...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
Countrystride #64: Joss Naylor
Countrystride #63: Danny Teasdale - Ullswater after the storm
Countrystride #62: GRANGE-OVER-SANDS & Hampsfell
Countrystride #61: Norman Nicholson - Son of Millom
Countrystride #60: Wad - The wealth of Borrowdale
Countrystride #59: Rural visionary - John Dunning in the Westmorland Dales
Countrystride #58: Swaledale - Meadows & mines
Countrystride #57: Helvellyn
Countrystride #56: Life in the woods - Working the Rusland rainforests
Countrystride 55: Threlkeld - A story of stone & steam
Countrystride #54: Damsons of the Lyth Valley
Countrystride #53: The lost history of hill farming
Countrystride #52: Cumbria Way with Paddy Dillon
Countrystride #51: Skiddaw House - Loneliest house in England
Countrystride #50: The young people of Cumbria
Countrystride #49: Wainwright on Haystacks - An anniversary retrospective
Countrystride #48: Hadrian's Wall
Countrystride #47: Lakeland pilgrims
Countrystride #46: Cumbria in a campervan
Countrystride #45: Review of 2020
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