# Robert Fletcher Ltd., Greenfield Mill, Oldham – May 08



## wolfism

Fletchers. What can I say? Well first off, thanks to TheNewMendoza, Rooks, and especially to Havoc: all help received was appreciated big style. Secondly, although I’ve seen several sets of photos from Fletchers, I was still unprepared for the effect of seeing the place “in the flesh”. The gamut of colours is breathtaking, and the bonus of early morning sunshine means that the spaces had a great sense of depth. I’ve been highly selective, but hopefully I’ve managed to capture a sense of its atmosphere, and show some new views.












As I’ve only read partial histories of Greenfield Mill so far, I spent a bit of time in the archives the next day, digging out more of the history of Fletchers and their antecedents. The buildings were originally established as a woollen mill by a Mr. Bottomley on or around 1780; a great flood in 1799 washed away several buildings, and that marked the first rebuilding at Greenfield. Bottomley’s Mill stood on a 500 acre estate, and by the 1850’s, several hundred workers were employed in wool carding and spinning: by that time, the core of three- and four-storey buildings had already been built, and almost all survive today, albeit containing different functions. Many of the workers at Bottomley’s Greenfield Mill were housed in the row of cottages which still sits above the mill on the opposite side to the Holmfirth road: they’re known as Hey Top, or “Forty Row”, the latter because there were twenty back-to-back cottar houses, hence accommodating forty families. Other key mill workers were housed on houses and cottages elsewhere on the estate. 











By the end of the 19th century, Bottomley’s Mill had slipped from wool spinning lower down the value chain, and had become a bleachworks. The reasons for its decline aren’t clear, but bleaching apparently made less money than spinning, so you can guess that maintenenace, morale and investment all dropped away, too. In March 1914, cotton wool caught fire in the Finishing Department at Greenfield and destroyed several buildings. And there ends the second part of Greenfield Mill’s life, because the Great War was about to kick off (thanks, Archduke Franz Ferdinand …), and both capital and manpower were tied up elsewhere. Perhaps the mill wasn’t insured? As far as I could establish, the damaged buildings were left alone, and at least part of the mill lay dormant for the duration.











The Great War was a turning point for another industry. Cigarette paper was a French monopoly until then, and British giants like Imperial Tobacco became concerned when their supplies were cut off as hostilities spread across the Continent. They determined to find a British source for fag wraps after the Armistice, and Robert Fletchers spotted an opportunity. Robert Fletcher & Son had been in existence since the 1820’s, although only since 1860 under the Fletchers name: they also had a mill at Stoneclough which made onionskin and typing paper. When the war ended, Fletchers searched throughout Britain for a suitable site (plenty clean water, close to ports, presumably close to their other mill), and in the end landed at Greenfield. The existing mill buildings were gutted, new parts added (like the office range to the west, and some of the warehouses), and two paper-making machines were installed. Robert Fletcher & Son (Greenfield) came into operation in 1921, and operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from then until it shut.











Cigarette paper is made from a mix of flax and hemp, due to those fibres’ strength, and the need to make cigarette paper as a fine tissue. Flax is nearly pure cellulose, which when made into paper it burns cleanly and doesn’t leave a bad taste to taint the tobacco. In the top floor of the mill, right at the back of the site, is the bale store, with a chopper machine which was used to open press-packed bales (there are still a few bales of hemp on the floor). I recognised the “chopper” immediately, because Taybank jute mill in Dundee had machines like this, although they were bigger because the jute bales were far larger. Once opened, the bales of hemp and flax were sorted and fed into spherical revolving boilers to “cook”. These are the bits of kit which other explorers dubbed “death stars”. The fibres were cooked in a mild alkali solution which dissolved out oils and organic compounds. I think the papermill workers called these boilers “pans”, but I’m happy to be corrected.


