Longfords Mill - Stroud
An old photograph of Longfords Mill in use.
August 2015
Longford's Mill, on the Avening stream at the south-west corner of Gatcombe wood, was recorded from c. 1300 when Mabel of Longford held it from the manor by rent and seasonal works. William of Longford was recorded as a miller in 1333 and he or a namesake held the mill until fairly late in the century. Subsequently it passed to John Hampton, senior, and it belonged to the Hamptons' estate in 1463 when the tenant was John Hillier; in 1507 John Reynolds took a tenancy of the mill from Alice Hampton, with whose estate it passed to the lords of Minchinhampton manor. Thomas Elkington was described as a clothman of Longford's in 1591 and William Elkington of Longford's was mentioned in 1620. By 1640 the mill was occupied by the clothier Edward Pinfold, whose son Thomas bought the freehold from the lord of the manor in 1651; the property then comprised a messuage, 2 stocks, a gig-mill, and a grist-mill. Another Thomas Pinfold later succeeded to it, dying c. 1738, and it passed to his nephew John Pinfold who at his death c. 1779 devised Longford's Mill to Lewis Hoskins (d. 1788).
Lewis's son Edward contracted to sell it to Thomas Playne (d. 1789), the tenant under a lease of 1783, and the purchase was completed in 1790. By 1806 he and his brother William were working the mill in partnership and in that year they made the large pond called Gatcombe Water above the site, and built a new mill, powered by 3 water-wheels, called Lake Mill. By a partition of the property in 1813 Peter took Lake Mill and William the old mill buildings but the brothers apparently continued in partnership until 1822 when Peter granted Lake Mill to William in exchange for Dunkirk Mill at Nailsworth. As William Playne & Co. the business at Longfords became one of the most successful in the district, relying largely on the production of 'stripe' for the East India Company's China trade. There were some setbacks, however: in 1829, when the business was being carried on by William Playne's son William in partnership with his cousins William Playne Wise and John Wise, the elder William had to convey the mill to the Tetbury bank as security for a debt of £12,000 owed by the partnership, and in 1834 a strike of the firm's weavers led to the discontinuance of stripe production. Steam-power was introduced by 1815, and in 1839 there were 90 handlooms and a power-loom at the mill. The elder William Playne died in 1850 and the younger William in 1884 when the business passed to his son Arthur Twisden Playne. The firm became a limited company in 1920 when it formed an association with Hunt & Winterbotham of Cam and Strachan & Co. of Lodgemore Mill. Playne & Co. still occupied Longford's Mill, employing 120 people, in 1973; the firm had recently begun to specialize exclusively in the manufacture of cloth for tennis balls.
The buildings at the site in 1973 included Lake Mill, some structures of later in the 19th century, weaving-shops built in 1912 on the site of the old mill-pond, and a large new spinning-mill built in 1951. At Longfords House, just above the mill, the original square block at the west end was built by William Playne c. 1800. A wing containing larger principal rooms was added on the east about 20 or 30 years later and within the same period a further block, containing kitchens and balancing that on the west, was added beyond the dining-room. In the later 19th century a new entrance hall and staircase was built on the north side of the middle range and a conservatory and billiard room added on the south of the kitchen block. The house remained the home of the Playne family until the Second World War when it became a girls' approved school.
Sometime in the mid 1900's the Old Mill part of Longfords Mill underwent an extensive renovation and became the site of a “central power station” generating electricity from the dynamo to electric motors. The whole mill except the fullers and washers was converted. So the Old Mill contains a possibly unique arrangement of a 125kvw Gordon water turbine with a dynamo, a Bellis & Morcomb steam engine with a dynamo and a later Allen diesel motor as used in 2nd World War submarines. JC Robinson, administrator of the PRISM Fund in 1990, commented that the turbine was “of particular interest, it was more unusual and its retention is important in demonstrating the continuing significance, well into the 20th century, of water power to Longfords Mill”.
The remainder of the mill was partitioned into workshops and stores and performed no further productive role. However people used the whitewashed walls to scribble notes, calculations or simple graffiti. One particularly poignant record of the death of a youngster during the 2nd World War was lost when the partitions were removed to restore the historic spaciousness of the old production floors.
