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Description: Station Road: Foster Mill |
Date built: c1898 |
Architect: Calder and Kitchen |
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Date photograph taken: 25 Aug 2000 | (Alternative map: Google map) |
One of the biggest buildings in the city, and also one of the few examples of large-scale industry. The Fosters owned three mills in the city but the university would not let them build railway lines to them, so they built this right next to the railway station. The newer parts of the building, on the left and far right in the photograph, were added in 1953.
In 1917 the Fosters sold the mill to Pauls Agriculture and in 1947 they in turn sold it to Spillers, and to most people in Cambridge it was known as Spillers Mill. In 2000, at the time of the photograph, it was owned by Rank Hovis.
The smaller of the old buildings, located on the far side of the building in the photograph, still had a sign saying "Foster Mills" at the top, a nice reminder of its heritage.
The Fosters also owned a bank, which they founded for the benefit of their mill workers.
In 2001 Rank Hovis announced that they would eventually vacate the site, and it became part of the cb1 redevelopment plan for the area. The original buildings were planned to be converted to flats.
In early 2010 the newer buildings were demolished. On 27 March 2010 a fire destroyed the smaller old building and also damaged this large one.
The surviving building was eventually converted to a residential block.
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