Libraries and leisure

The John Dickinson Photographic Collection

John Dickinson (1782 - 1869) invented a continuous mechanised paper making process and founded the paper mills at Apsley and Nash Mills, near Hemel Hempstead in 1809. The mills were a major employer in the area for nearly two hundred years before closing in 1999. At it's peak in the Second World War, John Dickinson's employed more than 7,000 workers.

The image above is the rush hour at Apsley Mills in 1905. Below right, John Dickinson, c1860.

AERIAL VIEWS
Aerial views of Apsley and Apsley paper mills. 1920 - 1979.

BUILDINGS
Buildings of Apsley paper mills. Also included are plans of 1835 & 1836 and some drawings of Apsley Mills and Dolittle Hamlet by Harriet Dickinson, daughter of John Dickinson. 1887 -1990s.

Views of Apsley and around the village. 1900s - 1960.

Buildings of Croxley Paper Mills. Also included is a photo of a drawing of Croxley Mill in 1874. There are also a few aerial views over Croxley. 1874 - 1980.

Buildings of Home Park Mills. Also included is an aerial photo of Home Park dated 1936. 1890 - 1958.

Buildings of Nash Mills. Also included are two aerial photographs of Nash Mills dated 1930. A few photographs of Nash Mills village. 1890 - 1990.

Buildings of the railway stations at Apsley and Boxmoor. 1937 -1938.

BANDS
House of Dickinson Brass Band. 1896 - 1960.
One photograph of a Boy Scout Band. No date.

DICKINSON NEWS
Photographs of pictures that appeared in the company's own newspaper, very few dates given.

FIRE BRIGADE
Included are pictures of vehicles, competition teams and fire week of 1961. 1898 - 1961.

LOCAL EVENTS
Included are photographs of royal visits, memorial services, jubilees, coronations, processions and demonstrations and a train crash near Tottenham. 1902 - 1963.

LOCAL SCENERY
Abbots Hill, exterior and internal pictures. No date.
Abbots Langley. 1904 - 1917.
Aldbury. 1903 & 1906.
Berkhamsted. 1860 - 1993.
Boxmoor. 1908 & 1909.
Bushey Church. 1947.
Chorleywood. 1903 & 1920.
Flaunden. No date.
Hemel Hempstead. 1900 - 1950.
Kings Langley. No date.
Marsworth. No date.
Northchurch. No date.
Piccotts End. No date.
Rickmansworth. 1900 - 1920.
St Albans. 1903 - 1971.
Tring. No date.
Watford. No date.
Buckinghamshire. No date.

LOCKS AND WATERWAYS
Including boats and boatmen, lock repairs and hold-ups. 1895 - 1992.

OFFICES
Included are pictures of the manual switchboard before automation in 1973. No date.

OUTINGS
Photographs of groups on their annual outings, some are dated.

OVERSEAS
Photographs of overseas offices, some dated and named as Sydney Australia or Johannesburg South Africa.

PEOPLE-INDIVIDUALS
Included are photographic copies of portraits. Also a photograph of the tomb of John Dickinson and his wife Alicia and commemorative plaque of his son John. Some dated.

PEOPLE-GROUPS
Mostly formal group pictures, including some of weddings and school children. No date.

PROCESSES
Board making. 1957.
Book Department - making and binding of books, various dates.
Card Department - card making and decorating, some dated.
Engineering - machines and drawings. No date.
Envelope making. No date.
Finishing - Home Park. No date.
Laboratory, Croxley. No date.
Paper making. 1890 - 1953.
Stationary Department. 1890 - 1935.
Postal 7 Printing History - included are some letters. No date.

PUBLICITY
Advertising & products. No date.
Documents. No date.
Displays and exhibitions. No date.

RUSH HOUR
Workers leaving at the end of the day. Some dated.

SHENDISH
Including the lowering of the chimneys for safety reasons. No date.

SPORT & LEISURE
Mainly team photographs, some with names and dates. Teams include: cricket, football, ladies football, athletics, tennis, netball, tug-o-war, rifle shooting, bowls. Also cabaret and concert groups along with the hand-bell ringers. Few photographs of a Christmas dinner.

TOTTENHAM
Photographs of the Tottenham branch. No date.

VEHICLES
From all Dickinson venues. No date.

WORLD WARS
Mainly WWII.

WAR MEMORIALS
Apsley, including an article from West Herts & Watford Observer, dated 24th June 1922. 1922.
Croxley, including an article from West Herts & Watford Observer
dated 16th December 1922. 1922.
Home Park. No date.
Tottenham. No date.

CENTENARY BOOK OF CROXLEY MILL
Signed by all the workers of that time. 30th March 1904.

Shown below are the signatures of those employed in the "Rag Department" with the year they started working at the mill.

Some names include: Ernest Wells, Sub Foreman, 1899; Charles Bass, Rag Breaker, 1880; Sarah Quelch, Rag Sorter, 1872 and W. Allaway, Rag Boiler, 1883.

Rags were formerly the principal raw material for making paper, now rarely used except for very high quality papers. They could be linen or cotton but by association also includes jute, sailcloth and hemp ropes.

Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies hold business records for the company under reference D/EDi

Further information about the mills and John Dickinson can be found at www.thepapertrail.org.uk and www.dacorumheritage.org.uk