A tour of John Bull’s World of Rock Factory is an exciting experience when you visit Bridlington.
Not only will you get to see how a live confectionery factory works, but you also get to hand-roll their famous rock sticks.
Below is a review of the factory based on our recent visit and tour experience.
About the John Bull World Of Rock Factory
As one of the oldest sweet manufacturers in Bridlington County, John Bull’s world of rock is quite popular.
Tourists and neighbouring residents tour the place open from Monday to Friday on school holidays.
Based at the Carnaby Industrial Estate, they were established in 1911 by Ernest Hodgson.
He opened a rock and seashore souvenirs shop along Prince Street in Bridlington.
Today – There are several John Bull shops along the Yorkshire seaside. It is also the only live factory that supplies the rest of its stores around the UK.
Location and Directions
John Bull’s world of rock factory is located along Lancaster Road in Carnaby.
It is about 3 miles from Bridlington town centre.
Opening Hours
The factory is open for tours Monday to Friday, with seven slots throughout the day.
The factory tour slots are in intervals of 45 minutes from 10 am until 3:15 pm.
Advance online bookings are recommended to guarantee a slot.
Additionally, at least an adult must be present to make a booking for children.
The available time slots are 10 am, 10:45 am, 11:30 am, 1 pm, 1:45 pm, 2:30 pm, and 3:15 pm.
Factory Tour Prices
- Adults and children above 16 years pay £4.50
- Children between 4 to 15 years pay £3.50
- Entry is free for children below four years
For a family of four, with a maximum of two adults, you pay a package fee of £15.
For a family of 5, including a maximum of two adults, you pay a package fee of £18.
The John Bull World Of Rock Factory Tour
Once you purchase your tickets, you are shown your way to the factory and begin the tour with a short video about the factory.
Although informative, the video equipment is quite dated, and the film quality is also older, with frequent pauses and stops mid-play.
Next, you get to the rock-making station, where the equipment and overall factory feel are old-fashioned and basic.
Yet, despite the old aesthetics, watching the staff make the sweets is interesting, especially as you get to make one yourself.
You get to hand-roll rock and add your initials in the center.
They charge £1.50 per person to make rock, a sticky yet exciting process, especially for kids.
The rock section also offers a few free sweet samples, about 3 or 4 types only.
Once you are done with the sweets making, the tour lasts only a short time.
After That – You move on to the mannequin displays of the old John Bull shop showing their first sweet-making methods.
Here, you can also see the rest of the factory, where they bake biscuits and enjoy free cookies.
Next is another hall display showing the factory’s history before getting to the final chocolate lollies section.
Here you also get to make your chocolate Lollie at £2.50 per person.
The tour finally ends at the exit through to the sweets shop. You can access the shop without paying for the factory tour, as it is open to the public.
It is well-stocked, and its prices are reasonable. We spent £21 for a full carrier bag of goodies, including some Christmas gifts.
Besides making the rock and chocolate Lollie, there is little interaction throughout the tour. We spent approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes on the entire experience.
Activities
Apart from making the rock and chocolate Lollie, there is little to do within the factory.
Learning the basics and ingredients of popular sweets is informative.
However, a cafe and soft play area next door to the factory is available for a quick meal and play for toddlers.
John Bull World Of Rock Factory Facilities
Sweet Shop
The sweet shop is the tour’s highlight for sweet tooth lovers.
There is a wide variety of tempting treats to choose from that you will only leave with making a purchase.
The amount of goodies you can purchase at a fair price is also impressive.
On-site Cafe
There is a cafe next to the factory that serves various food and drinks.
During our visit, they only had a few serving staff, although the food was okay.
Their portion sizes are, however, small, good enough for kids but not adults.
Toilets
They also have toilet facilities easily accessible by everyone although we found them a bit dirty and dated.
Parking
The parking lot is spacious, easy to access, and free.
Access for Pets
Pets are not allowed inside the factory. However, contact the factory before you visit if you have an assistance dog.
Disabled Access
There is disabled access to the factory, and one can easily move around as the rooms are spacious.
Extra safety measures
Smoking is not allowed within and around the factory.
Remember to follow any safety/security guidelines shared by the employees at the start and during the tour.
Conclusion
A John Bull World of Rock Factory tour is insightful and worth your money, especially for the kids.
You will spend over an hour or two for the entire experience. Additionally, it was nice to learn that it is still a family-run business after over 75 years of operation.
Remember to make an online booking before your visit, as the slots are limited.
