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Nestles Rowntree

1996 , Norwich (Norfolk)

Cat no. 1309

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The closure of the Nestle Rowntree factory in Norwich

The film begins with an aerial shot of Norwich showing St. Stephens Street. The camera pans to the Nestle factory on Chapelfield Road. The opening montage of shots shows traffic in the factory compound, interior shots of the warehouse and shots of machinery. Over shots of the factory production line making Yorkie bars, one of the workers recalls his earliest memories of the factory. He was born in Nicholas Street and remembers his brother taking him to see the factory after it was bombed in 1942. He was in charge of the Yorkie Department until 1985. The film shows women workers packing Yorkie bars and stamping on the 'best before' date. There are further shots showing the production of Rolo eggs. A female worker recalls her first day in the factory which was also her sixteenth birthday. Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to her. Her parents, sister, aunts, uncles and cousins all worked at the factory. The film shows a shot of an empty corridor which fills with workers on their way to the canteen. A female worker from administration talks over shots of the canteen, the Employees Sales Shop and shots of the reception. She explains that she came to work in the factory in May, 1968 but hated it. She moved to the offices and is 'gutted' at the news of the closure. Back in the factory there are shots of the Caramac production line. John Welland, the USDAW convenor, explains that jobs are now rotated because of RSI. This is something he has been suggesting for years but for different reasons. He thought it a good idea to combat boredom. Andy Hill, a team leader for a production line that makes Munchies, talks about how he joined the company. He worked in hotels and had a job lined up in Tenerife. He needed a short term job - and never left. He is very proud of actually making something.

Featured Buildings

Nestles Rowntree Factory

Background Information

The company was founded as Caley's in 1857 on London Street, as a chemists. In 1963 the production of mineral waters began. In 1880 the business moved into an old cloth weaving factory on Chapel Field. In 1883 Caleys began to manufacture cocoa which led to the making of chocolate.The Caley family sold the business in 1918 to the African and Eastern Trade Company and survived the depression before being bought by the Mackintosh brothers in 1932. The factory was bombed during the blitz and remained in ruins for 10 years. It was re-opened by the Duchess of Kent in 1956. At its peak, the factory employed 2000 people.The last shift at Nestles, who had bought Rowntree Mackintosh in 1988, ended at 11am on the 29th November, 1996, two years after the closure was announced on November 17th, 1994. 300 jobs were lost. 900 had worked at the factory when Nestles announced the closure of the factory in 1994

Manifestations

Nestles Rowntree

  • Barcode
    INV472221
    Canonical Identifier
    A-3654
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Details
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Colour System
    colour
    Colour Type
    colour
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:12:30
    Has Image
    Y
    Has Sound
    N
    Identifier
    Image Polarity
    neg
    Modification Date
    06/05/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    707224
    Sound
    silent
  • Barcode
    INV442948
    Canonical Identifier
    A-3654
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Details
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Colour System
    colour
    Colour Type
    colour
    Dimension
    Duration
    0:12:30
    Has Image
    Y
    Has Sound
    N
    Identifier
    Image Polarity
    neg
    Modification Date
    06/05/2011
    Parts
    Reference
    707223
    Sound
    silent
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV156305
    Canonical Identifier
    TB 922
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    Umatic tape
    Dimension
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    28/07/2008
    Parts
    Reference
    674115
  • Activities
    Barcode
    INV173459
    Canonical Identifier
    TB 317
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    Umatic tape
    Dimension
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    22/07/2008
    Parts
    Reference
    673256
  • Barcode
    INV??2716
    Canonical Identifier
    A-2567
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    13/03/2023
    Modification Time
    10:44:41
    Parts
    Reference
    564712
  • Barcode
    INV??2712
    Canonical Identifier
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    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Identifier
    Modification Date
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    Modification Time
    16:35:25
    Parts
    Reference
    564707
  • Barcode
    INV216474
    Canonical Identifier
    VP-938
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Duration
    0:12:00
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    03/03/2023
    Modification Time
    16:33:37
    Parts
    Reference
    563790
  • Barcode
    INV??2716
    Canonical Identifier
    A-2567
    Canonical Title
    Unknown
    Carrier Type
    16mm film
    Identifier
    Modification Date
    13/03/2023
    Modification Time
    10:40:23
    Parts
    Reference
    759041

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