Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
Nice exhibition on at the ex-indoor market site which opened today, depicting the history of Dover paper mill, (the entrance being via the old post office door which is easily missed and I`ve told them). A number of ex-mill employee`s were there today with photograph`s and items of interest which they`d kept from years gone by. I was also there today, the reason being, apart from working there for a time, from 1969 till the mid 80s, I took alot of cine film in there, which has obviously become of historic interest, and very sort after by the people making a film record of anything to do with the mill. I just managed to record the `old` machinery and original structure`s in there before it was all gone forever, and modernised from 1970 onward`s. Many of the employee`s shown are long dead, and I`ve stored these unique films away for nearly quarter of a century. Sentimental old fool I am, I also saved many work`s plate`s from scrapped machine`s, account`s book`s dating from pre-WW1, all unceremoniously being thrown out, accident`book`s over 50 years old, and much more. Been a long wait, but hoped one day it would all be recognised for the historic value.
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Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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A very old letter from 1922, and one of the many interesting item`s I found whilst delving into my archive box. I wonder which tramway shelter
this was referring to? The letter was addressed to Lewis Hobday Esq at the paper mill.
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Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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One of a number of old picture`s showing at the exhibition. I know 3 of them. Bob Williams from River who sadly died this month, Sid Blunden, a fitter who died 3 years ago and Frank Dash, another fitter. Other names are mentioned, while 2 of them are unidentified. Maybe you may know them?
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Fascinating stuff Colin, keep it coming.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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Thank you Sid. I was back down there this afternoon with some more work`s plate`s, and met up with some more former employee`s, shown here under the spotlight. They kindly let me take some pics, and bought me some tea and cake from opposite.
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Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
I was down there with my wife at the same time as Colin and he was showing me the same as you see above,Colin is a great Guy and very nice person and I would lovve to see all what he has put away over the years about DOVER,I am down there again in the morning I hope Colin can make it to,I am going to be talking about the Town and what part the MILL and the Dover Eng,works played in the 1950s and 1960s.But that is a maybe,but we will be there and if I am called on then that is what I will be doing. Again well done Colin.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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Ever so sorry Vic, I must have been so absorbed in it all this morning with what was going on, I forgot you and your good lady were there this morning, and I can`t even remember seeing you go. Anyway, it`ll take them days to get through that box of material I left them, and they`re sending all my cine films up to London for their chap to put onto disc. They reckon next February, the complete documentary will be ready for production. I have to go to Canterbury in the morning to retreive a couple of album`s of various picture`s I took, and some of which show my mate who died over a year ago, and which I lent to his mum, who is now 90, and worked at the mill in the post war period.
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Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
I took part in the filming this morning, and I must say what they are doing now there will be a great help to our town next year, well done to them and I look forward to seeing it at some point.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
- Posts: 4,150
Spent this morning near Canterbury with my mate`s mum, who worked at the mill in the post war period, and she gave me some lovely old picture`s, stored away for many years. Old Dovorian`s may recognise some names. They were copied this afternoon for their new film production at the indoor market. Quite a few old photograph`s have cropped up of the old mill and Crabble mill, and it`s all worth going to have a look.
Crabble Mill sorting rags.
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Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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The Paper Mill football team.
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Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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Mill employee`s, circa 1905. Possibly, all these picture`s may never have been published before, and maybe an exclusive scoop for the forum? She`s a very lovely dear lady who gave me these, and many of her family were mill employee`s and freind`s over the years.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
incredible piece of local history colin.
thanks for sharing them here.
Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
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Colin,again just great we are very lucky to have you not only on the forum but in Dover to please keep it up. Thank You
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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Thank you Howard, (and Vic), and this forum has been an absolute essential to all this, as I wouldn`t have just handed over everything just to place into a museum, possibly for just storing away out of view. This exhibition has brought the whole lot to life, and using this forum to give it a mention mean`s that at least some will be aware of it all. Like my Dad`s pre-war shipping photograph`s amongst other`s, they would have been stored away by me, with the possibility of being dumped when I was dead and gone. So much has been lost over the year`s.
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Guest 644- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,214
Really interesting Colin. Thank you.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
i had an aunt working in the rag sorting room during the 60s.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
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Interesting stuff Colin
Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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Thank you all. Just one more view, a close up of the third picture, and the elderly ladies in the centre may have been born before Queen Victoria! I wonder what the occasion was? All lost in the mists of time. These are large picture`s, and the photo`s I have are much sharper than I can get them on my camera. I suppose all these former Dovorian`s are now scattered about the graveyards of Dover, and if only we had some names.
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Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
The above photo reminds me of a well known Temperance poster which contained a similar bunch of delightful ladies and underneath it read..
"Lips that have touched alcohol shall not touch mine"
Pass me the bottle...quick
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
it does indeed look like the annual methodists ladies beano.
they all used to pose like that in those days.
