Otterburn Mill
Otterburn Mill is a mill in Otterburn, Northumberland, northeast England. It lies just south of the Otterburn Tower along the A696 road next to a bridge over the River Rede.[1]It was owned by the Waddell family for many years and is over 250 years old.[2] The mill is noted for its pram rugs and its crowning moment was on the birth of Princess Elizabeth in 1926, when Buckingham Palace contacted the mill requiring a small rug for the royal pram. It is now a retail outlet, with a restaurant and coffee shop and nursery.
History
Dating from the 18th century,[3] Otterburn Mill was leased in 1821 to William Waddell. (Waddel, the son of a Jedburgh wool manufacturer, had recently arrived in the area having eloped across the border from Scotland with a young bride).[4] What began as a cottage industry grew, under successive generations of Waddels, into a factory-based operation as production became increasingly mechanised.
In the twentieth century, Otterburn Mill became 'a brand leader in woven cloths';[4] its distinctive tweeds were used by some of the leading fashion houses of Europe, including Dior, Balmain, Schiaparelli and Paquin.[4] They were also popular for rural pursuits among the aristocracy and Queen Alexandra was a keen purchaser of the mill's wares.[5]
By the 1970s the textile industry in Britain had gone into decline; manufacturing ceased at Otterburn in December 1976. Twenty years later John Waddel sold the buildings to Euan Pringle; they were converted for retail, with historic machinery and other items retained for display.[6]
Gallery
This water turbine powered the mill from 1890 until the 1950s (replacing a pair of water wheels).
Fulling stocks (19th century).
A Cornish boiler provided hot water and steam for the washing and finishing process.[7]
Scouring (washing) machine
Spin dryer
Teazle gig (used to raise the surface of the finished cloth to make it fluffy)
Early 18th-century tenter frame
References
- ↑ Goodman, Anthony; Tuck, Anthony (1992). War and border societies in the middle ages. Routledge. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-415-08021-7. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ↑ Huxley, Michael (1936). The Geographical magazine. IPC Magazines. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ↑ "Listed building description". Historic England. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
- 1 2 3 "History: The Waddel Family". Otterburn Mill. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
- ↑ "History: The Royal Connection". Otterburn Mill. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
- ↑ "History: The End of an Era". Otterburn Mill. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
- ↑ "What is a Cornish boiler?". Otterburn Mill. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
External links
Coordinates: 55°13′52″N 2°10′43″W / 55.23111°N 2.17861°W