...in which we take a Dales Way wander downstream from Cowan Head to Burneside to explore the long history of paper-making on the River Kent. In the company of paper manufacturer and fell-runner Mark Cropper, Chair of the six-generation family business James Cropper plc, we rewind the centuries to when 50 or more mills spanned the Kent, processing everything from wool to snuff. Entering the packhorse age, we learn about the growth of the provincial book trade and the growing demand for a new kind of 'clean' paper. Leaving the valley floor, we visit the cow byre-housed Paper Foundation to immerse ourselves in the centuries-old craft of paper making. Arriving at the heart of the family business in Burneside, we explore the cutting-edge mills that today make the paper not only for Armistice Day poppies and packaging for many of the world’s leading luxury brands, but also next-generation 'papers' destined for aircraft, supercars and wind turbines. Finally, looking across the pastures above Kendal, we reflect on Mark's ambition to rethink the landscapes of east Lakeland, and the emerging Penrith–Kendal wildlife corridor that will feature a heritage 'patchwork' of wood pasture, wildflower meadows and orchards, alongside traditional farming and food crops.
The Paper Foundation can be found at paper.foundation/category/shop/
James Cropper is at www.jamescropper.com
123: Barrow-in-Furness – A tale of iron and ships, hair and shops
#122: Limestone of the Westmorland Dales
120: A history of boating on Windermere
119: The birth of Quakerism in Cumbria
118: James Forrest - Record-breaking round of the 214
#117: Above Great Moss: Stone axes of the earliest settlers
Countrystride #116: Review of 2023
Countrystride #115: A Cumbrian Christmas feast - With Helen Rebanks and Ivan Day
Countrystride #114: Fell Foodie - A feast on Silver How
Countrystride #113: Why we Run - Fell and trail running in the Lake District
Countrystride #112: Melvyn Bragg - Back in the Day
Countrystride #111: The Herdwick, with Will Rawling
Countrystride #110: Eliza Lynn Linton and The Lake Country
Countrystride #109: Aira Force - Lakeland pleasure ground
Countrystride #108: To the Lakes! The early days of tourism
Countrystride #107: Tales from Little Langdale
Countrystride #106: The lichens of Borrowdale
Countrystride #105: The Old Man and the slate
Countrystride #104: Eskdale - Living the Fisherground dream
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