Paper making in the Juniper Green mills and beyond
Pulp being spread and dried during the paper-making process
Picture of finished paper being rolled up into large cylinders at the end of the process
The first of the Autumn talks in the JG300 series featured speakers from Queen Margaret College and Napier Universities respectively Professor David Finkelstein and Sarah Bromage. Sarah we met earlier in May when she joined with Julie Watt to talk a little about the mills of Juniper Green. Sarah has degrees from Stirling, St Andrews and Strathclyde Universities. David studied at Columbia and Edinburgh Universities and is now research professor at Queen Margaret. Both David and Sarah are members of the Sapphire project collecting the Scottish archive for the print and publishing industries.
Juniper Green built up its reputation through the nineteenth century from its array of mills. Sarah talked a little about the process of making paper from the original ingredients to the finished product showing a video and several slides.
David Finkelstein posing outside Sir David Henry's house in New Zealand, the house name is Juniper Green!
David picked up the story and reported to the audience of his recent visit to New Zealand where he had sought out the plant of Sir David Henry, a boy from Juniper Green last century, who had emigrated to New Zealand and become a powerful industrialist in his own right. His story can be found elsewhere on this website.
There was a special welcome that night for guests: Margaret Williams from Coventry, Andrew More from another district of Edinburgh and Chris Parker now of Sussex but originally from the neighbourring village of Colinton. Margaret is granddaughter of the JG photographer Mr Montgomery whose many images from the 20th century have captured an earlier time in the village's past and appear in many places on this website. Also, Andrew More's grandmother was Granny More who lived near the Kinleith Arms and has appeared in a number of stories on this website.
Chris Parker proposes a vote of thanks to the speakers David Finkelstein and Sarah Bromage
Chris Parker presents a bottle of Juniper Green gin to Douglas Buchanan, JG300 treasurer
Chris Parker is the Managing Director of the London and Scottish International company, one of our gold sponsors. Chris was born in Colinton but now lives and works down South. Chris is brand owner and Managing Director of London and Scottish International makers of Juniper Green gin and he gave a vote of thanks to our two speakers.
Chris explained that his company had been awarded a Royal Warrant for their Juniper Green gin by supplying HRH Prince Charles with this organic tipple over the past six years. To keep this warrant the company must continue to strive for all things organic which includes researching the possibility of renewable labels for his bottles. Chris told the audience that that was one of the things he had been discussing at a trade fair in Glasgow earlier in the day.
However, we could not let Chris depart without a few gifts from the JG special year. So, and with thanks to Silvia Carpico at Al Borgo, Chris left with a complimentary history book, calendar, mug and tea towels.