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## wolfism

*Fletchers continued …*

After cooking, the fibres were washed in large open vessels called “potchers” or washing engines. An official company history of Fletchers I found was a little coy about why potchers are called potchers … but I guess the word’s root is the same as poaching an egg, ie. immersing in water. The potchers used vast amounts of water, and that explains why the mill owners were so concerned when the reservoirs were built further up the Chew valley. I gather that there’s a cut and cover culvert that leads from the Chew Reservoir to provide compensation water into the Chew Brook; there’s also a penstock running from Yeoman Hey Reservoir into a water conduit which supplies the circular tanks above Greenfield Mill. When the local authority bought up part of the Greenfield estate in 1958, ahead of building the nearby Dovestones Reservoir, Fletchers got in return a guaranteed 4 million gallon-a-day water supply. After washing, you have a mass of pulp, known as “half stuff” which is then bleached. Firstly the pulp is dissolved in a chlorine solution which removes the bark and pith; then into a sodium hypochlorite solution, then the remaining material is washed.











Next comes the process of beating, which reduces the fibres to a uniform length of 1 - 2mm long. In fact, one of the reasons I was keen to see Fletchers was to have a close look at the machinery made by Bertrams of Sciennes. I remember passing their factory in Edinburgh (St. Katherines Works) on visits to relatives, and always wondered exactly what they made. Now I know what the Bertram Beaters look like, although they made many other types of papermaking machinery, as well as asbestos manufacturing equipment. Sciennes is pronounced “Skenes”, by the way. The beaters are tile-lined chests of half-ton capacity, and the fibres pass under a heavy roller faced with stainless steel blades, revolving under a stationary bed plate. Beating takes several hours, and at the end of the process, you’re left with a pulp like white porridge. After that, it passes through centrifugal cleaners, then it’s ready for the paper-making machines.











Cigarette paper-making machines are amongst the smallest in the paper industry, due to the delicacy of the end product, yet they’re still over 100 feet long, and cost up to £500k at 1970’s prices. By comparison, the stationery paper-making machines in Guardbridge Mill in Fife are almost quarter of a mile long. The plant at Fletchers consists of three Fourdrinier-type machines, which by 1970 produced five times as much paper as seven machines had produced fifty years before that. The nozzles which squirted the diluted pulp into the machines looked like nothing so much as cake-icing gizmos. The paper passed through a series of cylinders and calenders until it reached the steam-heated drying cylinders and came out the other end, ready to be guillotined. The paper was cut into “coils” each of which made about 70,000 tabs; Fletchers latterly produced two million coils each year. You can do the maths yourself …











The mill is about 22,000 sq. metres in extent, ie. it’s big; it had 500 employees while Fletchers was an independent company, and worked on a four-shift system: its clients included John Player and Imperial Tobacco. Fletchers were taken over in 1986 by the conglomerate Melton Medes: graffiti in the locker rooms at Greenfield (“Fat Cat Nat”) suggests that the employees weren’t totally delighted with Nat Puri, the company’s owner. He had a track record of buying up and closing down businesses, and he was also subject to an investigation into irregularities with the Fletchers pension fund in the early 90’s. Material elsewhere on the web suggests that of 30 companies owned by Melton Medes, 10 were in various forms of bankruptcy. Bad press abounded. There was also an article in the Oldham Evening Chronicle in 1989, when Fletchers tried to reassure the public about the levels of dioxin coming from Greenfield Mill: coupled with the risk of chlorine discharges, and the powerful acids and alkalis required by the paper-bleaching processes, this mill must have always had the capacity to cause an environmental disaster. The waste at the end of the pulping process is called “black liquor”, and contains caustic chemicals, lignins and polysaccharides plus other nasties.











