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Page 6 |
Newsletter 139 Winter 2022 © Hampshire Mills Group |
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Wessex Mill, Wantage – Closing
Andy Fish
Photos by Keith Andrews, 2017
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In August it was announced in
World Grain
(www.world-grain.com)
and in local newspapers like the
Oxford Mail
that Wessex Flour Mill in Wantage, which has been
operating since the 1800s, will cease production at
the end of the year with the loss of 32 jobs.
Paul Munsey,
managing director at Clarks, which owns Wessex Mill,
said a five-fold increase in energy prices and the
soaring price of wheat and materials were to blame
for the closure. The mill also needs substantial
repairs, and the machinery was due for an upgrade.
The Wessex Mill brand has been acquired by Doves
Farm Foods in Hungerford.
Those
members who visited the mill in 2017 may remember
that the milling was carried out in the afternoon
and night to take advantage of cheaper tariffs, as
even back then electricity was a major cost.
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