Volcrepe Rubber Mill, Glossop

Shouts to The Lone Ranger & Dan for whom this wouldn't have been possible.

From small beginnings in 1931, Volcrepe has progressed from being a local producer of footwear soling, into one of the world's leading manufacturers of specialist cellular rubber.

Volcrepe Limited was first registered as a company on 3 July 1931. It was formed to acquire the business of a small firm of shoe manufacturers in Northamptonshire whose chemist, named Salmon, had developed a shoe soling material in which wool was incorporated with crepe rubber.

Patented in 1926, this was the only alternative then available to crepe rubber, which was widely used for footwear such as sandals. The new material, Vo-la-Crepe, had several advantages and its name was adapted as the company's title.

The company bought the Great Eastern weaving shed, formerly part of Woods Mill at Milltown in Glossop, and production of both shoes and Vo-la-Crepe began there in 1932 - a welcome new industry in a period of acute depression.

Shoe manufacture was moved during the 1939-45 war to G H Palmer at Anstey in Leicestershire, with whom High Peak Shoes at nearby Hollingworth was formed after the war. High Peak Shoes took over the shoe manufacturing interests completely in 1949.

Volcrepe Limited's contribution to the war effort was to produce a wide range of equipment for the services and the Home Guard. An extensive product list includes such things as "6,000 gas masks for Horses and Mules" and "48,250,000 Earphone Pads for Service Radio Equipment".

The company began to make latex foam products in 1950 and four years later a polyurethane division was formed. This was sold in 1960, to become Coopers Plastic Foams and later Coolag Ltd then Kooltherm in Charlestown, Glossop, which is now part of Kingspan.

Volcrepe Limited was still producing rubbers for shoe soles and heels but, with increased competition in the footwear industry, began to concentrate on the cellular rubbers which the company had pioneered, expanding in 1956 to a second site at Wren Nest Mill on High Street West in Glossop.

Volcrepe now specialises in the manufacture of these industrial cellular rubbers which have a wide range of applications in the aerospace, automobile, building, domestic appliances, oil, packaging and telecommunications industries.

The site at Woods Mill finally closed down in 2002.

The mill site is divided into two sections with a road through it. Connected by a tunnel some 25ft above the road, decorated with the companys logo, this once provided access between the 2 buildings, but today sadly is sealed up.

Below is a view of the mill site as approached from the rear, we visited the smaller 4 storey building on this occasion as there was no easy way in for a cripple :D

We started on the Ground Floor, a typical construction of supporting cast iron beams, with a wooden roof, which since being stripped by the pikeys is now rotten and collapsing under it's own weight.

One of two stairwells which led up through the building, this one was much safer as it was made of stone.

First Floor

Second Floor

Third Floor

Also on this floor is the metal walkway that once divided the 2 buildings, access isn't possible these days, as it's sealed at one end.

Fourth Floor

As we made our way through the pidgeon poop with dead carcases crunching beneath our feet we reached the top floor, not much to see now except the old goods chute.

To be continued....