Paper Mills
Beetham Mills on the River Bela in the Arnside and Silverdale AONB, Cumbria.
On the left of the photo is the 1740 Heron Corn Mill, and on the right, a paper milll, established in 1788 and currently operated by BillerudKorsnäs who produce medical equipment packaging and food packaging.
Heron Mill closed in 1958, bringing to an end 900 years of commercial corn milling. The mill buildings are now used for educational and arts projects.
Bowston Weir on the River Kent near Burneside in Cumbria.
The fish ladders in the weir are steps built to help the salmon and trout leap the weir to reach their spawning grounds upstream..In 1880 James Cropper bought the fulling mill at Bowston and used it to prepare rags and ropes for the Burneside and Cowan Head paper mills. In 1879 a narrow gauge tramway was built along the river bank to link all three mills.
Aerial view of Burneside in Cumbria.
The village is home to the paper mill James Cropper plc, founded in 1845.
James Cropper Paper Mill, Burneside, Cumbria.
This paper mill, established in 1845 is the only working mill left on the River Kent, although it no longer relies on the water power from the river. A steam turbine was installed in 1920 which also provided electricity to the village long before other parts of the county. The village was built around the mill and the mill owners have a long history of trying to help the community. They built the church, school and village hall, and even owned the pub, ploughing the profits back into local housing.
James Cropper memorial pillar in Abbot Hall Park, Kendal, Cumbria.
James Cropper (1823-1900) of the Burneside Paper Mill was a Christian philanthropist and the last MP for the ancient borough of Kendal.
The wording on the pillar reads, 'By his Christian ideal in public and private life alike and by his constant enthusiasm for all good works he won the gratitude and esteem of a whole county. Kendal is proud of him'.