The main damage caused by the fire, a suspected arson, affected the mill’s gallery and exhibition area, with the visitor centre likely damaged beyond repair.
The mill site is at Apsley, near Hemel Hempstead. The visitor centre used the mill’s original 19th Century storage sheds and was completed in 2006 with the help of a £1m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Firefighters helped save some of the most significant items, including the original 1624 bill of sale from Nash Mills, with hopes that it can be restored.
However, the Peter Ingram Gallery was gutted in the blaze.
Before and after: The Peter Ingram Gallery
“The restoration and repair of the damaged parts of the collection will likely run into tens of thousands,” the mill said in an update.
Other items that ended up fire damaged or covered in ash included John Dickinson's desk with its secret compartment, a Mullen tester and a bust of John Dickinson.
“Even if not directly in the line of the fire, a blanket of grey, toxic ash landed on everything. The intense heat distorted and discoloured, the ash corroded metals. All items removed by staff were assessed as to their condition and recorded against archive records. They were then grouped for either specialist restoration, immediate team action with a gentle soapy wash or regarded as unsalvageable,” the mill said.
More positively, on-site engineers IJB Engineering have been able to begin scheduled maintenance and repairs on the Fourdrinier No.4 paper machine at the site.
The mill is also recruiting new team members via the government’s Kickstart scheme for 16-24 year-olds, and commented: “Frogmore Paper Mill is at the start of a long journey to re-open following a fire in January 2022. Be part of our recovery!”
A 13-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson following the blaze, which started in a skip and then spread to the mill’s buildings.
