History of Hollins Mill

There have been Paper Mills in Darwen since the 1820s. This began at Darwen Old Paper Mill in around 1826 as a small-scale, family-run concern. Richard Hilton began making paper as an expansion of his bleaching business. He and his sons later diversified into making different types of paper including tissue and lining papers in the 1830s. His name is commemorated by Hilton Street which runs alongside the old mill (now Kenleys paper warehouse.) Papermaking required huge amounts of water and was usually supplied by local rivers and reservoirs. Darwen's location and climate made it ideal territory for making paper, just as it was ideal for the textile industry. They used to say that Lancashire people were a special breed of waterproof human and this is probably still the case today. It is one of the wettest parts of the UK. In the case of Darwen Old Paper Mill for example, the River Darwen and Jack’s Key Reservoir would have supplied water. At Hollins our water is obtained from our own reservoir located in Sunnyhurst Woods called the Dingle. Sunnyhurst Woods is probably one of the finest municipal woods in England created with a remit to manufacture a wood but to make it look completely natural. It is well worth a stroll through in any season.

Corn milling was the earliest industry that we know existed on this site and the weir for a water-powered mill was discovered in the Machine house at Hollins during rebuilding after a fire in the 1920’s. This appeared to have been constructed during the medieval period. The Machine house was originally much lower than it is today and explains why the River Darwen now runs underneath our site. Parts of the mill are today lower than the river that runs through the site. It is rumoured that the lowest point in Darwen is located somewhere in our basement. Some of the stones used in the weir’s construction are now to be found in the mill walls. These were manorial or soke mills which drew tithes and rents for their use. Oat crushing was a major function of these mills, although flour production became increasingly important. A significant change occurred in the 18th century with the introduction of roller milling. A direct consequence of this was the closure of the smaller operations using grinding stones such as the one at Hollins.

Papermaking is a fairly labour intensive process with many different processes. Associated trades sprang up in Darwen including bleaching and dyeing works and the newly emerging wallpaper market. There were mills in Darwen that made the paper for the wallpaper market and the largest of these was Hollins but some the mills in Darwen also made other types of paper. Mills produced paper such as newsprint, tissue, coloured and enamel papers, linings, brown paper and wallpaper base paper. The raw materials required for papermaking were originally rags and esparto (a rough grass from Spain and North Africa needed to make fine quality paper). This was the origin of the “rag and bone man” who trod the cobbles up to the seventies in Lancashire towns. He would collect rags for paper and bones for glue. Today papers are mostly made from recycled fibre, wood pulp or synthetic pulp. Only very fine 'hand-made' papers are today made from rags. Collins Paper Mill in Darwen mainly produced brown paper made from rags whilst Grimshaw Bridge Paper Mill produced cap and biscuit papers. Mills then were powered mainly by water wheels and horizontal engines. A list of paper mills from the period would perhaps have half a dozen manufacturers

Darwen paper Mill (Dimmocks)
Collins Paper Mill
Grimshaw Bridge Paper Mil
Over Darwen Paper Mill
Waterside paper Mill
Queens Mill
Hollins Paper Mill

Sadly only Hollins survives to this day (but what a survivor!) This due to a synergy of foresight by St Regis to turn the mill into a 100% recycling mill and the hard work of all of its employees past and present. The part of St Regis cannot be underestimated as without the change to making corrugated box papers the mill would have met its demise a long time ago. What St Regis did was to place Hollins in a unique marketing niche where even all these years later we still sit as the only producers of a 100% recycled white top test in Britain.

Many people were employed in the paper making industry. Hollins Paper Mill originally employed over 250 people. Papermaking, wallpaper and paint were considered to be three of Darwen's staple trades and even today people in Darwen are still employed to make paper, paint and wall coverings for the rest of the world. You could say Darrenners were at the heart of the diy revolution.

Located in Darwen in Lancashire, Hollins is the home of the St Regis presentation liner products, including Optima Silk and Mottle. Hollins is the only supplier of presentation liners in the UK and also manufactures brown test liners and chip, providing excellent support for other machines in the group, as well as Roofing Felt and Wrappings grades from the industrial products portfolio. In total, capacity fast approaches over 100,000 tonnes.

Continued investment has resulted in the mill installing a new environmentally friendly water treatment plant which returns almost drinkable water back to the process to be reused and the most sophisticated stock preparation process for the manufacture of world class presentation liners. The papermachines at Hollins we originally designed to manufacture wallpaper base paper and their maximum widths were

Paper Machines
PM1 2850mm (5 x 22 inch reels in width / 2800mm)
PM2 22900mm. (4 x 22 inch reels in width / 2240mm)

If you’re wondering about the extra 50mm this is taken off during conversion within the mill to give the reels of wound paper a clean edge. Because paper is initially formed in a wet state it is trimmed with high pressure water jets but these leave a rough edge which is later removed,


Hollins Mill
Hollins Road
Darwen
Lancashire
BB3 0BE
Tel: 01254 702 728


St Regis has four paper and board mills throughout the UK with a combined output of almost 1 million tonnes every year. About 70% of sales are accounted for by corrugated case materials, with St Regis clearly established as the leader in this market sector. In addition to the core business, St Regis also manufactures a wide range of specialist papers and boards for both industry and consumers. Through high levels of productivity and innovation, St Regis sets the standard for the rest of the industry.

Over the years, St Regis has maintained high levels of investment at each of its locations and is firmly established in its long-term commitment to the papermaking industry. As a result, St Regis mills are amongst the most advanced anywhere in the world.

St Regis has introduced outstanding papers into the market place. The strategy is to enable customers to improve both quality and cost-efficiency whilst achieving environmental targets. What's more, St Regis technical support services can help customers to generate their own innovative and more cost-effective packaging solutions.

UK packaging waste regulations exert a constant pressure on companies to make more efficient use of packaging and dispose of waste in an environmentally friendly way. St Regis makes a significant contribution to this process, not only by recycling waste but also by creating recycled papers, which can be used as substitutes for paper made from wood fibres.

Customers are demanding greater flexibility and shorter lead times. St Regis is constantly looking for ways to enhance its customer service. New software systems and sophisticated planning techniques are designed to speed up communication and ensure a smooth flow of orders and on-time deliveries. St Regis believes in building long term partnerships with its customers. This approach is not just good commercial sense, it is vital for the future health of the whole industry.