US students visit birthplace of paper's industrial revolution

A group of American students got hands-on when they travelled to the birthplace of today's global mechanical papermaking industry in Apsley.

The nine students from Marist College, Poughkeepsie, New York, and their three professors visited Frogmore Paper Mill as part of their course on the chemistry of art.

They were given a full tour of the premises, experienced making paper by hand, and enjoyed a short narrowboat trip on the canal – source of the mill’s essential supplies of fibre and coal in years gone by.

Frogmore Paper Mill is the world’s oldest mechanised paper mill, and the birthplace of paper’s industrial revolution.

It is still a working paper mill, producing about 100 tonnes of specialist-grade paper every year on historic paper machines which are over 100 years old. The site is operated by The Apsley Paper Trail charity, to conserve its unique history for the benefit of the public and future generations.

The museum is open for mill tours, with a cafe and shop, every Thursday and the first Sunday of each month.

For more information, see www.thepapertrail.org.uk

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