Matthews Mill, Shipton

… from the Wychwoods Albums Archive

F W P Matthews, 1915

Mr Matthews was a civil volunteer in the First World War. His main duty was to guard the recently erected wireless poles at Leafield until later in the war he was posted to east coast defences.

Frederick Matthews and his son F. W. P. Matthews, grain and seed merchants of Fifield, realised that it was a waste to send the locally grown grain to be milled at the large port mills of Liverpool and Birkenhead.

Matthews Mill, Shipton, about 1912.

In 1911 they built a new flour mill at the station opposite their existing grain stores. The mill was built by Alfred Groves & Sons of Milton and the milling and cleaning equipment was designed and supplied by Thomas Robinson & Son Ltd of Rochdale. Sadly, Frederick Matthews died before the mill’s completion. The business is now (1985) run by his great- grandsons, Gordon and Ian Matthews and great-great-grandson, Paul.

[ Update March 2022: See the review of Bertie Matthews’ presentation to the society here ]


Wychwoods Album Menu

This is one of series of snapshots taken from the Society’s publications “The Wychwoods Albums”. These publications from the mid to late 1980s feature a variety of images of the Wychwoods, all of which deserve a place in our expanding online archive.

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The Shaven Crown | Shipton Village Panorama | Shipton Post Office 1908/10 | Shipton Views Early 1900s | Aspects of Milton 1900s-1930s| Milton & Shipton Churches | Early 20th Century School Life | Shipton Court in 1895-1910 | Road and Rail | Matthews Mill, Shipton | Alfred Groves – a Historic Family Business | Vintage Transport and Deliveries | Agriculture and Manufacturing | Some Local Wychwoods Characters| Wychwoods Group Activities| Wychwoods Album Home