The Chocolate Works

The Chocolate Works, in York, is the former Terry’s factory. Since its closure in 2005 ago it remained empty until a lengthy redevelopment scheme began in 2011. The buildings on the site are Grade II listed, including the Factory, Head Office Building, Time Office Block, Liquor Factory and the iconic Clock Tower, Water Tower and Boiler House with Transformer Room. The photographs below are a snapshot of a time long forgotten, with the appearance of the site being vastly different today.

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I was fortunate enough to be granted permission to visit the site on several occasions over the years, from 2009 right through to 2015. In that time, the buildings changed drastically. All signs of life having ever existed were stripped, including all the machinery and equipment, leaving vast, empty spaces with a sense of melancholy. Nature began to reclaim the very fabric of the building. The moss carpets the floors, the birds claim the rafters and beams, and the weeds find their way through cracks, slowly forcing the building apart.