Recollections of the Past, Future Nostalgia

Archive collections can spark a wide array of emotions in those who view them, especially when items have a personal connection. On placement at the Borthwick Institute for Archives, second year student Farhan Naqui found a surprising link to a childhood memory in the Rowntree Theatre collection, stirring thoughts on the nostalgic power of archives.

People associate and commemorate particular objects, subjects and life experiences with archives. When observing archives, these fragments connect us to the past. Going through the Joseph Rowntree Theatre collection, I found a poster that joined me with my history. This was a Tweenies event that occurred at the theatre. The poster brought many memories of my childhood and nostalgia. The Tweenies poster felt personal as the theatre archives were fascinating but disconnected from me. However, observing the archive in question made the experience of my placement personalised. I looked at the dates which weren’t on the poster. I had to use my research skills to find the year of this event. I felt a sense of my childhood come back to life as it triggered my fond memories. Archives allow an individual to recollect many past memories which they have forgotten about.

When looking around the Borthwick Institute, there’s a display of the Rowntree collections. The collections are preserved in glass cases within the building and contain old confectionary boxes, posters and archives, which are still in production to this day. When observing the collection, I was well-educated on the Rowntree Foundation. All the information was placed in a chronological order which described the history of the brand. The most exciting archive was an illustration of the Fruit Pastilles. Fruit Pastilles have evolved in a new direction as they are now vegetarian, which they were not before. I found this interesting, as Rowntree is appealing towards more audiences but still keeping the previous clientele happy. Going back to the related theme of nostalgia, I could see comparisons towards the older model to the new model. Many products have either developed from the original design or kept their authenticity. I find it fascinating that people in the current time have the ability to think further ahead of time to preserve history for the future. The reason I completed the placement is to allow future generations to be educated on the Rowntree Theatre as well as learn about the present, which will be their past. One thing I have learnt is the changes archives display within society, economics and industry. It allows businesses like the Rowntree brand to observe significant changes and trends between archives to understand what previous workers did to improve their brand.

Personal Experience and the Weight of Cultural History

Exploring the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Archive while on placement at the Borthwick Institute for Archives proved a transformative experience for second year student, Perry Cooper, as he explains here.

My time at the Borthwick Institute for Archives has been a journey of discovery and personal development. My tasks there consisted of the analysis, documentation and storage of historical data gifted to the archives by the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, which has had archival material since its opening in all the way back to 1935. As a consequence of my time there, I find myself feeling much more confident in my subjectivity, reliability and professionalism, meaning that I feel much more secure in my abilities as both a historian and a person. Moreover, being able to learn from senior archivists there also proved to be a significant boon, as I was able to fully understand what was required to become one, both in terms of qualifications and general roles. I think most important of all to me is that the archives have transformed my perception of a career with history and actually given me the physical evidence of putting it into practice, which is certainly beneficial to me in presenting history as a viable career.

Before my placement began, I had no prior experience of the proper functions of an archive, let alone how to correctly store archival information. All I knew was what an archive was there for. I think everyone, including myself, has taken a rather simplistic view on archives. They collate and catalogue data, yes. But my time at the Borthwick archives have made me realise the value of cultural preservation as I got hands-on experience in being able to document York’s complex and varied history, meaning I have a greater understanding of just how significant culture really is. Furthermore, I also realised that there is a profound sincerity to history, as every playbook and script I sorted through carried with it many tales of its past, from modest tears to coffee stains. Even a humble place like a theatre can be steeped in rich and vibrant history, which is something I’m ultimately going to be much more sensitive to and aware of now because of the opportunities afforded to me by the Borthwick archives.

Overall, the Borthwick Institute for Archives has allowed me to feel more confident in my own personal abilities, as well as given me an empirical experience in the field of archival work, which has immensely helped in my choice of prospective careers. However, as a historian, the archives have also shown me the strong ties between culture and history that demand its preservation, as even the most insignificant cultural artefact contains a veritable wellspring of lived history.

Chocolate, Community and Conflict: Exploring the Rowntree Archive

The history of Rowntrees is famous across York and beyond not just for chocolate and confectionary, but also the work to alleviate poverty and develop community in the early 20^th century.  Second year student, Catherine Gallagher, had the opportunity to delve into the Rowntree archive while on placement at the Borthwick Institute for Archives, focusing particularly on the period of the Second World War. She shares her thoughts here.

The Rowntree company is well known for chocolate and the company’s factories, especially in York. However, the Rowntree family were not ordinary factory owners, as they built an entire community, including housing and even a theatre. The priority of these developments, such as the building of New Earswick, was to create a community with better housing and local facilities. This sense of community continued even throughout the war.

When researching the theatre collection during my placement, one thing that stood out was that plays still took place throughout the war – one of the ways people tried to keep up morale. As well as the theatre, Rowntrees also helped the community with sports clubs for men and women. They often did this for men so that they would be fit for the army, and the image from the archive collection below is an example of a men’s rugby club and the results of the match. 

Results were often published in the Rowntree company newspaper, the Cocoa Works Magazine. This was one of the documents I studied during my placement, while researching the Rowntree company’s involvement in the war and the sense of community the company created. This magazine not only spoke about local sporting events and games but also had letters from soldiers on the front lines talking about their experiences. They would often mention women working in the factories.

An article about a women’s club.

The company also advertised volunteer work or opportunities for the less fortunate. An example of this would be when mothers with young children who needed to work could drop their children off at the newly created day-care, so they could pick up on more wartime work. This further highlights how the Rowntree company acted to create a sense of community during World War II, reporting their work and events through their magazine, again helping to keep morale high and spread awareness of extra support for the less fortunate.

This article is about a practice should there be a bomb raid  during work hours at one of the factories.

I enjoyed the time I spent on this project as I thoroughly enjoyed looking through the sources about the Rowntree theatre and the Rowntree legacy. I especially enjoyed learning about the company’s war effort, as studying the Second World War is one of my favourite subjects.  Overall, thanks to this project, I have learnt so much about York’s part in the Second World War and its community, especially that the Rowntree company played a more significant role than I had expected.