Despite the bad press, Melton Medes did invest at Greenfield, including a £600k extension in 1991, to cope with increased production. Most of the paper-making machinery appears to have been computer-controlled, so the mill was relatively up to date. As an aside, Imperial Tobacco were unhappy about quality control at the start of the 1990’s, so eating near the production area was banned by Fletchers’ management … as was smoking! There may be a perverse logic to that, but I just laughed! However, towards the end of the 1990’s, both of Fletchers’ mills began to struggle financially – the increased costs of pulp, and of energy, coupled with tougher times in Europe for the cigarette makers, pressed home. In 1997, the Greenfield Mill had a turnover of £17m – by 1999, this had halved to just over £8m. In 2000, the Stoneclough Mill near Bolton was closed, but not even that was enough to stave off the inevitable: in July 2001, Robert Fletcher (Greenfield) Ltd. was wound up, and it shut, virtually overnight. 











The whole atmosphere of Fletchers is exceptional for an abandonment: the machinery fell silent seven years ago, yet it’s preserved as if in aspic. Nothing has been stripped out, the lights are still on (at least until the flourescent tubes blow), rotating beacons are still spinning, and the geiger counters on the A and B machines which measured paper thickness using an isotope are still clicking away. From other material I came across on my travels, the reason that Greenfield Mill is still lying intact is that development of the site would involve high “exceptional costs” due to the need to decommission plant, and especially to decontaminate the polluted site.

By the time I left Fletchers and re-entered the outside world, five hours later, the sun was high in the sky, so I repaired to the Clarence Hotel for a restorative pint and relaxed to the sounds of the Cowboy Junkies. A return trip to Manchester is planned … and I'll hopefully manage to hook up with the locals at that time …


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## KingElvis

Wow mate, an exceptional report  

I have been there and it's awesome, but I always wondered about its closure and your report fills that gap nicely for me.

Thanks and well done.


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## Bigjobs

Wow, what a detailed write up, with abs gorgeous pictures.

Been there a few times myself.

Did you see the lab?


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## slimrick

That has to be one of the most interesting reports I have read in a long time, nice work there!


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## dittohead

Very very nice mate, have heard the name of this place in passing before but never paid much attention.

As usual you have produced an excellent report with a very informative write up and brilliant photography.


dittohead


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## MonkeyGirl

Fantastic report of this place! Nicely captured. Hopefuly see it in person this summer


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## Andyj23uk

hey - some great shots , and a fantastic explaination of the process


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## Pincheck

nice work mate really nice pics


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## wolfism

Cheers all - thoroughly enjoyed this visit, as you can probably tell ...

Bigjobs - yeah, I had a look at the labs (though I concentrated on taking photos of the paper machinery), but I didn''t get into all the offices, as some of them seemed to be locked.


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## Gibbo

Very nice pictures and write up there!


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## havoc

Excellent report mate, glad you got to see it all, just a shame none of us could show you round.

Nice one


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## meth_

awesome write up. it's nice to have a better understanding of what all the bits did, and how it all worked. it's a site ive seen a fair few times, but haven't tired of it yet


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## ThenewMendoza

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for all the info, I feel like I've learnt something.

TnM


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## Bryag

Brilliant report and pics, Wolfism. It really makes me want to see it. You have portrayed it as a virtual "time capsule." Is access so secure? Is that why it remains so intact??


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## BarneySchwarzenegger

this is great, with your write up and pictures i can almost hear them machines working away. thanks enjoyed your report


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## silverstealth

Exceptional report... cool stuff.


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## sqwasher

Superb!!!  Fantastic pics coupled with an interesting history & informative explanation of the proccesses involved in this industry. Without doubt one of the best 'complete' reports i've seen! If i wore a hat i'd take it off to you!


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## wolfism

Cheers again everyone for the comments - the mill was absolutely fascinating. I still live in hope of finding a Scottish papermill that's explorable (I'm on strike 3 at the moment ...)


Bryag said:


> You have portrayed it as a virtual "time capsule."


That's exactly what it is. Through an unusual set of circumstances, it's been preserved "as is" ... and as you know, there are few derelictions you can walk into which fall into that category.


