Spillers Millenium Mills
Millennium Mills in 1934
April 2014
London’s Royal Victoria Dock was once a hotbed of industry and commerce. In particular, this waterfront location was home to some of the nation’s leading flour mills: namely the Rank Hovis Premier Mill, and that vast behemoth of the industrial revolution known as Millennium Mills.
Millennium Mills is located in London’s Royal Victoria Dock. The mill first operated towards the start of the 20th century, when this Docklands site served as Britain’s largest centre for flour milling. Sat on the Thames bank, it was well connected with both water and rail routes, which allowed the site to thrive for many years.
The Silvertown Confectionary Mill was the first at this location, built in 1901, and followed soon after when Joseph Rank Limited opened their Premier Mill in 1904. The third and largest installation would follow in 1905: Millennium Mills itself, a vast facility built by the company Vernon & Sons. Between them, these three mills represented the largest milling companies in the nation; the largest in the empire in fact. Grain was shipped from foreign ports to be unloaded at the Royal Docks, before being processed to flour by these three giant mills.
In its heyday, Millennium Mills was able to process 100 sacks per hour in a vast, double-plant which W. A. Vernon once boasted as “palatial.” Vernon, whose award-winning ‘Millennium Flour’ was already a palpable success in the mining districts of Northern England, now began to saturate the London and Southern markets as well.
In 1917 however, a disaster struck which would ultimately help to put Vernon out of business. The nearby Brunner Mond’s munitions factory, situated on North Woolwich Road, had been secluded for the mass production of explosives as a part of Britain’s war effort. An accident at the factory caused a large explosion, just 100 yards from the Millennium Mills building. The mill’s grain stores and silos were badly hit, sending burning chaff high up into the air.
According to the Port of London Authority, an estimated 17 acres were affected by the blast. JJ Betts, a fireman on the scene, described: “flying showers of millions of tiny particles of light as though a sweeping storm of sleet had become incandescent,” adding, “It was like a golden rainstorm.”
The accident crippled Vernon & Sons, who in 1920 were taken over by Spillers Limited. Millennium Mills was rebuilt in 1933, into a 10-storey art deco building, and in this form it enjoyed a brief return to form until the bombing raids of WWII. During the war, London’s docks became a prime target for air attacks. Both Millennium Mills and Rank’s Premier Mill were struck, suffering large-scale destruction to the buildings and facilities.
Once again, the docks were rebuilt. From 1945-50, the Royal Victoria Dock area underwent its largest reconstruction project yet; finally, in September 1953, the mills were put back into action. They would serve like this for another three decades, until the Royal Docks were eventually closed for good in 1981. This put an end to the local milling industry.
London’s Royal Victoria Dock was once a hotbed of industry and commerce. In particular, this waterfront location was home to some of the nation’s leading flour mills: namely the Rank Hovis Premier Mill, and that vast behemoth of the industrial revolution known as Millennium Mills.
Millennium Mills is located in London’s Royal Victoria Dock. The mill first operated towards the start of the 20th century, when this Docklands site served as Britain’s largest centre for flour milling. Sat on the Thames bank, it was well connected with both water and rail routes, which allowed the site to thrive for many years.
The Silvertown Confectionary Mill was the first at this location, built in 1901, and followed soon after when Joseph Rank Limited opened their Premier Mill in 1904. The third and largest installation would follow in 1905: Millennium Mills itself, a vast facility built by the company Vernon & Sons. Between them, these three mills represented the largest milling companies in the nation; the largest in the empire in fact. Grain was shipped from foreign ports to be unloaded at the Royal Docks, before being processed to flour by these three giant mills.
In its heyday, Millennium Mills was able to process 100 sacks per hour in a vast, double-plant which W. A. Vernon once boasted as “palatial.” Vernon, whose award-winning ‘Millennium Flour’ was already a palpable success in the mining districts of Northern England, now began to saturate the London and Southern markets as well.
In 1917 however, a disaster struck which would ultimately help to put Vernon out of business. The nearby Brunner Mond’s munitions factory, situated on North Woolwich Road, had been secluded for the mass production of explosives as a part of Britain’s war effort. An accident at the factory caused a large explosion, just 100 yards from the Millennium Mills building. The mill’s grain stores and silos were badly hit, sending burning chaff high up into the air.
According to the Port of London Authority, an estimated 17 acres were affected by the blast. JJ Betts, a fireman on the scene, described: “flying showers of millions of tiny particles of light as though a sweeping storm of sleet had become incandescent,” adding, “It was like a golden rainstorm.”
The accident crippled Vernon & Sons, who in 1920 were taken over by Spillers Limited. Millennium Mills was rebuilt in 1933, into a 10-storey art deco building, and in this form it enjoyed a brief return to form until the bombing raids of WWII. During the war, London’s docks became a prime target for air attacks. Both Millennium Mills and Rank’s Premier Mill were struck, suffering large-scale destruction to the buildings and facilities.
Once again, the docks were rebuilt. From 1945-50, the Royal Victoria Dock area underwent its largest reconstruction project yet; finally, in September 1953, the mills were put back into action. They would serve like this for another three decades, until the Royal Docks were eventually closed for good in 1981. This put an end to the local milling industry.
