The Green Family of Papermakers and Hayle Mill

Download or read book The Green Family of Papermakers and Hayle Mill written by Maureen Green and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the nineteenth century, papermaking machines led to the closure of hundreds of handmade paper mills in the United Kingdom alone, but the Green family's Hayle Mill in Maidstone, Kent, is one English mill that defied all the odds and continued to produce paper by hand, sheet by sheet, until production ceased in 1987. Chronicling six generations of the Green family of papermakers, who faced bankruptcy, amongst other trials and tribulations, before making a success of their business, this book also covers the history of British papermaking, the growth of the industry in and around Maidstone, once referred to as the country's "Paper City," as well as nineteenth-century production materials and techniques. As that century drew to a close, a renewed interest in hand-crafted artifacts resulted in a growth in the market for artists papers made in the traditional manner. By the end of the First World War, the production of artists papers comprised 25% of Hayle Mill's business. Over the twentieth century, Hayle Mill steadily gained a reputation for its range of fine handmade papers for use by watercolorists, fine printers, calligraphers, and book and paper conservators.