What connects Exmoor, Manchester and a 400-year-old water mill? If you are an artist you may already know the answer: Two Rivers Paper.
Set in an idyllically beautiful valley on the outskirts of Roadwater, Pitt Mill is the hub of a business that is unique in the UK. Here, Jim Patterson and his team create bespoke, handmade paper for artists, printers and designers. It is a product so highly regarded that in the 2019 Heritage Craft Awards Jim was named Maker of the Year ‘in recognition of the quality of his work, for his role in developing the skills of others and for the innovations which are enabling him to keep the craft alive’.
It is a well-deserved accolade. Having worked in the papermaking industry all his life, Jim bought the name of the then Manchester-based Two Rivers Paper in 1986. In the same year he and his wife sold their cottage a quarter of a mile along the valley and bought historic Pitt Mill; by happy coincidence, there are two rivers here: the Washford River System. At the time of their purchase the mill part of the building was derelict, the original mill wheel having been removed between the two World Wars.
This story is from the November 2019 edition of Somerset Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2019 edition of Somerset Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Up on the Down
Try this easy-to-follow Exmoor walk with SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE
Shop until you drop
It’s Somerset’s county town, it’s the place to go for the big shops, but Taunton is also home to a thriving independent scene, discovers CATHERINE COURTENAY
Creatures of the night
Have you ever had something swoop past your ear, almost unseen? You may have had a brief encounter with a bat, says BERNARD BALE
Bowled over
Now that we can return to skittle and bowling alleys - albeit with new rules BERNARD BALE reveals that the sport of bowling has many Somerset links
Trackway through time
In the Somerset Levels SIMONE STANBROOK-BYRNE discovers a place where our Neolithic heritage rubs shoulders with the present day
SAVING THE SPLENDOUR OF EXMOOR
The splendour of Exmoor National Park may appear timeless and untroubled, but a new book reveals the long and often bitter struggle conservationists faced to save the landscape from the twin threats of afforestation and the plough
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Charity starts at home
How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?
Blooming brilliant
Will and Lauren Holley purchased a four-acre field in Somerset, converted it into a nursery, opened during lockdown and now their perennial plants are flying off the shelves. JULIE HARDING meets the go-getting couple
Age-old advice
Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role
