Lappa Fulling Mill history

Fulling is the process which makes loose woven cloth into the smooth, firm fabrics we are familiar with. Fulling mills were among the first mechanical developments and are referenced in the speech of Lysias, written in Athens in the 5th century BC. By the time of the Crusades in the 11th century AD, fulling mills could be found throughout the medieval world, believed to have spread across Europe during the 9th and 10th centuries.

However, as these mills were predominantly made of wood, few survive. Lappa Fulling Mill dates from the 17th century, during which Crete was ruled over by the Republic of Venice and conquered by the Ottomans. Yet the mill was only discovered by chance in 1994.

Lappa Fulling Mill today

Today, ancient Lappa sits atop the hills overlooking the Cretan Sea and makes for a lovely walk past multiple waterfalls up the hill to the ancient city which also boasts a Roman cemetery and gorge. Unfortunately, not much remains of the fulling mill apart from its stone foundations.

Getting to Lappa Fulling Mill

To find Lappa Fulling Mill, go to the lower village of Lappa and down to the bottom of the five taverns. Just before you get to the ford on your right is a stone building and the mill is in there.

Oskar Schindler’s Factory Museum history

Oskar Schindler was a German industrialist and owner of an enamelware factory in Krakow during the Nazi Occupation of Poland.

He was himself a member of the Nazi Party, and had previously worked as a spy for them, however after witnessing the atrocities of the Holocaust began bribing SS members with money and black market items to keep his Jewish workers safe. Of his 1,750 workers, one thousand were Jews whose employment in the war effort prevented them from being exported to concentration camps.

In 1944, the SS began closing down their easternmost concentration camps and deporting the prisoners westward, killing many at Auschwitz and Gross-Rosen. They planned to close down all factories not directly involved in the war effort – including Schindler’s – and likely take any Jewish employees prisoner.

Schindler convinced SS commander Amon Göth to allow him to relocate his factory to Brünnlitz in the Sudentenland however, saving around 1,200 Jews from certain death in the gas chambers. By the end of the war, Schindler had spent his entire life savings on bribes to save the lives of his workers, who became known as the Schindlerjuden. Following the war, they in turn would come to repay his kindness both monetarily and emotionally.

Following Stephen Spielberg’s award-winning 1993 film Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler, his enamel factory, and the Schindlerjuden became globally renown.

Oskar Schindler’s Factory Museum today

Today Oskar Schindler’s Enamel Factory houses the Schindler’s Factory Museum, and the Krakow under Nazi Occupation 1939-1945 exhibition. A vast collection of objects, photographs, videos and documents detail the lives of Krakow’s wartime inhabitants, the fate of the Polish Jews, and the underground resistance growing during the war. 

Guided tours take up to 2 hours, or visitors are also free to enter at their own leisure after purchasing a ticket. Entry is free on Mondays. Another section of the factory also houses the Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, one of the city’s newest tourist attractions.

Getting to Oskar Schindler’s Factory Museum

Oskar Schindler’s factory is situated a 30-minute walk from the Main Square travelling Southeast of the Old Town and Kazimierz. The Krakow Zabłocie train and bus station is a 5-minute walk away, and the nearest tram stop is Zabłocie, a 6-minute walk away.

Today, the mill is run by the National Trust and operates the mill as a museum to English industrial heritage. The site has been classed as a Grade II listed building and by the EU as of “outstanding national and international importance”.

Quarry Bank Mill history

Built in 1784, the Quarry Bank cotton mill was constructed on land leased by Samuel Greg who wanted to keep the surrounding area woodland. The location was perfect for a working mill: beside the River Bollin as well as the Bridgewater Canal and therefore Liverpool.

The Gregs – Samuel and his wife Hannah Lightbody – were innovative and paternalistic business owners. They provided medical care for workers and education for their children, as well as building housing for the workers known as Styal Estate. As the mill expanded in the 1820s, so did the housing.

When Samuel died in 1834, his son Robert took over and introduced weaving. The mill was driven by a 32-metre diameter water wheel – equivalent to the power of 120 horses. In 1810, the owners had bought a steam engine to help keep cloth-production going during the winter months when the river water level was low.