All that remains now is part of the Old Mill and the Engine House. The rest has been converted into housing.
Longford's Mill, on the Avening stream at the south-west corner of Gatcombe wood, was recorded from c. 1300 when Mabel of Longford held it from the manor by rent and seasonal works. William of Longford was recorded as a miller in 1333 and he or a namesake held the mill until fairly late in the century. Subsequently it passed to John Hampton, senior, and it belonged to the Hamptons' estate in 1463 when the tenant was John Hillier; in 1507 John Reynolds took a tenancy of the mill from Alice Hampton, with whose estate it passed to the lords of Minchinhampton manor. Thomas Elkington was described as a clothman of Longford's in 1591 and William Elkington of Longford's was mentioned in 1620. By 1640 the mill was occupied by the clothier Edward Pinfold, whose son Thomas bought the freehold from the lord of the manor in 1651; the property then comprised a messuage, 2 stocks, a gig-mill, and a grist-mill. Another Thomas Pinfold later succeeded to it, dying c. 1738, and it passed to his nephew John Pinfold who at his death c. 1779 devised Longford's Mill to Lewis Hoskins (d. 1788).
Lewis's son Edward contracted to sell it to Thomas Playne (d. 1789), the tenant under a lease of 1783, and the purchase was completed in 1790. By 1806 he and his brother William were working the mill in partnership and in that year they made the large pond called Gatcombe Water above the site, and built a new mill, powered by 3 water-wheels, called Lake Mill. By a partition of the property in 1813 Peter took Lake Mill and William the old mill buildings but the brothers apparently continued in partnership until 1822 when Peter granted Lake Mill to William in exchange for Dunkirk Mill at Nailsworth. As William Playne & Co. the business at Longfords became one of the most successful in the district, relying largely on the production of 'stripe' for the East India Company's China trade. There were some setbacks, however: in 1829, when the business was being carried on by William Playne's son William in partnership with his cousins William Playne Wise and John Wise, the elder William had to convey the mill to the Tetbury bank as security for a debt of £12,000 owed by the partnership, and in 1834 a strike of the firm's weavers led to the discontinuance of stripe production. Steam-power was introduced by 1815, and in 1839 there were 90 handlooms and a power-loom at the mill. The elder William Playne died in 1850 and the younger William in 1884 when the business passed to his son Arthur Twisden Playne. The firm became a limited company in 1920 when it formed an association with Hunt & Winterbotham of Cam and Strachan & Co. of Lodgemore Mill. Playne & Co. still occupied Longford's Mill, employing 120 people, in 1973; the firm had recently begun to specialize exclusively in the manufacture of cloth for tennis balls.
The buildings at the site in 1973 included Lake Mill, some structures of later in the 19th century, weaving-shops built in 1912 on the site of the old mill-pond, and a large new spinning-mill built in 1951. At Longfords House, just above the mill, the original square block at the west end was built by William Playne c. 1800. A wing containing larger principal rooms was added on the east about 20 or 30 years later and within the same period a further block, containing kitchens and balancing that on the west, was added beyond the dining-room. In the later 19th century a new entrance hall and staircase was built on the north side of the middle range and a conservatory and billiard room added on the south of the kitchen block. The house remained the home of the Playne family until the Second World War when it became a girls' approved school.
Sometime in the mid 1900's the Old Mill part of Longfords Mill underwent an extensive renovation and became the site of a “central power station” generating electricity from the dynamo to electric motors. The whole mill except the fullers and washers was converted. So the Old Mill contains a possibly unique arrangement of a 125kvw Gordon water turbine with a dynamo, a Bellis & Morcomb steam engine with a dynamo and a later Allen diesel motor as used in 2nd World War submarines. JC Robinson, administrator of the PRISM Fund in 1990, commented that the turbine was “of particular interest, it was more unusual and its retention is important in demonstrating the continuing significance, well into the 20th century, of water power to Longfords Mill”.
The remainder of the mill was partitioned into workshops and stores and performed no further productive role. However people used the whitewashed walls to scribble notes, calculations or simple graffiti. One particularly poignant record of the death of a youngster during the 2nd World War was lost when the partitions were removed to restore the historic spaciousness of the old production floors.
All that remains now is part of the Old Mill and the Engine House. The rest has been converted into housing.
