Millennium
Mill, Docklands, London
Architect
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Date Built
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1930s
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Location
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Royal Victoria
Dock
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Description |
This derelict former mill in
London's Dockland was once home to "Spillers",
the pet food manufacturer. The original
Millennium Mill was built in the 1905 by the
millers William Vernon and Sons from
Birkenhead. At that time a number of flour
mills were constructed around the Royal Victoria
Dock including ones owned by the Cooperative
Wholesale Society and Joseph Rank. The
Millennium Mill was described by its owners as
"palatial". It was named after Vernon's
most successful product known as Millennium
Flour.
The mills clustered around the Royal Docks were
badly damaged by a huge explosion at a munitions
factory in 1917. Three years later
Spillers took over Vernon's and they acquired
the Millennium Mill changing the production from
flour to dog food and other animal feeds.
In 1933 the mill was rebuilt as a ten-storey
concrete Art Deco building. However, that
wasn't the end of the story because the building
was once again severely damaged during the
London Blitz and again rebuilt.
The building has been empty and decaying since
the 1980s. There have been proposals for
redevelopment but so far none have come to
fruition. It hasn't achieved a national
listed status but the local Newham Council has
included it on its list of buildings.
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