I am a firm believer in just going and having a poke about in things; it really is amazing what you can uncover with a bit of curiosity and a good old rummage.

This week, finding myself back in Devon I went for a nosy in one of those village shops that veer somewhere between the League of Gentlemen and a Dickens novel. In the village where my parents now live right at the bottom of the hill, next to the Co-Op and before the village hall, lies a book shop run by a lady who, without being unkind, must be at least 4000 years old. The front window of the shop is entirely obscured by yellowing local adverts for piano lessons, a cat that I imagine is still lost and Millennium eve karaoke. Walking through the door you have to squeeze yourself past piles of books and magazines although knock some over, as you are bound to, and you'll probably find they're issues of Parade or Life from around 1927.

The best bit however is that the shop goes on. And on. And on. Row upon row of old books on chinese cooking, sea creatures, Brownie annuals, alchemy and panto until eventually you end up in the garden. Yes, the garden. Outside. Where there are more books. Clambering over an engineless car I found a garage of books which I'm guessing have been there for some time judging by the amount of ivy growing over them. Braving stinging nettles, miscellaneous moulds and whatever was scuttling about under the Dick Francis I was rewarded with some 1930s' guides to Somerset, a 1950s' Bourneville visitor's guide and a 1970s' Cadbury's cookbook.

Come the day that I ever fancy a chocolate porcupine or 'creme' made with cornflower all my hard work will have been amply rewarded. I do love research sometimes.

It's not often you get to spend time with members of two famous dynasties but last friday I had the pleasure of meeting with both descendants of the Cadbury and Fry families to talk chocolate, Kraft and all things Somerdale. If only I'd bumped into a Terry or a Rowntree, I could have made it a hat trick. Nevertheless it was a great and a slightly surreal pleasure which I look forward to repeating in the coming months.


Support for The Plant is gathering at a pace with Keynsham Town Council and Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives officially signed up as partners. On which note, special mention must go to Clive Burlton and John Penny for sharing their archive expertise with us, allowing me to wallow in glorious hypnotic black and white footage of oozing chocolate, spruce whizzing machinery and thousands of dapper 1920s' ladies and gents pouring through the now deserted gates of Somerdale.  


Getting my grubby mitts on all this wonderful archive certainly is in the spirit of Fry's motto: Happiness in Industry. If only I'd considered the catastrophic consequences of beginning a project about chocolate and a diet at the same time. Having spent the last three days fantasising about a Double Decker I have a sinking feeling only one of these ventures will prove successful... 

Thursday 15th provided us with a wonderful kick off to our story of The Plant, beginning with a visit to the Fry's Club and ending in bandstand of all places!

We were really were overwhelmed by the generosity of the people we met and look forward to working with them and many more of you to tell the fascinating stories behind the headlines and hysteria.

There may even be a chocolate carnival in the works, we'll keep you posted...

Here you can follow the progress of a brand new show, The Plant, a live documentary focussing on the closure of the Somerdale plant in Keynsham following the controversial take over of Cadbury by international food giant Kraft.


Created by writer Bea Roberts in collaboration with Anna Farthing of the award winning Harvest Heritage Arts and Media and Theatre Bristol, The Plant will fuse interviews with factory workers, locals, historians, politicians, descendants of the Cadbury and Fry families with archive footage, animation, storytelling and even the odd powerpoint slide, The Plant is an exciting and prescient new project to tell the story of this plant and its people.


In the wake of the ‘Big Society’ and soaring unemployment, The Plant examines 100 years of changing attitudes of employers and employees, giant corporations, philanthropism, heritage and Curly Wurlys.


What happened to the ‘principled capitalism’ of the Quaker industrial giants? Who does Cadburys really belong to? What happens to a plant when you sever its roots?


We believe passionately that this story deserves to be told and are keen to talk to anyone connected with the factory or affected by its closure. If you would like to tell share your story or thoughts on the recent events or just find out a bit more please see our Contact page.