I first noticed this place sometime in 2008 when I first got into taking pictures of derelict buildings, but always put it off due to it's location and the fact I was a lone explorer at the time.
I visited a few times with Kaputnik, joined by Gangeox and Neosea on one of the visits. On our first visit couldn't find a away into the building itself so that was wasted really. I then remembered seeing it on another forum and emailed the guy that went, even though it was a good year after he went, he replied and gave me a few pointers
I couldn't find much about it on the internet at the time, so went to the local studies section of the Central Library and found a small mention in a booklet. As it turns out it's the same info as others have got on their websites, they must just be better at hunting than me
Over the years, the mill site has been split, being used by firms for many uses. From production of underwear and clothes (if you ever go and get into the office like building and see the state of some of the designs for the company there, it will make you wonder why they bothered ), car hire, kitchen making, a recording studion in the basement of the office building, electrical repair, to 'wheelbase' a motor project for young people who are not in mainstream education and finally my favourite, Pow Prostitue Outreach Workers. If you ever go and get into that section, look through one of the small purple booklets, you will laugh
Another intersting thing I found whilst looking at the old Ordnance Survey maps was that there was Public House at the side of the mill, up until 1949 at least. From what I could tell from the the map, this is where the office like building is now situated.
On with the pics, they're in no particular order
Mr Fox
The phone wasn't there, so i improvised lol
It's a good place to have a wander round, so will be some good pics from the others
I visited a few times with Kaputnik, joined by Gangeox and Neosea on one of the visits. On our first visit couldn't find a away into the building itself so that was wasted really. I then remembered seeing it on another forum and emailed the guy that went, even though it was a good year after he went, he replied and gave me a few pointers
I couldn't find much about it on the internet at the time, so went to the local studies section of the Central Library and found a small mention in a booklet. As it turns out it's the same info as others have got on their websites, they must just be better at hunting than me
Forest Mill was established in the 1840's by John Lawson Thackeray whose Grandfather Joseph Thackeray, came to Nottingham from Manchester in the 1780's, possibly for the same reason as Richard Arkwright and James Hargreaves. The reason being the outbreak of machine breaking in Lancashire.
John Lawson Thackeray was Chairman of the Radford Board. The Radford Board was a body of men who organised local government before Radford became part of the City of Nottingham in 1877. He lived in The Park area of Nottingham and became an Alderman before becoming Mayor of Nottingham in 1854 and again in 1866.
The products produced at the mill were some of the finest around and at the Great Exhibition of 1851, the lace thread produced there was awarded a Gold Medal and subsequently gained world wide reputation for excellence. In the 20th Century, failure to update methods and machinery and the lessening demand for lace thread saw the end of John Lawson Thackeray & Sons in 1950.
In 1951, the mill was bought by Jersey Fabrics who when amalgamated with Kapwood Lace, expanded and modernised to become a very sucessful company, for a short while at least. Over capacity in the lace industry forced cutbacks in production and by 1981, Forest Mill had closed.
Over the years, the mill site has been split, being used by firms for many uses. From production of underwear and clothes (if you ever go and get into the office like building and see the state of some of the designs for the company there, it will make you wonder why they bothered ), car hire, kitchen making, a recording studion in the basement of the office building, electrical repair, to 'wheelbase' a motor project for young people who are not in mainstream education and finally my favourite, Pow Prostitue Outreach Workers. If you ever go and get into that section, look through one of the small purple booklets, you will laugh
Another intersting thing I found whilst looking at the old Ordnance Survey maps was that there was Public House at the side of the mill, up until 1949 at least. From what I could tell from the the map, this is where the office like building is now situated.
On with the pics, they're in no particular order
Mr Fox
The phone wasn't there, so i improvised lol
It's a good place to have a wander round, so will be some good pics from the others