Woodchester Mill, Stroud
of Woodchester, near Stroud
1605 Woodchester Mill, downstream of Southfields Mill, was sold by Henry Dudbridge to Sir George Huntley. The following year Sir George leased the mill to Henry for 99 years and at the same time conveyed the freehold to Stephen Dudbridge, Henry's son.
The mill, comprising two fulling mills and a grain-mill under one roof, passed from Stephen (d. 1639) to his second wife Elizabeth and then to his son Stephen.
From the younger Stephen it passed to his son Henry (d. 1727).
c.1731 Holliday Dudbridge owned the mill when, having erected a new mill by the older building, he was in dispute with Onesiphorous Paul of Southfields Mill over the water supply.
1744 the property was leased for 50 years to Samuel Paul of Rodborough who evidently still occupied it at his death in 1768, when he was said to be the greatest clothier in the county.
Ownership of the mill passed from Holliday Dudbridge (d. 1752) to William Webb, the husband of his niece Anna
1771 William conveyed the premises to Obadiah Paul, who held the lease by devise from Samuel.
1788 Obadiah received George III and the royal family at the mill. After his death in 1792 it passed to his nephew Samuel Wathen, later Sir Samuel, and it was being worked by Samuel's son Paul in 1802 when the introduction of shearing machines led to unrest among the employees.
The old mill building was demolished soon after and new buildings erected.
1818 Paul Wathen, who had changed his name to Baghott, continued to work the mill by which time it was mortgaged
By 1820 it was being worked by Joseph and Obadiah Paul Wathen, two other sons of Sir Samuel, who became joint owners in 1823.
By 1833 steam-power had been introduced to the mill which was employing between 200 and 300 people in the production of superfine Saxony broadcloth for the firm of Wathen and Cook, in which O. P. Wathen was senior partner.
1837 Wathen was declared bankrupt and the mill passed into the possession of P. H. Fisher, the mortgagee.
Woodchester Mill was unused in 1838 but by 1845 it was being worked as a cloth-mill by John and Edward Wise
1868 Edward Wise bought it from P. H. Fisher and continued there until at least 1879.
1885 the mill was occupied by the cloth-making firm Elliot, Apperly and Co.[1]
1887 Elliot and Co.[2]
Cloth production ceased soon after
1901 the buildings were used as a saw-mill.
By 1911 a firm of piano-makers, called Gladman and Co and later the Stroud Piano Co., occupied the mill
1936 Bentley Piano Co
1938 the main building, on the north side of Selsley Road, was burnt down and the firm converted the buildings on the south side of the road.
WWII The factory was used by the Gloster Aircraft Co.
Production of pianos resumed after the war. The Bentley Piano Co. continued at the site in 1972 when some large industrial buildings of the early 19th century remained south of Selsley Road and a small cottage of the same date survived near the older mill-site, on which office accommodation was built in the 1950s. The company also occupied a 20th-century factory east of Southfields Mill from 1938 and in 1972 employed 120 people on both sites.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Victoria County History