"Some of these moulds actually pre-date the factory itself, " said project manager Harry Wardill.

BBC: 'Aladdin's cave' of Middleport pottery moulds being moved

Down the road, at a date-packing factory, the manager proudly recalls the days when he supervised exports all over the world.

ECONOMIST: Iraq

"I have visited the factory a couple of times, " the letter date Feb. 8 reads, according to a copy published Wednesday in Les Echos newspaper.

NPR: US CEO Ridicules French Workers As Time-Wasting