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The
ancient craft of making paper by hand originated
in China around 105 A.D., reaching England towards
the end of the 15th Century. Wookey Hole papermill
was first recorded in 1610, one year before the
publication of Shakespeare's "The Tempest".
For almost 400 years
skilled craftsmen have been producing fine quality
handmade paper at Wookey Hole, reaching a peak
under the ownership of the Hodgkinson family at
the turn of this century. Then the papermill employed
over 200 men and women and produced bank notes
and security papers for a worldwide market.
Cotton Paper
Name
Cotton (genus Gossypium)
Plant
A broad-leafed tropical annual, sown in April
and picked in September. Tolerant to adverse growing
conditions, it requires less plant nutrients than
most other cultivated crops.
Fibre
A seed hair fibre contained within the cotton
boll. The length, strength and flexibility of
the fibre means it is ideal for fine paper production.
Use
Long fibre: clothes, filters, tents, bandages,
nappies, Short fibre (hinter): papermaking, rocket
propellant, dynamite, adhesives, cellophane, Seed
oil: soap, margarine and cooking oil.
History
4000 B.C.: cloth fragments discovered in Peru
and India
1150 A.D.: stamping mill for the refining of rags
for papermaking established in Xativa, Spain
1500 A.D.: cotton cultivation spreads across the
warmer regions of the Americas, Eurasia and Africa
1666 A.D.: English Parliament decrees that wool
should be used for burials, saving 200,000 lbs
of cotton rags for papermaking
1771 A.D.: Sir Richard Arkwright invents a spinning
machine to produce cotton thread efficiently
1793 A.D.: Eli Whitney invents the cotton gin,
used to separate the fibre from the seed mechanically
Paper
This handmade cotton paper was developed and produced
at Wookey Hole Papermill, following a tradition
of fine paper manufacture dating back to at least
1610. The Papermill has always produced paper
from cotton and linen and we are proud to apply
this age-old craft to the continued production
of cotton paper from imported top grade American
cotton. Our cotton paper is an environmentally
safe product
t.
Denim Paper
Origin of Name
Serge de Nimes (translation: Twill from Nimes,
France)
Colour
Traditionally dyed using INDIGO, obtained from
the tropical American shrub "INDIGOFERA ANIL".
Structure
Twill woven fabric, characterised by INDIGO-DYED
warp yarns (lengthwise yarns) alternated with
undyed cotton weft yarns (crosswise yarns).
Use
Manufacture of hard-wearing, durable work and
leisure clothing, with seams and stress points
reinforced by copper rivets.
History
A French fabric invented in the 19th Century,
used by Levi Strauss, a Bavarian immigrant, to
make miners' garments during the California Gold
Rush in 1850.
Paper
This handmade recycled denim paper was developed
and produced at Wookey Hole Papermill, following
a tradition of fine paper manufacture dating back
to at least 1610. We are now proud to apply this
age-old craft to the recycling of denim off-cuts,
giving an environmentally safe product.
Hemp Paper
Name
Hemp (Cannabis Sativa)
Plant
A woody herbaceous annual, planted in spring and
harvested in the autumn. One acre of hemp yields
four times as much papermaking fibre as one acre
of trees.
Fibre
A 'bast' fibre obtained from the hemp stem in
threadlike strands and fragments of dried stalk.
The thickness and length of the fibre give an
extremely strong and durable paper.
Use
Stems: paper for bank notes, cigarette paper,
stationery.
Seeds: oil for cooking, lubrication, fuel. Foliage:
medicine to treat pain, stress, asthma, nausea,
depression and poor appetite.
History
2800 B.C.: Cultivated for fibre in Central Asia
1000 B.C.: The crop most widely grown by man
700 A.D.: One million paper prayers printed on
Japanese hemp paper
1400+A.D.: Gutenberg Bible printed on hemp paper
1600+A.D.: King James Bible printed on hemp paper
1800+A.D.: Works of Victor Hugo, Mark Twain, Lewis
Carroll printed on hemp paper
Paper
This handmade hemp paper was developed and produced
at Wookey Hole Papermill, following a tradition
of fine paper manufacture dating back to at least
1610. We are now proud to apply this age-old craft
to the production of paper from hemp fibres grown
in East Anglia under a recently obtained Home
Office licence. Although one of the earliest papers
made by man, hemp paper is ideally suited to take
us into the 21st Century as it is an environmentally
safe product.
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