Frogmore Paper Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frogmore Paper Mill |
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View from Durrants Hill Road Bridge
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| General information | |
| Coordinates | 51°44′19″N 0°28′06″W / 51.7385°N 0.4683°W |
| Owner | The Apsley Paper Trail |
Frogmore Paper Mill is a very old and active paper mill located in Apsley, Hertfordshire, close to Hemel Hempstead. The mill is built on an island in the River Gade, which is also part of the Grand Union Canal. It holds a special record: it is the oldest paper mill in the world that still uses machines!
The Mill's Long Story
We don't have records showing exactly when the first mill was built here. However, we know it was a corn mill in 1086, mentioned in the famous Domesday Book. Later, around 1289, the mill was used for a process called fulling. This was a way to clean cloth and textiles by removing oils and dirt.
By 1774, the mill had become a paper mill. A huge step forward happened in 1803 when the world's first machine for making paper was installed at Frogmore Mill. This amazing machine was based on an idea by Nicolas-Louis Robert. It was engineered by Bryan Donkin and paid for by the Fourdrinier brothers. This new machine could make paper in a continuous roll, much faster than before!
For most of the 1800s, the mill was owned by the Grand Junction Canal. This canal later became the Grand Union Canal. In 1851, a new way to make paper from wood using chemicals (called soda pulp) began at the mill. This method was often used for newspapers. In 1890, a company called the British Paper Company took over the mill. They fully bought the property in 1929.
Today, Frogmore Paper Mill is run by The Apsley Paper Trail. This is a charity that uses the mill as a place for visitors, education, and community events. It's a great place to learn about how paper is made!
Images for kids
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This is a model of the continuous paper making machine at Frogmore Paper Mill.
