180 years in the making: James Cropper opens its doors in The Last Mill Standing

British master papermaker James Cropper has released The Last Mill Standing, a new documentary offering an unprecedented look inside its historic Burneside Mill in the Lake District, as the 180-year-old manufacturer embarks on an ambitious new chapter.

Filmed during a period of significant transformation, The Last Mill Standing takes viewers from candid boardroom conversations to the unpredictable realities of the factory floor. Machinery breakdowns, production pressures and difficult commercial decisions unfold alongside the humour, camaraderie and extraordinary expertise that have defined James Cropper for generations.

The documentary captures that determination in action, including the development of Coloursource™, a new paper offering brought to market in just six weeks following the unexpected loss of a major customer.

Beyond the commercial decisions, viewers discover the remarkable complexity behind a material most people take for granted. From the chemistry of colour matching and the precision of specialist papermaking to the engineering required to maintain machinery that has operated for decades, the film reveals the expertise behind papers used in luxury packaging, design and creative applications around the world.

For sixth-generation Chairman Mark Cropper, whose family has been associated with the mill since 1845, the fascination with papermaking remains as strong as ever.

“The bit that I love the most is just the magic of its making,” he says. “The fact that you can take fibres suspended in water and, through this natural process, create a sheet of paper is extraordinary.

“We’ve been doing this for a very long time, and we’ve taken it to the cutting edge of what you can actually do with fibres. We’ve got world-class materials, world-class products and world-class customers.”

Across the mill, teams are strengthening production processes, introducing more proactive approaches to maintenance and finding better ways to document and share specialist knowledge, ensuring the skills developed over generations continue to support the business’s future.

The documentary also explores the close relationship between James Cropper and the village of Burneside, where generations of families have worked at the mill. In one memorable scene, viewers discover the village’s historic “triangle of life”, formed by the church, school and mill, revealing just how deeply the business is woven into the community.

Above all, it captures James Cropper at a moment when its history matters enormously, but its future matters even more.