectare site of historical significance was derelict for over a decade.
The new design ensures the original features of the building are celebrated and incorporated, and the project team includes the developer Latimer by Clarion Housing Group, the lead contractor, Henry Boot Construction, and Weedon Architects, with the three year project due to be completed by the end of the year.