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## andy m

Excellent, probably the best report on Fletchers I've seen. Melton Medes are cowboys - I went for an interview at one of their plastics factories in Bolton years ago and came away with a very bad impression of the place. A couple of their places had 'unusual' fires as well...........


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## **Mudlark**

that looks like one hell of an explore, fascinating 
You feel so much more for a place once you know its history.
nice one!


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## Foxylady

Wow, what else can I add? Superb report and photos and I love the way you interspersed the write-up with the pics. Very informative and interesting. Cheers wolfism.


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## foz101

Nice one mate. I must admit to having very little knowledge of industry now or historically, but I do like looking up financial records of old companies. It stands to reason with me I suppose..

Despite knowing what you were going to, I would assume that the sight of a papermill with so much machinery and equipment inside left you positively priapic?   Good to see you had a good trip.


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## r_a_macdonald

*Springfield Paper Mill - the Bertram / Johnston Connection*

Hi,

Great photos and great story along with it .... what you dont know is that in 1789 Springfield Mill was managed (if not owned) by John Johntone - my wives 4x great grand-father.... Johns son James Johnston married Elizabeth Bertram .... sister to George and William (and James)... who you also mention in your article. I guess not too surprising given that the paper making industry was small and their respective families would have been mixing in the same circles.

I would be most interested in where you got your information - and anything else you know about the Johnston [some times spelt Johnstone] and the Bertram "clans" ...

best regards


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## Black Shuck

Nice report Wolfism. The shots were absolutely briiliant. The mill seemed huge.


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## wolfism

r_a_macdonald said:


> Hi,
> 
> Great photos and great story along with it .... what you dont know is that in 1789 Springfield Mill was managed (if not owned) by John Johntone - my wives 4x great grand-father.... Johns son James Johnston married Elizabeth Bertram .... sister to George and William (and James)... who you also mention in your article. I guess not too surprising given that the paper making industry was small and their respective families would have been mixing in the same circles.
> 
> I would be most interested in where you got your information - and anything else you know about the Johnston [some times spelt Johnstone] and the Bertram "clans" ...
> 
> best regards


Thank you - that's a good insight into connections I wasn't aware of. 

Sorry, I don't have anything specific on the Johnston side, but the historical material on Fletchers that i did find came from pamphlets in Oldham archives.

I've assembled information on Bertrams from various sources. The National Library of Scotland on South Bridge hold a couple of trade catalogues from Bertrams; I tracked down a history of the firm - _Within a mile of Edinburgh town. The history of Bertrams Limited _- from a bookdealer; and I've gleaned details by looking at Bertrams machinery in other paper mills like Dalmore (sadly now demolished - not sure whether anyone else explored it?). I also came across some instruction manuals for Bertrams equipment in a place I shouldn't have been, and can't mention on an open forum.


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## steatea

wolfism said:


