Report - Fox Brothers Tonedale Mill, Somerset - April 2015

[Oxygen Thief]

A little bit of history first, from the Fox Brothers website. Yes they still exist to this day almost adjacent to this mill...

The company was officially founded by Thomas Fox in Wellington 1772, after taking over the family business from his father, Edward. At this time, it is believed that the company employed up to 450 people in and around the area.

During the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century, the company brought the entire production process in house. With the wool sorting, spinning, drying and weaving processes all under one roof, the Fox family were able to exert more control over quality and increase production. Not only was the total production housed on the one site, but ancillary crafts also took place at the mill. These included basket weaving; to produce the baskets used for holding wool and yarns, joineries; for the wooden requirements of the site, book binding; to produce record and accounts books as well as metal forges and workshops, to produce and maintain the machinery.

At its peak the company employed approximately 5,000 people and owned and operated nine mills and factories in Somerset, Devon, Galashiels and Oxfordshire.

The Fox family had their own legal tender from 1787 until 1921; Lloyds bank in Wellington is to this day known as the Fox Branch.

From the late 19th century into the 20th century, production became increasingly focused on fabrics for the British military. During the Boer War, Fox Brothers developed the new serge drape mixture know as 'khaki', which eventually led to the demise of the British Army's traditional 'redcoats'. During the First World War, Fox Brothers completed the largest ever, single order for textiles: 852 miles of cloth supplied to the Ministry of Defence. This was used to make 'the puttee' - spiral leg puttees were used by the military as a part of the regular soldier uniform.

The weaving sheds were first. One massive open span...

This was eye-catching and obviously painted by somebody talented...

At one end, a lot of reclaimed tiles and bricks from the days when they were cracking on with a conversion...

There was an interesting first-floor long narrow room...

Hide containers...

A couple of external shots...

This one shows a pair of Mather and Platt water powered fire alarms...

They look like this on the inside of the building...

The old waterwheel...

Parts / spares / pay?...

Above that building is this lovely wooden attic, complete with massive shaft drive in a cupboard...

More buildings...

The building that looks the most stripped and ruined, actually is full of interesting things.

Continued in next post...

 

[Oxygen Thief]

A quick view from the tower...

On the ground floor of one of the buildings were all the removed windows, in a pretty bad way...

Around the corner from that were all the restored windows.

A fantastic bridge over the leet or mill pond or whatever it is...

and here's the business end of that water...

Now, in the past there's been various obstacles (of the Eastern European type) that have stopped me seeing inside the boiler rooms. Not a problem today.

What that is 'exactly' I don't know. It's got all the areas of the complex with a red bulb for each. What's interesting though is two things. Remember the history about the puttees? Right column, third down, is the 'Puttee Dept.' Third from the bottom is the 'Grease Works' which is being levelled right now.

But that's nothing compared to the machinery in here...

At the far end of the building there was a large frame that would had held these incredibly heavy slate slabs...

...and on those would be mounted the dials for volts, amps etc, it seems.

Just three random pictures that don't fit in anywhere else now...

 

[:meerkat:]

that graffiti in picture 3 is amazing

 

[Miss Mayhem]

Brilliant report , it looks nearly mint in places,
cracking shots

 

[Miss Mayhem]

that graffiti in picture 3 is amazing

It looks so cool

 

[The Shepshed Diamondback]

Love the machinery pictures and interestesting read.

 

[Lord Oort]

Really like the light in #17, way more to see than I thought!

 

[Seffy]

Decent set if there ever was one mate. Sorry I couldn't join you!

 

[DubExplore]

Awesome Shots, looks like a great explore.

 

[Punk]

Cool stuff That machinery is epic

 

[Speed]

Still looks epic..

 

[zombizza]

Very nice. Love the green machinery

 

[Wevsky]

That's lovely mate and still looking good!

 

[wellingtonian]

Very nice OT. Good the see the boiler/engine house again.
No sign of Serge and his mate then?

 

[Oxygen Thief]

No sign of Serge and his mate then?

Nothing at all mate, which surprised me, I had to do a double take, make sure I was in the right place.