Sandford upon Thames Papermill, Oxfordshire
Location and general description
Located at Sandford on Thames, Oxon, just downstream
from Oxford and adjacent to Sandford Lock.
Buildings
Much of the Kings Arms was once part of the paper-mill and the
mill race continues flow beneath the footbridge that connects the
King's Arms with the adjacent lock. It is uncertain how much of any
other buildings remain. The workers cottages that originally had tarred
paper roofs are now listed buildings.
History (from 1684 to 1970s)
In 1684, according to Foreman, Sandford was adapted for paper milling
whilst still milling corn (Foreman, 1983, 71).
In
1823 Jas SWANN bought Sandford as a corn mill advertised as capable of
conversion to a paper making (Foreman, 1983, 71). In the later 18th C a
SWANN leased Wolvercote
Paper Mill.
In
1826 the mill was converted into a paper mill to meet the increasing
demands of nearby Oxford University. At the same time nearby
workers cottages were constructed with tarred paper roofs.
(Wickipedia). At that time Sandford had no recent history of
paper making so workers were recruited in and six new
cottages
built to accommodate them. (Sandford Link, 1986).
Between 7 Nov 1848 and 9 Dec the same year a series of letters were
exchanged between, Tatum, Upton, Johnson & Co, Thomas HALLAM
and
members of the SWANN family, concerning a sale at Sandford and Eynsham
Mills as a result of the Bankruptcy of Henry SWANN (Oxford
Records
Office, Local Studies Catalogue, SL138/1/C/01-12).
In 1875 the rebilding of the Sandford Paper-Mill requiring the
head water level to be raised by 5 feet. (River Thames, from Cotswolds
to London)
In 1880 the Oxford University Press purchased the mill (Ritter, 2002)
Between Jun 27th and Sep 26th 1896 the following individuals
were
listed in Amalgamated Society of Paper Makers reports: W EATON; F G
NAISH [Stirk 2011].
In 1910 the mill was purchased by Cannon and Clapperton (Oxford Records
Office, Local Studies Catalogue, SL138/1/, Introduction)
In 1983 the Mill was operating under Cannon and Clapperton (Oxford
Records
Office, Local Studies Catalogue, SL138/1/, Introduction)
On 4th May 1984 a huge fire engulfed the papermill buildings which were
in the process of being demolished, threatening to spread to the Kings
Arms. (Sandford Link, June 1984, Pg 2)
Papermakers
The ROLLINS family
The 1841 Census
lists the ROLLINS family at 'Mill Lane' ['Allen Cottages' written above
may apply to this], Sandford, when they comprised
- Mary ROLLINS, aged 40, Paper M., born K.n. (born in
Scotland, Ireland or Foreign parts ticked)
Bibliography
- RITTER, R. M.,'OUP chronology, 1850 to 1925', Oxford
Editorial, 2002, URL:http://www.ritter.org.uk, Accessed 5 Aug 2008
- Sandford Link, Issue 30, June 1984, The Link Committee,
URL: http://www.sandfordonthames.co.uk, Accessed 5 Aug 2008
- Sandford Link, Issue 50, April 1986, The Link Committee,
URL: http://www.sandfordonthames.co.uk, Accessed 14 Apr 2009
- 'Sandford Lock', River Thames, from Cotswolds to London,
URL:http://www.visitthames.co.uk/, Accessed 5 Aug 2008
- 'Sandford-on-Thames', Wickipedia, 2008, URL:
http://en.wikipedia.org, Accessed 5 Aug 2008
- STIRK, Jean, Amalgamated Society Of Papermakers, 10th
Quarterly Report, 27th June to 26th September 1896, Index of Members by
Mill. Cited 6 Apr 2011.
Online:http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/subject_guides/family_history/039so_amalgamated_society_of_paper_makers_quarterly_report_index.pdf.
Any transcripts and images on this page are Copyright R I Kirby 2008
unless stated otherwise.