Another fairly local site which has been on my list of “to do”s for a while.
Stafford Allen set up a farm and factory on the outskirts of Long Melford in 1899 to make natural pharmaceuticals, condiments and perfumes by milling herbs and spices, many of them grown on the spot. These included belladona, digitalis, liquorice and peppermint. The factory also milled imported ginger and pepper, a variety of gums and other spices, and made food flavouring essences (butter, almond, honey-cream and madeira) and naturally-based insecticides such as pyrethrum and derris.
The business flourished, and the association with the Allen family has continued for a hundred years. Bush Boake Allen was bought by International Flavours and Fragrances Ltd in 2000.
Until the site closed in 2002 it apparently made the most wonderful smells in the village street when the wind was in the right direction!
A lot of this site is now being used by other businesses, including one storing a large amount of celotex insulation in warehouses (and generally strewn around the place from what I saw), and another of the buildings now housing a paintball business.
Here’s an old aerial photo from back in the day…
…and my shots below give a sample of what’s left around the remaining buildings.
Couldn’t resist taking a quick selfie! Best clicked on to view large.
This Singer sewing machine was an expected bonus find towards the end of my explore.
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Adam X
11 comments
Wonderful location – great shots – nice!
Why thank you! 🙂
Worked here briefly after leaving uni jobless. Not bad pay for an Miller as I recall but milling chilli powder was a bit of as chaĺenge. Used to get in 80kg sacks of Sierra Leone ginger root and got adept at hauling Guinness bottles out before the hit the screens the other contaminant was used condoms let them go through this was in1973
I worked for BBA from 1980 to 1984 as a chemist/engineer supporting production in London (Carpenters Road, Stratford) and at Dans Road, Widnes. I stumbled upon your photos while looking up the history of BBA afer I left.
I never visited Long Melford but it’s been enjoyable looking at your photos of deserted offices and production areas!
I worked there in the four years prior to closure. So strange to see the locations I remember all now derelict. Great photos, potential for a lot more from the site I would imagine, including the river. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Robert, I’m glad they were of interest!
I worked there over the summer holidays, I remember painting hundreds if cardboard barrels for the onion flavouring, remember the girls on the production line and the charge hand who’s first job each morning was to check the share price, actually really enjoyed the weeks I was there.
I lived across the river in the cottage there, regarding fragrance from early 1970 it was gross , lovely people worked , fond memories
yes worked on the FARM with likes of TED OSBORNE JACK LING WHEEELR FRED SMITH TOOK ON BY JACK GOODING
great place to learn about herbs and FARM work drove a FORD DETRA TRACTOR
cut lavender cleaned horseradish to go to coopers oxford winter job set Carmoline in fields onions were also grow
left for health reasons TETNUS great site o we must not forget the LONG MEFORD LARGE WHITE S PIGGY S VIC HILL
Spent over seventeen years working for BBA Dans Road and visited Long Melford several times for the intersite fishing competition. So sad to see the site now derelict.