> Fletchers. What can I say? Well first off, thanks to TheNewMendoza, Rooks, and especially to Havoc: all help received was appreciated big style. Secondly, although I’ve seen several sets of photos from Fletchers, I was still unprepared for the effect of seeing the place “in the flesh”. The gamut of colours is breathtaking, and the bonus of early morning sunshine means that the spaces had a great sense of depth. I’ve been highly selective, but hopefully I’ve managed to capture a sense of its atmosphere, and show some new views.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> As I’ve only read partial histories of Greenfield Mill so far, I spent a bit of time in the archives the next day, digging out more of the history of Fletchers and their antecedents. The buildings were originally established as a woollen mill by a Mr. Bottomley on or around 1780; a great flood in 1799 washed away several buildings, and that marked the first rebuilding at Greenfield. Bottomley’s Mill stood on a 500 acre estate, and by the 1850’s, several hundred workers were employed in wool carding and spinning: by that time, the core of three- and four-storey buildings had already been built, and almost all survive today, albeit containing different functions. Many of the workers at Bottomley’s Greenfield Mill were housed in the row of cottages which still sits above the mill on the opposite side to the Holmfirth road: they’re known as Hey Top, or “Forty Row”, the latter because there were twenty back-to-back cottar houses, hence accommodating forty families. Other key mill workers were housed on houses and cottages elsewhere on the estate.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> By the end of the 19th century, Bottomley’s Mill had slipped from wool spinning lower down the value chain, and had become a bleachworks. The reasons for its decline aren’t clear, but bleaching apparently made less money than spinning, so you can guess that maintenenace, morale and investment all dropped away, too. In March 1914, cotton wool caught fire in the Finishing Department at Greenfield and destroyed several buildings. And there ends the second part of Greenfield Mill’s life, because the Great War was about to kick off (thanks, Archduke Franz Ferdinand …), and both capital and manpower were tied up elsewhere. Perhaps the mill wasn’t insured? As far as I could establish, the damaged buildings were left alone, and at least part of the mill lay dormant for the duration.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Great War was a turning point for another industry. Cigarette paper was a French monopoly until then, and British giants like Imperial Tobacco became concerned when their supplies were cut off as hostilities spread across the Continent. They determined to find a British source for fag wraps after the Armistice, and Robert Fletchers spotted an opportunity. Robert Fletcher & Son had been in existence since the 1820’s, although only since 1860 under the Fletchers name: they also had a mill at Stoneclough which made onionskin and typing paper. When the war ended, Fletchers searched throughout Britain for a suitable site (plenty clean water, close to ports, presumably close to their other mill), and in the end landed at Greenfield. The existing mill buildings were gutted, new parts added (like the office range to the west, and some of the warehouses), and two paper-making machines were installed. Robert Fletcher & Son (Greenfield) came into operation in 1921, and operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from then until it shut.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cigarette paper is made from a mix of flax and hemp, due to those fibres’ strength, and the need to make cigarette paper as a fine tissue. Flax is nearly pure cellulose, which when made into paper it burns cleanly and doesn’t leave a bad taste to taint the tobacco. In the top floor of the mill, right at the back of the site, is the bale store, with a chopper machine which was used to open press-packed bales (there are still a few bales of hemp on the floor). I recognised the “chopper” immediately, because Taybank jute mill in Dundee had machines like this, although they were bigger because the jute bales were far larger. Once opened, the bales of hemp and flax were sorted and fed into spherical revolving boilers to “cook”. These are the bits of kit which other explorers dubbed “death stars”. The fibres were cooked in a mild alkali solution which dissolved out oils and organic compounds. I think the papermill workers called these boilers “pans”, but I’m happy to be corrected.



I am new to this site and urban exploring in general so please excuse any possible ignorance, niavety etc 

I just wanted to ask if this place is still worth a visit, it hasnt been demolished or anything?


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## wolfism

It's still there, but may not be so simple to explore now as it was then. Can't discuss security/ access in public, but if you pop a couple of reports up on the forum, then I'm sure someone will be able to help you out.


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## NobodyGirl

i likes it a lot!


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## pixy-lajla

An amazing building, there`s something about old machinery, saddens me when its left to rust and decay..
I enjoyed learning about the building too! i`d never heard of it...

Thank you.


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## peanuts

Fantastic report wolf can remember when this place was working seeing there lorrys comming and going along local roads .Couple of my friends worked there on leaving school was a big local employer at the time .Know what you mean about it being earie the flykillers crackling away spooked me on my last visit .Oh and btw the clarence where you retired for refreshment used to be frequented by a young mick jagger when his farther was employed as a sports master at one of the manchester grammer schools . A lot of the waste pulp was tipped along side the river chew between chew and dovestones reseviors used to see there tipper truck tooing and froing whilst swimming at dovestones.Re the hazardous chemicals fletchers mill is still shown in network rails hazard directory despite being well over a mile & half from the nearest active railway line so must be pretty volatile !


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