Documentary explores James Cropper's specialist coloured paper mill

Summarised from Westmorland Gazette's report · Updated 5 Nov, 23:09 · Archive

A new documentary goes behind the scenes at James Cropper's Burneside Mill near Kendal, billed as Britain's last remaining specialist coloured paper mill.

A new documentary called The Last Mill Standing goes behind the scenes at James Cropper's Burneside Mill near Kendal, billed as the last remaining specialist coloured paper mill in Britain. The film was shot during a period of significant change for the 180-year-old business.

Filmmakers captured boardroom strategy sessions and factory floor operations, revealing machinery breakdowns, production challenges and commercial decisions. The documentary also features the development of Coloursource, a new product line created following the loss of a major customer. It explores the technical complexity of papermaking and the mill's relationship with the local village of Burneside.

Paul Barber, managing director of paper and packaging at James Cropper, said the company are 'one of the last remaining mills of our kind in the UK' and that he is 'here for the long term' to 'develop this business and drive it forward'. Mark Cropper, the sixth-generation chairman, described papermaking as 'extraordinary', saying that taking 'fibres suspended in water' through 'this natural process' to 'create a sheet of paper' demonstrates the company's craft. The documentary is available to watch online.

Read the report

• Documentary offers behind-the-scenes look at James CropperNew documentary "The Last Mill Standing" goes behind the scenes at James Cropper’s Burneside Mill near Kendal, exploring coloured paper-making and industry.Westmorland Gazette · 5 Nov, 12:00

In this story: James Cropper · Burneside Mill · Kendal · Paul Barber · Mark Cropper · Burneside

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