Fry’s Chocolate Factory, Somerdale, Keynsham, Bristol

In 1919 Frys had merged financially with Cadburys. Egbert (Bertie) Cadbury joined the Frys part of the business, and he and Cecil Fry managed the move from a number of existing facilities in a cramped area of central Bristol, to a purpose-built factory on a green field site at Keynsham. The site of 228 acres was situated in a loop of the river Avon and close to the London-Bristol main line railway. Most was water meadow with a plateau of about 80 acres being above the level of the flood plain and thus suitable for development.

Preparations to remove the business to Keynsham were underway in 1921. E W Hilton’s appointment as works architect for the design and supervision of the construction of the new factory probably dated from the previous year. By March 1922 excavation work had started on the foundations of A block, a huge four storey building in which Fry’s chocolate products would be made. In May the remains of a Roman house together with stone coffins, pottery and other artefacts were unearthed in these excavations and Hilton’s enthusiasm was instrumental in recovering and recording the remains. In October 1922 the steel frame of A Block was complete. Limited production started in A Block late 1925/early 1926. Next, a power house containing four vertical coal-fired boilers, and two steam generators for emergency electrical power was built. Foundations were begun in July 1922 and the steel frame erected by July 1923 the steel frame was complete. Construction work on other buildings on the factory site was also gathering pace, B Block started in March 1924 and K Block in 1925. This building would house equipment for nut roasting and raisin sorting, ingredients needed for the production lines in A Block, and eventually in C Block  Limited production started in A Block late 1925/early 1926. Part of the block, housing workshops for engineers, carpenters and other tradesmen was in use by the end of 1926, and K Block was completed in 1927. By 1929, the directors were able to report that more than 500,000 square feet of floor space, including production departments, stores, workshops, and offices, had been built in six years. Building work continued into the 1930s, so that by 1934 all of Fry’s production had moved from Bristol to Keynsham, and in 1936 more than three thousand employees were working at Somerdale.

In the Bournville tradition, The factory itself was set in parkland with poplar and chestnut trees, flower beds and lawns. Additionally, recreation grounds and allotments were provided for the benefit of the workforce