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View Full Version : Ham Mill, Stroud - March 2009



clebby
20-09-2009, 01:09 PM
Visited with Da-Mop back in March this year. It's a fantastic old building that is crying out to be restored. :)

Ham Mill in Thrupp, near Stroud, was originally founded in 1608 to manufacture the red fabric used in British Soldiers coats. In 1634 it was sold to Samuel Webb, and it continued to produce cloth throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. By 1846 it was used partly as a saw mill, but clothmaking continued in the 1850's. In 1900, the mill was sold to carpet weaver's Bond Worth, who used it as their "Carpet Yarn Spinning Division". They left the site for good in 2000, and it has since lain derelict.

Ham Mill is in a unique valley, in a which a road, river, canal and railway all run parallel to eachother. The canal has the remains of a dock for Ham Mill, where barges could deliver wool. The mill also had its own railway siding called "Ham Mill Halt" whch was removed in November 1964. There is also a mill race that goes under the building, as it was originally powered by 3 water wheels.

The main 5 storey mill building dates from 1834 and is listed, as well as the gate house. The main building is surrounded by single storey wriggly tin buildings that are secure and entirely stripped out, as the looms inside were auctioned off and shipped to Thailand.

On with the pics :)

Ascending the staircase from the dark, gloomy ground floor into the warm sunlight upstairs is really lovely.

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/good_shot101/Picture54.jpg

Upstairs, the beautiful mill architecture is standing up well against the birds.

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/good_shot101/Picture52.jpg

The large, traditional windows let sunlight spill across the floor.

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/good_shot101/Picture56.jpg

Some of the last items left in the place - I think wool was wrapped around them.

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/good_shot101/Picture53.jpg

The building is in an L-shape. This is what was in the longer part of the L...

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/good_shot101/Picture51.jpg

An ancient sack lift went right up to the roof.

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/good_shot101/Picture55.jpg

And finally, the attic, with its beautiful roof.

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/good_shot101/HamMills121-1-1.jpg

It's a beautiful building and hopefully it will be restored to its former glory one day.

Cheers :)

JEP27
20-09-2009, 01:53 PM
Lovely pics

boxfrenzy
20-09-2009, 02:30 PM
Nice one mate, and some lovely light on these ones. The window shots are nice. :thumb

KingElvis
20-09-2009, 07:44 PM
Really nice, I love mills and you've got this one nicely.

Well done.

SilentHill
20-09-2009, 08:12 PM
You can't beat a nice old Mill.
Nicely recorded :thumb

clebby
23-09-2009, 05:04 PM
Don't know if this will interest any one, but here's an archival photo I've found from the last days of the mill. This is an operator in the loom shed, before they were sold off, taken in November 2000.

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq40/good_shot101/hammill.jpg

Cheers :)