A flavour from the past

Walking through the Hantane tea fac- tory was like entering a time warp. In the 'Engine Room', a huge diesel engine with the engraving 'Ruston & Hornsby, 1880' greeted me. Beside it was a later model of the engine, this time running on fuel, connected to all the other machines in the factory by way of pulleys, shafts and belting. All very impressive, even to the layman.

The first tea roller

Opened just this month, the Tea Museum at Hantane houses a varied collection of exhibits ranging from the grand 'Venetian drier', one of the oldest models of its kind, the manually operated 'Little Giant' tea roller and the 'Pelton' water-driven turbine, right down to the little curiosities. The bricks, for instance, may sound like everyday objects, but these are made in England and Ireland bearing trade names like 'Crescent' and 'Bute'. Then there was my personal favourite; a 56-year-old one pound packet of 'Ceylon Tea' (still in its original packing), reputed to be one the oldest tea packets in existence. 

Comprising four floors, the museum is at the moment equipped to take a visitor through the basic tea production process. The first floor displays the withering process, with the 'then' method of using jute to spread out the leaves, next to the 'now' method of using nylon. 

Mr. D. Madugalle, manager of the museum explained that the slightly oily smell of the jute soon made it an unpopular option with the advent of nylon. From there, the withered leaves are taken down to the ground floor, where the heavy machinery is on display, into the 'Rolling Room', which is the second stop on the tour. 

The four rollers here are all early 1900 models of which three are operated mechanically. The earliest model on display is the manually operated 'Little Giant' - an innovation by John Walker, who left many an industrious ancestor behind in Sri Lanka. It is here that leaves are broken down before the fermenting process. On the wall, very realistically displayed, hangs a blackboard on which the batch numbers and time durations have been worked out; yet another effort to maintain the 'factory feeling' to the letter.

After the fermenting process, comes firing. In the next room, where this process takes place, are three models of driers. It is here that the oldest drier is displayed. A 'W & J Jackson' patent, it is known as the 'Venetian drier' because the drier trays take the same arrangement as the Venetian blind. Beyond is the 'Furnace Room' and beside it the turbine. 

Finally it's the grading stage and here there are huge chests bearing the names of the six original grades; Souchong, Pekoe Souce, Pekoe, Broken Pekoe, Dust and Fannings and Red Leaf. 

Much of the process involved in the manufacture of tea in a modern day tea factory is based on the same principles as the old factory process. One hundred years down the line, where the process is concerned...nothing has really changed. It's the machinery that makes all the difference.

The first floor houses the James Taylor Museum, in memory of the Scotsman from Loolecondera estate, who introduced tea to our country in 1867. There is also a library for all those aspiring to make a study of the subject. 

Suspended from the roof of the fourth floor is a wooden structure, which looks very much like a mini railway track. "It's a catwalk!" Quite unlike the catwalks we see today, these were constructed in tea factories, for the superintendent to periodically take a walk on to check the ceiling for damages and overall cleanliness. 

The third floor will soon house various sales outlets (tea only, naturally) and the beautifully designed fourth floor is to be converted into a restaurant before long which will make the museum with its additional benefit of being only a four-mile drive from Kandy, an ideal excursion for any visitor. 

With its seven-member staff, the atmosphere at the museum is quaint and friendly. Visitors are welcome during the week from 8.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and until 12.30 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays. There is an admission fee with a special student rate of Rs. 5.

For Mr. Madugalle, a planter since 1952, the museum is a dream come true. It all began in 1975 when he was at the Great Western Estate, Talawakelle and Clifford Ratwatte, then chairman of the State Plantations Corporation mooted the idea of such a museum. Mr. Madugalle then set about doing the groundwork for the 'museum project'. As a visiting agent he would make a note of all the discarded machines and the factories they were found in, in addition to other items that could be included in the museum. So by 1997 when the project was launched, Mr. Madugalle was well prepared for the job he was about to take on.

"I found most of these in abandoned factories," says Mr. Madugalle who adds that some were quite hard to find, especially when they were buried under layers of earth, as was the case with the turbine. 

The most interesting was the dismantling and loading, into the lorry and coming back home process; one he relived over and over again as it took him 20 lorry loads to get the present machinery to the museum. 

When it came to restoring the machines it was Mr. Madugalle's trusty 'Man Friday', V. Narayanen Pillai who saw to most of the work. Narayanan Pillai, a retired engine driver cum mechanic, who had at one time worked for Mr. Madugalle, "skilfully dismantled the whole lot of machinery, then cleaned and refurbished it," says Mr. Madugalle who, having always enjoyed that type of work, often joined in.

Restoring the machines took about three years. Years of corrosion meant that they had to be carefully handled. The dismantling process was probably the most difficult and time consuming as they had to be careful not to damage parts, all the while remembering how it was pulled apart because that was the only blueprint they had when it came to assembling it again later. 

As part of the future plans for the museum, Mr. Madugalle is keen on putting in the second line of manufacture. "I would like to display the modern line of manufacture as well. Unfortunately I have to wait till they're obsolete for no factory will part with the machines now." 

He hopes to someday get the machinery operational. "Then maybe we could have one day a month when the machinery is actually worked so that people can see for themselves the process involved." 

Today the tea museum stands proudly as a monument to the past, promising much for the future.It marks the legacy left to us by the pioneers of the tea industry, while preserving for future generations the history of the 132-year-old adventure of 'Ceylon Tea'.