Report - Springside Paper Works, Belmont - August '11

tweek · Aug 15, 2011

Springside Paper Works, Belmont

Visited with fishbrain.

Saw this one mentioned in a lead/rumour on this site by Speed and thought we'd give it a look. Access proved easy enough, but in all honesty, I wasn't feeling this one very much whilst we were there - a variety of empty/boring single storey warehouses served to frustrate us, and the parts of the site with cool features remaining were either so dust-ridden or stripped that we left feeling somewhat short-changed.

For the more eager mill enthusiasts amongst you, it might be worth it... and there are some structures we decided against bothering with which may also be worth a mooch... however the asbestos in here is taking over and in certain parts it feels like instant death.

One unexpected saving grace of the site was the lack of pigeons. Replaced instead with far more elegant barn owls who occasionally swooped down past us during the explore.

History

The mill is located in the valley bottom and operated as a woven fabric bleaching works and then transferred its activity to that of paper making which carried up to its closure in June 2006. The site includes two licensed landfill areas. The site has been largely unoccupied since the closure of the paper manufacture - however, the Kruger Tissue logo still adorns the outside of some of the more active looking buildings.

Interestingly, Industrial Archeaology News published in Autumn 2009 that there are Government-led plans to convert the Springside complex into a 1,500 inmate capacity prison!

A novel and unique regeneration plan i'm sure you'll agree.

The are some documents held at Bolton Archive and Local Studies Service dated from 1911-1936 (occupiers Charles Turner & Co.) which I have not checked out. (Resource Ref: ZBGH/555 - ZBGH/285d - if anyone's interested).

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