Talk by Jim Holmes     

The slopes of Sri Lanka’s southern mountains are clothed in neat rows of low bushes that produce one of the country’s greatest exports, tea.  The famed ‘English Breakfast’ name is known the world over but the story of tea in old Ceylon is far less refreshing. 

Through this presentation we tour tea estates, factories, and meet the immigrant villagers who still hand pick this everyday product in flavour the true story of the nation’s favourite drink. 

Transported originally by a mountain railway, purpose-built in 1865 by British and Ceylonese engineers, it still runs to this day, but tea is now transported by road.  Little else has changed from its beginnings in 1820 through the past 200 years to processes used today. 

Jim Holmes is a professional documentary photographer specialising in worldwide humanitarian and environmental assignments.

There will be tea, coffee and biscuits after the talk.