Norfolk Mills - Wells steam mill

NORFOLK MILLS FACE CLOSURE

Two mills of Dewing & Kersley are facing closure at Wells and Fakenham. This will be the outcome of the coming retirements of the two joint managing directors, Mr. L. E. Eagling, at Fakenham, and Mr. F. L. Cuthbert at Wells.
Yesterday a reporter was told by Mr. Eagling at the Fakenham head office, "Wells is absolutely certain to go, and nothing short of a miracle could change the closure decision at Fakenham."
A phasing-down process has been set in motion so the firm closes down by the end of the year. Redundancies will total 30, ten at Fakenham and 20 at Wells.

EFFORTS

Mr. Eagling, who began his career with the firm in August, 1926, as office boy, added every effort had been made to find a buyer, or buyers, "but we were unsuccessful."
Mr. Cuthbert has been in the flour milling trade for 50 years, most of the time with Dewing & Kersley.
The firm is completely independent, with Wells as a flour mill, and the Fakenham_mill mill producing animal feed stuffs. There are six lorries in use, three at each place.
The Fakenham_mill has been using all locally-produced cereals such as oats, barley, wheat and maize from other sources.
Eighty percent of the Wells mill trade has been concerned with producing flour for the biscuit trade and the remainder for bread. The bulk of the wheat has been home grown but there is also a percentage from Canada. The port of Wells is in no way affected by the Wells closure.
"A lot of our trouble is our geographical position. Four fifths of our flour goes to London from Wells and London is 120 miles from Wells," said Mr. Eagling. This alone put the North Norfolk firm at a disadvantage. Dewing & Kersley had been competing against Essex mills.
"We can't give a firm date. It will take some time to run down but we have to cease milling by December 31st at Wells and obviously you couldn't run this place at Fakenham without that at Wells," he said.

ALLOTMENTS

Dewing & Kersley are also owners of allotments near the Fakenham_mill and these are let mostly to staff.
Both mills are landmarks in their localities. Straddling the River Wensum at Fakenham, the Dewing & Kersley mill is a focal point of one of the town's most noted beauty spots, which with the bridge over the Wensum, attracts many photographers, artists and anglers.
The company was registered at Fakenham in 1909 but its history as a mill goes back much earlier.
Augustine Canons of Hempton Priory founded during the reign of Henry I may have had a mill at Fakenham. Deeds of the existing mill date back to about 1760 when there was a water mill.
Until the early years of the present century stone-ground flour was made at the mill which was in the occupation in turn of Mr. Joseph Fyson and Charles Horsley & Son., before it passed into the ownership of Dewing & Kersley in 1909.
Closely identified with the developmet of the business was the late Col. Sidney Dewing, who was the chairman of the directors.

CONCERN

The Wells mill was built in 1898. Before the war the firm was associated with a considerable export trade.
Wells Town Council decided last night to write to Dewing & Kersley expressing concern and asking whether the firm would be willing to reconsider the decision.
The chairman, Mr. Frank Sawbridge, said small communities such as Wells depended on small industries. No doubt the decision had been taken in the boardroom and the most positive thing to do would be to encourage some other industry to use the premises.
Mrs. M. Cooper said if this was a viable proposition they would come whatever Wells council did about it.
Eastern Daily Press - 7th October 1977