This was one place I had high-hopes for, with over 200 years of history the mill had plenty of potential for classic old industrial goodness, but progress has done its thing and most of the older buildings have been replaced with new. Don't get me wrong, it's a big and interesting place with plenty to see, but just lacks the character of many of the other old mills around the UK. The production areas are very modern and almost fully intact, but the older parts that are still standing appear to have been stripped out and cleared many years ago. The oldest areas of the site were demolished in the early 2010s to make way for a biomass power station.
Pull up a chair, you'll be scrolling for a while...
Visited with @SpiderMonkey
Power station chimneys and the main building through the trees.
Aerial view of the site in 1931 with Auchmuty mill towards the top, Rothes mill bottom left and the powerhouse on the right
History
The first paper mill in Fife, Rothes Mill, was established in 1804 on the banks of the River Leven. Robert Tullis founded the company that would later become Tullis Russell in 1809 and built the Auchmuty Mill on land adjacent to Rothes Mill, and by 1836 had acquired Rothes Mill as well.
Work started on a power station in 1912 to provide electricity and steam to the paper works. This project was completed in 1914 and the building was enlarged in 1921.
The site was steadily expanded over the years, and in 1979 the company opened its fifth paper-making production line.
In 2011 substantial damage worth £1 million was caused to the paper mill in a series of fires which lasted almost 24 hours. At the height of the incident, 40 firefighters were battling the flames. A 31-year-old man was jailed for three and a half years after pleading guilty to wilful fire-raising.
It emerged in 2014 the company had sold 126,000 tonnes of paper, recording a turnover of £124.6 million but suffering a pre-tax loss of £3.4 million. The company had sustained losses totalling £18 million over a five year period and by 2015 had no option but to call in the administrators. 325 employees were made redundant.
No. 5 Paper Machine
Machine 5 was the newest and largest of the paper making machines at Tulliss Russell
The roller section of the machine is covered by an enclosure
Close-up of the rollers
Inside the roller enclosure
The machine was split between two levels, next we see below the machine
Numerous pieces of ancillary equipment were spread around the building...
High voltage switchgear
Finishing equipment was installed at the far end of the building...
Continued...
Pull up a chair, you'll be scrolling for a while...
Visited with @SpiderMonkey
Power station chimneys and the main building through the trees.
Aerial view of the site in 1931 with Auchmuty mill towards the top, Rothes mill bottom left and the powerhouse on the right
History
The first paper mill in Fife, Rothes Mill, was established in 1804 on the banks of the River Leven. Robert Tullis founded the company that would later become Tullis Russell in 1809 and built the Auchmuty Mill on land adjacent to Rothes Mill, and by 1836 had acquired Rothes Mill as well.
Work started on a power station in 1912 to provide electricity and steam to the paper works. This project was completed in 1914 and the building was enlarged in 1921.
The site was steadily expanded over the years, and in 1979 the company opened its fifth paper-making production line.
In 2011 substantial damage worth £1 million was caused to the paper mill in a series of fires which lasted almost 24 hours. At the height of the incident, 40 firefighters were battling the flames. A 31-year-old man was jailed for three and a half years after pleading guilty to wilful fire-raising.
It emerged in 2014 the company had sold 126,000 tonnes of paper, recording a turnover of £124.6 million but suffering a pre-tax loss of £3.4 million. The company had sustained losses totalling £18 million over a five year period and by 2015 had no option but to call in the administrators. 325 employees were made redundant.
No. 5 Paper Machine
Machine 5 was the newest and largest of the paper making machines at Tulliss Russell
The roller section of the machine is covered by an enclosure
Close-up of the rollers
Inside the roller enclosure
The machine was split between two levels, next we see below the machine
Numerous pieces of ancillary equipment were spread around the building...
High voltage switchgear
Finishing equipment was installed at the far end of the building...
No. 4 Paper Machine
The next building contained the older paper machine no. 4 which was largely dismantled and stripped.
The next building contained the older paper machine no. 4 which was largely dismantled and stripped.
Continued...
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