While the mill provided relatively good working conditions, Quarry Bank was attacked during the Plug Plot Riots in 1842, a general strike that started among miners in Staffordshire and spread to mills in Northern England.

Quarry Bank was gifted to the National Trust in 1939 but the industrial core of the site never left. The Trust leased space for local businesses and power was free, continually generated by the water wheel.

Quarry Bank Mill today

Today, the Quarry Bank Mill houses the most powerful working waterwheel in Europe. Made from iron, the wheel moved from Glasshouses Mill and was designed by Sir William Fairbairn who has been the apprentice to the known textile manufacturer and engineer, Thomas Hewes. Nevertheless, visitors to the mill will see the full circle journey from water power to steam back to water power.

Step inside the mill to see working machinery from the Victorian period, guided by the technical team. Then visit the Apprentice House, open from 11am to 4pm which shows where the child workers lived, ate and slept. Be aware there are a limited number of daily tours.

Getting to Quarry Bank Mill

For those driving, Quarry Bank Mill is found off the B5166, 2 miles from the M56 at exit 5. Follow the brown heritage signs from the A34 or M56. You can also get the train to Styal, just half a mile away and a 20 minute walk from the mill.

Today, Robert Smail’s Printing Works are owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland, so visitors can see the still-working local printers on a guided tour around this hidden gem in the Borders.

Robert Smail’s Printing Works history

The Robert Smail’s firm was founded in 1866 to carry out printing jobs for the local community, such as creating stationary, business cards, adverts and letterheads. The printing works also published a weekly newspaper between 1893 and 1916, and also had the authority to issue printed tickets for steamships headed to America.

Robert Smail’s Printing Works stayed in the Smail family, who made little effort to keep up with rapidly changing printing technologies into the early 20th century. With support from the Innerleithen Community Council, the print works was run by the third-generation owner, Cowan Smail, until he retired and the property was gained by the National Trust for Scotland in 1986.

Robert Smail’s Printing Works today

Today, visitors can easily find the print works along Innerleithen’s high street, the brown shopfront and beautiful stained glass door leading you into the National Trust entrance and gift shop – open Monday to Friday. From the office, you can go on an hour long guided tour, wandering through to the large office full of stationary, writing slates, pencils, sealing wax and bottles of ink.

The walls are still lined with job invoices, dockets and ledgers, dating back to the print works’ foundation. Out through the back of the building is the paper store, housing an archive of nearly every printed job over the past century, as well as the old water wheel that would once have powered the print works via the river Leithen. Along the tours, you will even get the opportunity to try printing yourself.

Getting to Robert Smail’s Printing Works

Robert Smail’s Printing Works is on the High Street, Innerleithen, along the A72 road between Peebles and Selkirk. From Edinburgh, Innerleithen is a 50 minute drive, and there is parking either along the high street or down Leithen Road on the right. Borders buses 62 and X62 come from Edinburgh and Galashiels, stopping several times along the high street.

Verla Groundwood and Board Mill history

Whilst the first groundwood mill was established in Verla in 1872, the surviving Verla Groundwood and Board Mill dates to 1882, the previous one having been destroyed by a fire. Founded by Gottlieb Kreidl and Louis Haenel, this mill would continue to operate until 18 July 1964 when it was closed down upon the death of its long-time owner.

Later, the historical paper mill would be converted into a museum of board mill technology, with the machines preserved for the public to explore.

Verla Groundwood and Board Mill today

Open everyday between 10am and 6pm, today visitors to the Verla Groundwood and Board Mill can learn about its history and how it impacted the area as a whole. A guided tour around the mill follows the process from cutting timber and making pulp to drying, sorting and packing paper. These tours are done in Finnish, Swedish, English, German and Russian, but should be arranged in advance.

Separately, but on the same site, there are a set of incredible prehistoric rock paintings near the car park believed to date back to 7000 BC. There is also a beautiful Verla Forest Trail that you can hike through the woods just over the water.

Getting to Verla Groundwood and Board Mill

Located 30 kilometres from Kouvola, the Verla Groundwood and Board Mill is only a half hour scenic drive via Route 46 and exiting onto the 369 towards Verlantie.