Frogmore Paper Mill: Historic treasures salvaged from fire

Staff have been recording each rescued artefact

Staff at a historic paper mill are working round the clock to salvage centuries-old artefacts after a fire.

The visitor centre at Frogmore Paper Mill at Apsley, near Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, has been a scene of "total devastation" since the blaze on 22 January.

The museum said a handwritten indenture and paintings were among treasures rescued that night.

A boy arrested on suspicion of arson has been released under investigation.

The 18th Century mill is the oldest mechanised paper mill in the world, with a paper-making machine installed in 1803.

The building is believed to have incurred mostly smoke-related damage, while the £1m visitor centre, built in 2006 and making up a third of the site, was likely to be damaged beyond repair, chief executive Elena Lewendon said.

Many items have suffered smoke damage

A portrait of Lewis Evans was among one of the items Ms Lewendon asked firefighters to rescue, if possible

The building housed a cafe, conference centre, gift shop, interactive exhibitions and a museum with display cases of full historic items.

Portraits of Frogmore's founders, John Dickinson and Lewis Evans, were among the first items rescued, and are to be sent away for restoration.

"These are irreplaceable artefacts and we are saving all we can," Ms Lewendon said.

"We've lost artworks, handwritten ledgers, original ownership records and valuable workshop equipment - all irreplaceable.

"It's really tragic.

"We started on the night itself are still picking through everything, in full PPE.

"It's like a disaster zone and we've lost our visitor-facing work for the foreseeable future."

Frogmore is still a working paper mill, and is also a centre to provide industrial history education

Frogmore Paper Mill advertises itself as the "birthplace of paper's industrial revolution"

Ms Lewendon described the mill as "beloved" in the local area, with the community rallying with offers of help.

"People have worked so hard to develop the museum over years. We survived Covid and were seeing an upsurge in visitors, and had lots of plans for family activities," she added.

"We are going to need the help and support of the community behind us, to recover from this."