Although the YFA has a large collection of films from Rowntrees, this is the only film the YFA has had from that other York chocolate manufacturers Terry’s – donated by Kraft Foods (who bought Terry’s in 1993).  The film shows another visit by George VI and the Queen Mother to Yorkshire in 1937 – the YFA also have films of their visits to Bradford and Halifax in the same year.  After his brother Edward abdicated as king in December of the previous year, George succeeded as King George VI,...

Although the YFA has a large collection of films from Rowntrees, this is the only film the YFA has had from that other York chocolate manufacturers Terry’s – donated by Kraft Foods (who bought Terry’s in 1993).  The film shows another visit by George VI and the Queen Mother to Yorkshire in 1937 – the YFA also have films of their visits to Bradford and Halifax in the same year.  After his brother Edward abdicated as king in December of the previous year, George succeeded as King George VI, with the coronation on 12 May 1937.  This was the original date for the coronation of his brother, and it was intended then to have a ceremonial Delhi Durbar in India, as occurred for his father George V in 1911.  However, a combination of cost, rising Indian nationalism and increased tensions with Germany led to this idea being scrapped, and hence making space for these visits.  As the recent film The King’s Speech revealed, the visits would have been uncomfortable for the new King, suffering from a stutter.  The King had been to York before as Duke in 1921, visiting Rowntrees, Terry’s great York rivals – see  HRH Duke Of York Visits Rowntrees Cocoa Works (1920) and the Context for more information on George VI.

The visit of George VI and Queen Elizabeth took place on Tuesday 19th October.  Other dignitaries present included Earl Harewood, the Home Secretary, Sir Samuel Hoare, the Lord Mayor, Thomas Morris, and the General Officer Commanding in Chief, Northern Command.  According to an entry for a photo of the event with York City Libraries the royal couple “over-stayed their visit and apparently enjoyed hearing that the girls in the packing department sang for half an hour each morning and afternoon.”   Paul Crystal and Joe Dickinson give an account of the visit in their splendid recent book (References), including two photographs.  An even more in depth account of the visit is given by Van Wilson’s book, which provides many testimonies from those who have worked at Terry’s over the last hundred years.  Wilson states that Terry’s marked the occasion of the coronation with a special King George Assortment with twelve tasty sounding new centres (which they list, p 176).  Paul Crystal also has this information, and notes that in the same year the Terry’s ‘girls’ football team raised £3,000 for charity. 

The film also gives a glimpse of the Terry’s factory in its heyday.  It was built in 1927 in Bishopthorpe Road near the Knavesmire race course, according the latest ideas on factory design and equipment.  The previous factory had been built at Clementhorpe, York, in 1886.  Covering 172 acres, the film clearly shows the 135 ft clock above the boiler house.   During World War Two the clock tower was used to watch over the prisoners of war held in the racetrack at Knavesmire next door.  As a qualified quantity surveyor, Frank Terry helped in the planning of the new factory.  Ernest Clayton, the chief engineer, based the design of the front door on the Woolworth building in New York.  At the time this film was made the number of employees working there was 2,500; some 60% being women, and 300 of these employed in offices or sales travellers.

The company was originally set up by Pocklington born Joseph Terry, after he teamed up with a relative of his wife Robert Berry who had a small confectionery business – which dated back to 1767.  They established a business in 1825 in St Helen’s Square under the name of Terry & Berry.  They made a large range of confectionaries, including forerunners of Love Hearts, with questions and statements rather than messages, such as, ‘Can you polka?’, ‘I want a wife’ and ‘How do you flirt?’.  Berry died in 1848 and Joseph in 1850, with the business passing to his son, Joseph junior, along with his brothers Robert and John.  At that time they were the second biggest employee in York with 127 workers.  He moved production out of St Helen’s Square – which remained as a shop and restaurant.   different sources give different dates for the building of a new chocolate factory at Clementhorpe:  Crystal states that chocolate production begun in the new steam powered factory in 1867 – Wilson has this as 1886 (References ).  They eventually became  Joseph Terry & Sons in 1876 and a limited company in 1895.

Like Joseph Rowntree, Joseph Terry (later Sir), had a philanthropic streak, although nowhere near as much  – Paul Crystal (References) has him as a Quaker, but the source for this claim isn’t given.  Unlike Joseph Rowntree, Joseph Terry was a Conservative rather than a Liberal, and was four times Lord Mayor of York – see the Context for Seebohm Rowntree Wife And Friends (1935/36).

Terry’s also had many of the kinds of works facilities and sports clubs that Rowntrees had, including angling, hockey, baseball and motoring.  They also had an Amateur Dramatic Society that would sometimes work with the Rowntrees Players.  In 1937 that put on several plays, and in November were performing J B Priestley’s Mystery at Green fingers.

Terry’s had established their reputation, unlike the other chocolate manufacturers, with a great variety of hard boiled sweets, lozenges (including an opium one), assortments and a fairly bitter chocolate.  But they came to make their name with Terry’s Chocolate Orange and Terry’s All Gold, both launched in 1932 (there was a previous Chocolate Apple which was stopped in 1954).  But at the cost of 10 shillings for a 2 Lb. box and 5 shillings for a 1 Lb. box, Terry’s All Gold would have been rather expensive for the workers who made them.  In 1937 the basic pay for men was 56 shillings and 30 shillings 6 pence for women, on a 47 hour week.

The journalist Andrew Martin, from a family of York Rowntree workers, notes that: “ Terry's established a cafe in the centre of town [St Helen’s Square], where ladies in hats had a jolly time, and a notice told of how, in the New World, chocolate was Theobrama, the food of the gods, and certain kinds were served to Montezuma in gold vessels, hence Terry's All Gold.”  Apparently, at one time, one in ten Christmas stockings contained a Terry’s Chocolate Orange.  Paul Crystal also notes that: “Up until the Second World War, Theatre Chocolates were available with their unique rustle-proof wrappers.”  Why don’t they bring these back?

The factory was finally closed in September 2005, after Kraft decided to switch production of All Gold and Chocolate Oranges to Sweden, Poland and Slovakia in April 2004.  The company had already passed through several hands having ceased to be a private company in 1963. The US group Colgate-Palmolive bought it from Trusthouse Forte in 1977, selling it to United Biscuits in 1982 (some sources have this as 1975).  Five of the old factory’s buildings survive and are now listed, including the clock tower – manufactured by the company of another famous Pocklington man, Thomas Cooke.   At the time of writing (March 2012), according to the 2009 Revised Development Brief, the site will be a “mix of uses, which might include hotel, community, leisure and residential.”  Some recent photographs of the factory can be seen at the Midland Heritage Forum website (References). 

In response to the closure of the factory 4,700 people signed a petition, whilst unions put forward a proposal to move to a smaller, more cost-effective plant in the city.  But these pleas weren’t successful, resulting in some callers to a local phone-in pledging never to eat Terry's again.  However, corporations aren’t renown for national, let alone local loyalty.  Chocolate is quintessentially a global phenomenon, and whatever its local connections to York, it could perhaps in future come to symbolise a new internationalism.

References

Paul Crystal and Joe Dickinson, A History of Chocolate in York, Remember When (Pen & Sword Books), 2012.
Van Wilson, The Story of Terry’s, York Social History Society, 2009.
Andrew Martin, Death by chocolate Cadburys' sale ends an age in which working-class culture was shaped by Quaker entrepreneurs, The Guardian, 21 January 2010
Terry's site City of York Council
Midlands Heritage Forum, Terry’s of York
Joseph Terry, Pocklington History