September 2026

This trip has been a long time in the making since we had planned to visit when, unfortunately an arson attack destroyed part of the site. Whilst restoratioon work is still ongoing, we were able to visit the factory to see their bespoke paper coming off the line, learn about the history of paper and that the mill was the first motorised paper mill in the world.

As well as being a visitor attraction, the mill now specialises in paper for artists, caligraphers and promotional work. This includes paper made with elephant poo and from other herbivores.

The process of paper making is to get fibres from cloth, wood and plants and mix with copiuos amounts of water. The mixture is then passed through a fine metal sieve or mould to collect a layer of the fibres which start to lock together. As the water drains out one gets a sheet of paper which needs to be pressed, to remove the rest of the water and then slowly dried.