This was my first explore and subsequently, this is my first report! But I think as far as first-time-explores go, this was a great starting point.
I had first heard about the interesting story behind Fletchers Paper Mill a few years ago. After finishing my walk at the nearby Dovestone’s National Park, I had seen the mill in the distance and decided to do some research on what it was. The mill can be seen from almost anywhere at Dovestone’s and looks slightly out of place just because of how vast it is. Upon doing some research I uncovered the troubling story of this mill and how it was simply disbanded overnight. I was always intrigued to see what was inside.
I and a couple of work friends got together after showing a shared interest in Urbex but never being able to find like-minded people who were willing to explore. We set our sights on Robert Fletcher and Sons paper mill as it was local to us and I had a personal interest in it because of the research I had done years previously.
Entry
We scouted out possible entry points and found a way in which was almost too good to be true. We had a little look around and then returned at a more suitable time to only find that our primary entry point had been blocked a mere few days after we had first been. We were not leaving empty-handed and so we scouted the building out again and just as we were getting ready to leave, we found a challenging entry point. After dancing with some fencing and barbed wire, we were in.
History and Local Perception
The Mill has stood its ground for over 200 years and you can really tell that once you are inside. Machines still have paper pouring from them and lockers are left intact. Robert Fletcher and Sons at its height employed over 1000 employees and produced cigarette paper. In 1986 the company was not making a profit and was taken over by the Melton Medes Conglomerate. Melton Medes got the company thriving again and it started to make a profit once again, however, this was short-lived and after the closure of the Stoneclough Mill, the company yet again started to decline. Robert Fletcher and Sons were then forced into receivership. At current, the mill and its grounds are owned by Purico. Purico is a holding company that holds a huge amount of businesses all over the world. They purchased the Mill and its grounds primarily to build the lodges which now sit around 5 minutes from the mill I believe.
The mill has a mixed bag of opinions in the local area, many call it an eye-sore while others enjoy the heritage of what was once a large employer in the area and created plenty of jobs for the local people. Some of the older people local to the mill even recall the large mounds of white pulp which were frequently dumped on Chew Road which could be seen from Dovestones and beyond. Much to the frustration of the local people, nothing could be done as the landfill was there long before the national park.
Images
View attachment 880490
I had first heard about the interesting story behind Fletchers Paper Mill a few years ago. After finishing my walk at the nearby Dovestone’s National Park, I had seen the mill in the distance and decided to do some research on what it was. The mill can be seen from almost anywhere at Dovestone’s and looks slightly out of place just because of how vast it is. Upon doing some research I uncovered the troubling story of this mill and how it was simply disbanded overnight. I was always intrigued to see what was inside.
I and a couple of work friends got together after showing a shared interest in Urbex but never being able to find like-minded people who were willing to explore. We set our sights on Robert Fletcher and Sons paper mill as it was local to us and I had a personal interest in it because of the research I had done years previously.
Entry
We scouted out possible entry points and found a way in which was almost too good to be true. We had a little look around and then returned at a more suitable time to only find that our primary entry point had been blocked a mere few days after we had first been. We were not leaving empty-handed and so we scouted the building out again and just as we were getting ready to leave, we found a challenging entry point. After dancing with some fencing and barbed wire, we were in.
History and Local Perception
The Mill has stood its ground for over 200 years and you can really tell that once you are inside. Machines still have paper pouring from them and lockers are left intact. Robert Fletcher and Sons at its height employed over 1000 employees and produced cigarette paper. In 1986 the company was not making a profit and was taken over by the Melton Medes Conglomerate. Melton Medes got the company thriving again and it started to make a profit once again, however, this was short-lived and after the closure of the Stoneclough Mill, the company yet again started to decline. Robert Fletcher and Sons were then forced into receivership. At current, the mill and its grounds are owned by Purico. Purico is a holding company that holds a huge amount of businesses all over the world. They purchased the Mill and its grounds primarily to build the lodges which now sit around 5 minutes from the mill I believe.
The mill has a mixed bag of opinions in the local area, many call it an eye-sore while others enjoy the heritage of what was once a large employer in the area and created plenty of jobs for the local people. Some of the older people local to the mill even recall the large mounds of white pulp which were frequently dumped on Chew Road which could be seen from Dovestones and beyond. Much to the frustration of the local people, nothing could be done as the landfill was there long before the national park.
Images
View attachment 880490
