Laverstoke Mill is a former
paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...
located on the
River Test
The River Test is a chalk stream in Hampshire in the south of England. It rises at Ashe near Basingstoke and flows southwards for to Southampton Water. Settlements on the Test include the towns of Stockbridge and Romsey. The river's vall ...
in
Laverstoke
Laverstoke ( ) is a village in north west Hampshire, England. The On the other side of the River Test there is the settlement at Freefolk which is included in the Laverstock census return.
In the early 18th century, Laverstoke Mill was purchased ...
near
Overton, Hampshire
Overton is a large village and parish in Hampshire, England, west of Basingstoke and east of Andover and Whitchurch. The village contains the smaller hamlets of Southington, Northington, Ashe, Polhampton, and Quidhampton, the latter two lyin ...
, England. The mill complex contains three
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
buildings: the Mill House, Mill Cottages, and the Glazing House. After a major refurbishment between 2011 and 2013, the mill is now the distillery and visitor centre for
Bombay Sapphire
Bombay Sapphire is a brand of gin that is distilled by the Bombay Spirits Company, a subsidiary company of Bacardi, at Laverstoke Mill in the village of Laverstoke in the English county of Hampshire.
The brand was first launched in 1986 by Engli ...
gin
Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients.
Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...
.
History
Laverstoke Mill is recorded as far back as
Domesday Book
Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
in 1086, in which a
corn mill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...
is recorded as being on the site. The site was leased by Henry Portal in 1718 and converted into a paper mill, becoming part of the
Portals business. In the 1720s, Portal obtained the contract for the supply of paper to the
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...
for use in
banknote
A banknote or bank notealso called a bill (North American English) or simply a noteis a type of paper money that is made and distributed ("issued") by a bank of issue, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued by commerc ...
s, and the production of paper for currency and other secure uses would become the main use of the site. The site was expanded in 1842, and again in 1881, to allow for increased production. In 1860, new buildings, including the large India House, were built for a contract for the supply of paper for the
Indian Rupee
The Indian rupee (symbol: ₹; code: INR) is the official currency of India. The rupee is subdivided into 100 '' paise'' (Hindi plural; singular: ''paisa''). The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India. The Reserve ...
.
Overton Mill
Overton is a large village and parish in Hampshire, England, west of Basingstoke and east of Andover and Whitchurch. The village contains the smaller hamlets of Southington, Northington, Ashe, Polhampton, and Quidhampton, the latter two lying ...
, in the nearby village of Overton. From the 1930s, Laverstoke increasingly specialised in research and development in the fields of engineering, manufacture and security. Paper making ceased at the site in 1963, and in 1972, the site was taken over by Patterson Candy, a subsidiary company who used it for the manufacture of water treatment equipment. Portals were taken over by De La Rue
De La Rue plc (, ) is a British company headquartered in Basingstoke, England, that produces secure digital and physical protections for goods, trade, and identities in 140 countries. It sells to governments, central banks, and businesses. Its ...
in 1995 and the site became vacant in 2005.[
The mill was purchased by the Bombay Spirits Company in 2010. The new owners refurbished the site, reusing existing buildings for distilling and a visitor centre, café, bar and shop. New glasshouses, designed by the ]Heatherwick Studio
Thomas Alexander Heatherwick, (born 17 February 1970) is an English designer and the founder of London-based design practice Heatherwick Studio. He works with a team of more than 200 architects, designers and entrepreneurs from his studio in ...
, were constructed to display examples of the plants used for the gin botanicals. The River Test, which had been covered over as the mill expanded, was opened out to become a feature of the site again.
Gallery
File:Laverstoke - Laverstoke Mill - geograph.org.uk - 2051349.jpg, The gatehouse before renovation, 2010
File:Bombay Sapphire distillery.jpeg, The River Test with shop and bar to left, visitor centre ahead, 2015
File:Laverstoke Mill now used as a distillery.jpg, India House, housing the stills ''Victoria'' and ''Henry'', 2016
File:The Thomas Heatherwick Extension, Laverstoke Mill - geograph-5136220.jpg, The glasshouses with visitor centre to left, 2016
File:Laverstoke Mill and River Test (geograph 7133030).jpg, The glasshouses and the River Test, 2022
See also
* List of watermills in the United Kingdom
The use of water power in Britain was at its peak just before the Industrial Revolution. The need for power was great and steam power had not yet become established. It is estimated that at this time there were well in excess of ten thousand water ...
References
External links
Laverstoke Mill on Bombay Sapphire web site
{{Authority control
Distilleries in England
Grade II listed buildings in Hampshire
Watermills in Hampshire