Bicentenary

On 9th September 1987, Stowford Paper Mill celebrated 200 years of continuous operation. As the mill flourished, so Ivybridge, straddling the River Erme, grew from a cluster of mill workers’ cottages to a substantial town. For a long time, the mill had been the town’s largest local employer and therefore this special event was of interest to the larger community.

 

A special Bicentennial luncheon was attended by guests from the mill and the local community, officers of the County and District Councils, the South West Water Authority, and senior Wiggins Teape executives. The menu included a choice of roast Devonshire beef or Devonshire Turkey and a speech was given by John Worlidge, Chairman and Chief Executive of The Wiggins Teape Group Limited.

After the meal, a prominent local resident and owner of Lukesland Estate, Brian Howell, unveiled a plaque celebrating the Bicentenary. It was from the Lukesland Estate that the land on which the mill stands was originally purchased. The plaque was the work of a specialist letter-carver Michael Williams of Newton Abbott. It was made of blue Welsh slate, a material selected for its sympathy with local stones, although the mill’s slate certainly came from Delabole, in Cornwall, with whom the Allen family, former owners of the mill, had connections.

Mr Howell, a retired commercial forester, was pleased to renew links between his estate and the paper mill. “As a forester, the pulp and paper industry were among my largest customers and I am delighted to be associated with this commemoration of a history of industrial and commercial success in Ivybridge’” he commented. Mr Howell later donated a tree as his own contribution to the Bicentenary year’s events.

 

A water-colour painting of Stowford Mill by Plymouth based artist Stuart Armfield, was commissioned and displayed alongside a contemporary water-colour of the first mill on the Ivybridge site.

The Bicentenary was also celebrated by a number of other events which included tours of the mill for local employees’ families, and visits by local dignitaries.

Employees and guests at the Bicentenary celebrations

Back to mill after 74 years

An Ivybridge man, who started work 74 years ago as a cutter-boy at the local paper mill, returned yesterday to join in Stowford Mill’s 200th anniversary celebrations.

When Mr. Bill Mitchell joined the workforce at 14, he earned seven shillings a week including bonuses. He recalled yesterday “You had to keep cracking in those days,. It was a hard life – you worked 12 hours a day”.

Mr Bill Mitchell is pictured fifth from the right.

Employees and guests at the Bicenentary celebrations

Back to mill after 74 years

An Ivybridge man, who started work 74 years ago as a cutter-boy at the local paper mill, returned yesterday to join in Stowford Mill’s 200th anniversary celebrations.

When Mr. Bill Mitchell joined the workforce at 14, he earned seven shillings a week including bonuses. He recalled yesterday “You had to keep cracking in those days,. It was a hard life – you worked 12 hours a day”.

Mr Bill Mitchell is pictured fifth from the right.

The Bicentenary was further marked by a special production run of prestige paper, bearing a watermark of the mill’s 200th anniversary logo. The paper was made into writing sets, serving as gifts for visitors to the events. The paper was typical of the mill’s output of the time and matched paper from Wiggins Teape’s Conqueror range, a leading brand of high quality business stationery. The paper was a cream wove 100gsm quality.

The Town Mayor being taught the skill of counting sheets of paper (left)

Visitors to the mill receive an explanation on how paper is manufactured (right)

WATERMARKS OF LOCAL INTEREST null
RETURN TO ARCHIVES
Bicentenary 1987.

Stowford Mill Bicentenary

On 9th September 1987, Stowford Paper Mill celebrated 200 years of continuous operation. As the mill flourished, so Ivybridge, straddling the River Erme, grew from a cluster of mill workers’ cottages to a substantial town. For a long time, the mill had been the town’s largest local employer and therefore this special event was of interest to the larger community.
A special Bicentennial luncheon was attended by guests from the mill and the local community, officers of the County and District Councils, the South West Water Authority, and senior Wiggins Teape executives. The menu included a choice of roast Devonshire beef or Devonshire Turkey and a speech was given by John Worlidge, Chairman and Chief Executive of The Wiggins Teape Group Limited.
After the meal, a prominent local resident and owner of Lukesland Estate, Brian Howell, unveiled a plaque celebrating the Bicentenary. It was from the Lukesland Estate that the land on which the mill stands was originally purchased. The plaque was the work of a specialist letter-carver Michael Williams of Newton Abbott. It was made of blue Welsh slate, a material selected for its sympathy with local stones, although the mill’s slate certainly came from Delabole, in Cornwall, with whom the Allen family, former owners of the mill, had connections.
Mr Howell, a retired commercial forester, was pleased to renew links between his estate and the paper mill. “As a forester, the pulp and paper industry were among my largest customers and I am delighted to be associated with this commemoration of a history of industrial and commercial success in Ivybridge’” he commented. Mr Howell later donated a tree as his own contribution to the Bicentenary year’s events.
A water-colour painting of Stowford Mill by Plymouth based artist Stuart Armfield, was commissioned and displayed alongside a contemporary water-colour of the first mill on the Ivybridge site.
The Bicentenary was also celebrated by a number of other events which included tours of the mill for local employees’ families, and visits by local dignitaries.
The Bicentenary was further marked by a special production run of prestige paper, bearing a watermark of the mill’s 200th anniversary logo. The paper was made into writing sets, serving as gifts for visitors to the events. The paper was typical of the mill’s output of the time and matched paper from Wiggins Teape’s Conqueror range, a leading brand of high quality business stationery. The paper was a cream wove 100gsm quality.