This article first appeared on our blog in January 2018. Boat Mill, 19th century (Mills Archive Collection, MCFC-ENG-064) If asked to name traditional mills, most people would probably name windmills, watermills, possibly tide mills, but less would name ‘floating mills’, also known as ‘boat mills’ or ‘ship mills’. These were structures that had the outside appearance…
I have come to the final day of my internship. Little did I think when I started back in the warmth of July last year that I would still be here in February with snow falling outside of the window! My initial three months here flew by, and I was very grateful to be invited…
Those of you who follow The Mills Archive on social media will know that we have recently started highlighting different families on Family History Friday. Therefore, this week’s blog will be focusing on some of the families that were involved in roller milling history. An example of a family run manufacturing firm was Thomas Robinson…
With the romance of Valentine’s Day recently past, this blog is looking at some of the romantic stories that have been found whilst researching the history of roller milling. Throughout the early years of roller milling, there is a common factor between many firms, namely that they tended to be family-run businesses. This was true…
In a week which has seen the celebration of 100 years since women were first given the right to vote, I have been reflecting upon the role of women during the early days of roller milling. My research of the period has been dominated by men, the great manufacturing and milling firms were frequently named…
This weekend sees the beginning of the Six Nations, so whether you’re planning on following the games or doing everything you can to avoid them, this week’s blog should be able to give you some interesting roller milling facts about each of the six nations, to either whet your appetite for the weekend games, or…
It was Burns Night last night, so it seemed appropriate to start this week’s blog with a poem by Robert Burns himself: O ken ye what Meg o’ the Mill has gotten? An’ ken ye what Meg o’ the Mill has gotten? She gotten a coof wi’ a claute o’ siller, And broken the heart o’ the barley Miller!The Miller was strappin, the Miller was ruddy, A heart like…
If asked to picture a mill where roller machinery has been installed, I imagine most people would think either of a large industrial building, or a smaller traditional country mill converted to the roller process. The new ‘Building a Mill’ section on the website covers the process that a potential miller may have gone through…
This week has seen me draw from one resource that the Archive houses in large numbers for our roller mill history project: namely postcards. A search for ‘postcard’ in the online catalogue returns with 6304 results, and there are more that have not yet been catalogued. These items provide a wealth of information and can…
A new year, a time for new beginnings, making a change or a new resolution. Yet it can also be a time for a reflection and pondering on the past. As such, this week’s blog will be reflecting upon the past – 1928 to be specific – and what individuals then, particularly millers, would have…
