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The Thompson family began in the business of waste paper recycling in 1883, in 1900 the business moved to Little Salkeld.
A variety of materials were used over the years. Originally, this was mainly rags, brought from Liverpool, boiled and macerated with the pulp then pressed and hammered. Teams of girls worked in the finishing rooms before the paper was wrapped and taken by horse and cart to Penrith.
As the years went by mills changed their products and technology to meet the demands of the time. Mr. Thompson’s great-great-grandfather started as a carrier between Penrith and Carlisle, bought the mill and went in to business with his two sons, producing cards for the Jacquard looms of Lancashire his old business records are still in existence.
Other uses for the paper and board produced was for bookbinding, and also in the construction of top hats! After the move to Little Salkeld and, as rags became scarcer, waste paper was incorporated, brought from Carlisle and Liverpool.
The two World Wars brought a scarcity of materials and the millers turned to using moss and straw as well. New machines were installed in 1960, which hastened the production process, but unfortunately the costs of modern manufacture and pressure of foreign competition meant that in recent years the company was no longer able to compete. In 1996 Thompson's board mills went into liquidation and was subsequently taken over by was taken over by Activecraft.
Dr. Wild, chief executive of the mill, said Activecraft Thompson’s Board Mills had had £600,000 spent on it since 1997, yet in 1998 it made a loss of £260,000. Activecraft was fined for a number of incidents of pollution and prosecuted under the Water Resources Act 1991 for not having discharge consent from the Environment Agency.
The mill closed in 2003.
Thanks for looking
A variety of materials were used over the years. Originally, this was mainly rags, brought from Liverpool, boiled and macerated with the pulp then pressed and hammered. Teams of girls worked in the finishing rooms before the paper was wrapped and taken by horse and cart to Penrith.
As the years went by mills changed their products and technology to meet the demands of the time. Mr. Thompson’s great-great-grandfather started as a carrier between Penrith and Carlisle, bought the mill and went in to business with his two sons, producing cards for the Jacquard looms of Lancashire his old business records are still in existence.
Other uses for the paper and board produced was for bookbinding, and also in the construction of top hats! After the move to Little Salkeld and, as rags became scarcer, waste paper was incorporated, brought from Carlisle and Liverpool.
The two World Wars brought a scarcity of materials and the millers turned to using moss and straw as well. New machines were installed in 1960, which hastened the production process, but unfortunately the costs of modern manufacture and pressure of foreign competition meant that in recent years the company was no longer able to compete. In 1996 Thompson's board mills went into liquidation and was subsequently taken over by was taken over by Activecraft.
Dr. Wild, chief executive of the mill, said Activecraft Thompson’s Board Mills had had £600,000 spent on it since 1997, yet in 1998 it made a loss of £260,000. Activecraft was fined for a number of incidents of pollution and prosecuted under the Water Resources Act 1991 for not having discharge consent from the Environment Agency.
The mill closed in 2003.
Thanks for looking
