Report - Longfords Mill, Gloucestershire - March 2016

[Lorraine]

Longfords Mill

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History

The local textile industry dates back to the Middle Ages and evidence for a mill at Longfords survives in the Minchinhampton Custumal of 1304. It was described there as a water mill which is interpreted as meaning it was a corn mill. However by the 1600s it was a combined fulling and corn mill, typical of many in the valleys.

In 1759 Thomas Playne leased the estate, house, farm and mill. An estate map of 1766 shows the extent of the property and location of the buildings. Thomas Playne was one of many local and generally small suppliers to the East India Company. Thomas’s sons William and Peter Playne expanded the mill considerably. They built two other water powered mills, creating a twelve acre lake to power them and buying their first Boulton & Watt steam engine in 1815. The brothers divided Longfords and Dunkirk between them with William occupying the whole Longfords site. However they continued to supply the East India Company as a partnership and in 1820 were apparently the largest supplier of cloth to it, £20,000 – worth. It was estimated that the cloth if laid end to end would have reached from the mill to their London office.

The dynamic leadership of William and his son William junior ensured that the firm William Playne & Co. adapted to the innovations in production introduced in the 19th century and it enormously increased with the development of new markets.

The 20th century saw equally dramatic changes as the firm, now a subsidiary of Winterbotham Strachan & Playne Ltd, struggled to survive in often difficult times. This meant extensive new brick buildings which have since been removed, new machinery and the introduction of electricity. Products also adjusted with demand and in the 1930s the mill provided cloth for the Prince of Wales’s, the future Edward VIII, Rolls Royce. During the last phase of the mill’s life, from 1970 to 90, it was the largest manufacturer of tennis ball outside of the USA. The name William Playne & Co. continues as the trade name for the tennis ball cloth.

Our Visit

After seeing a report done on this place by clebby in August of last year, XTheRoseRedx and myself thought as we were in the area it might be worth checking it out. We were originally planning on visiting the old aerodrome nearby, but decided against it once we got there and saw the derelict parts were surrounded by the... not so much, and we didn't think our stealth levels would've been high enough for that one.

We arrived in the already fading light, and ended up parking outside the mill to save time, which didn't seem to pose any problems for us or the neighbours.

As mentioned in the other report, creativity was definitely needed to access the upper floor, but was well worth it to see some of the old machinery still stored there.

The quality of my photos are starting to diminish as the light goes. But I had a bit of a thing about this room, it had so much character with the low sloping ceiling, and the beautiful old wooden beams that hold so much history.

We didn't get many pictures of the actual engine room, as it was too dark to deem safe to make our way down, which was a huge shame, so another visit may be on the cards in the near future. Considering the disappointment of the aerodrome we were lucky to be able to visit this little gem.​

 

[host]

Cracking report..

 

[Speed]

It's a good mooch this one.

 

[The Lone Shadow]

That is really interesting. Looks like a worthwhile explore.

 

[ultravox]

Is this still standing? Looks interesting.

 

[Lord Oort]

Yes, had a look at it a few weeks ago as its a few miles from me while I was on the way to somewhere else, unfortunately the builders have moved in and so any visit would be need to be well outside of working hours. Also place looked pretty tight. YMMV though.

There is a small mine (very small) within 100m of it which is worth having a quick look if youre passing through.

Report -> Caroles Folly

 

[Isaac.w]

Looks cool