Rowntrees factory remembered with time capsule burial

Henry Boot Construction and Latimer buried the time capsule at The Cocoa Works site in York on Friday to celebrate the former Rowntree Factory ahead of the completion of a major housing scheme at the site.

They were joined by students from Haxby Primary Academy, St George’s Primary, and York College at the event last Friday.

The time capsule has been buried 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.

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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.

Objects from local schools and colleges also featured in the capsule.

Some of the items in the time capsule (Image: Pic supplied)

Haxby Primary Academy added 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.

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.

A girl with an old Aero bar (Image: Pic supplied)

“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.

Richard Cook, Chief Development Officer at Clarion Housing Group, said: “The burial of the time capsule reflects our continued commitment to preserving the rich heritage of The Cocoa Works, while creating homes that will shape the future of this vibrant community.

The Cocoa Works is a £52m residential development in York, which sees the iconic Rowntree Factory transformed into 279 high-quality apartments. It also involves constructing a new pavilion and refurbishing the Joseph Rowntree Memorial Library.

The Rowntree Factory 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.

Construction began at The Cocoa Works in October 2021 and is scheduled for completion in winter 2024.