Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

The factory opened in 1959, the first major Campbell's factory to be constructed outside America. The iconic red cooling tower was once the tallest building in King's Lynn.

December 2007.
Production at the factory stopped and machinery stripped out.
See newspaper article (S1).
H. White (NLA), 2 April 2009.

March 2009.
Factory is set to be demolished to make way for a new business park.
See newspaper article (S2).
H. White (NLA), 2 April 2009.

24 March 2009. Desk-based Assessment.
The factory was examined and several photographs were taken as part of a desk-based assessment prior to redevelopment. The building is primarily of brick, steel, concrete and corrugated iron construction, with one storey and two storey segments and a large cooling tower in the north-west corner. The structure was primarily used for manufacturing, with warehouse space to the west and offices to the north. At the time of the survey, the interior consisted of largely open spaces supported by concrete pillars. The internal ground floor level had been raised in some places, and a service tunnel ran underneath the factory floor.
See report (S3) for further details.
H. Hamilton (HES), 02 January 2013.

August 2011. Building Survey (Level 2).
The group of buildings that comprised the Campbell's Soup Factory were recorded ahead of proposals to demolish the structures for a new development.
The factory was purpose built by lcaol builders R G Carter in 1957 for mechanised food production on an industrial scale and opened in 1959. It was considered a state-of-the-art factory when it opened, and it provided its staff with their own uniforms, laundry services, locker rooms, a canteen and a medical department.
The public face of the factory was provided by an office block orientated east-west at the northern end of the site. To the west of this is a second office block. The main building on the site was the manufactory which comprises three large warehouse units, a boiler house and the iconic cooling tower to the north-west.
The fixtures and fittings associated with the manufacturing processes were removed in 2009 when the factory closed. The factory building largely comprises a series of L-beam and girder built warehouse-type structures organised in a modular build.
Rail connections for finished products were provided, with the lines running into the warehouses to the rear of the factory, and connecting to the King's Lynn to Ely railway near Harbour Junction.
See report (S4) for further details.
S. Howard (HES), 29 September 2011, amended by A. Cattermole (King's Lynn UAD), 3 July 2018.

15 January 2012. Demolition of the tower.
The iconic cooling tower of the Campbell's soup factory was demolished in preparation for construction of a new business park.
See newspaper articles (S2).
H. Hamilton (HES), 02 January 2013.

For aerial photographs of the factory see (S5) to (S7).

Monument Types

• CANTEEN (Mid 20th Century to 21st Century - 1959 AD to 2007 AD)
• FOOD PROCESSING PLANT (Mid 20th Century to 21st Century - 1959 AD to 2007 AD)
• OFFICE (Mid 20th Century to 21st Century - 1959 AD to 2007 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status - none

Sources and further reading

Related records - none