Indeed Croxley Mills existed. It stood on the South bank of the Grand Union Canal, between the Rickmansworth Road, and Croxley Moor. It was accessed at the Watford end by "Beggar's Bush Lane", and at the Croxley end by Mill Lane, and Croxley Common Moor. It was the first paper mill in the world to take in raw material (mainly rags) at one end, and send out shop ready paper at the other. "Croxley script" writing paper was produced there, as were "Three Candles" manuscript paper, and some "Basildon Bond", as well as many of the specialty papers. There were other brands which I cannot remember the names of. The Dickinson family, lived in Croxley, though they did not originate there. There was a war memorial there for those employees that lost their lives in the 2 world wars. The location of the site at Croxley was crucial to it's success. Like all Dickinson's Mills, it was on the Grand Union Canal, which meant that raw materials could be brought in by barge from all over the country. Massive amounts of coal were used in the boilers there, which was brought by barge from the coal fields in the North. There used to be a huge conveyer belt system, which ran 24 hours a day, to carry the coal from the stock pile at Common Moor Lock, to the boilers some 1/4 of a mile away. Rags and cotton waste (the main raw materials for paper in the early days) were also brought in by barge from the cotton mills in the North. The other main resource needed was water, which was readily available from the river Gade, which runs along at the side of Croxley Moor. The river became very polluted at one stage, but after great efforts were made in the 1950s and 60s, with the clean air acts, this was virtually eliminated by the 1970s, and of course has completely vanished with the closure of the Mills. The paper, in huge rolls, was taken to London by canal for use, amongst other things, in the newspaper industry. Much of the paper was also sent to "Sun Printers", which was the other main employer in the immediate area. The company, along with Odham's Press in North Watford, eventually became part of the infamous Robert Maxwell empire The huge printworks on the corner of Whippendell Rd, and Greenhill Crescent has been demolished in the last couple of years, and redeveloped into the "Rising Sun" Hotel, Industrial Units, and housing. The old Sun clockhouse, where the workers used to clock in for their shifts, still stands on a piece of ground opposite the Hotel, and clearly visible from the roundabout there. I worked at the mills for several years until sadly they closed in 1980, due to ongoing losses caused mainly by restrictive work practices, high wages, and too many strikes. It was a major employer in the area, with well over 1,000 people employed directly at the mill, at it's peak, and many other jobs dependant upon the mill. Many generations of families in Croxley worked at the Mills, and the closure was a big blow to the village. The character of the village has changed a lot since then. A large number of people moved away to find other work, though a lot of ex-employees still live in Croxley. My old friend Tom French was one of the 4 shift managers at the mills when they closed, and he still lives a stone's throw from where the Mills stood. He became a piano tuner, which is perhaps an extreme example of the diversification of trades which people branched into after the loss of the security of lifetime employment at the mills. Until the Mills were built, Croxley was a fairly small, though ancient village, the first reference to it being when it was given to an employee of King Offa! The main produce of Croxley were Cherries and Water Cress, but with the Mills came much prosperity, and a huge expansion of the village. Dickinson Square and Dickinson Avenue were built specifically for Mill workers, along with the Dickinson's Co-operative store, which is now the Co-op. There was a building on the corner of Dickinson Square and New Rd, opposite the Co-op, known as the Guild Hall, which was Dickinson's social club. It was a large Green corrugated Iron Building which burnt down in the 1960s. Some flats were built there, which are named after the Guild Hall. John Dickinson also built the Methodist Church in Croxley, and Yorke Rd School, both of which I (and my 2 brothers) attended. The school was closed down in the 1960s, at the end of the post war baby boom, but still stands on the corner of Yorke Rd and the Watford Rd, next to the Duke of Yorke pub. There was another school the other side of the pub, also built by John Dickinson, but that was demolished some years ago and replaced by some large houses, the roofs of which I can see from my back bedroom window.He encouraged employees to become literate, and built the original Croxley Library by the old post office on Croxley parade, also long gone.He was a great benefactor to the area Dickinson's Playing Fields are still very much a part of Croxley life, with the Croxley Guild of Sport still running football and cricket teams. The clubhouse (commonly known as Dicko,s) was originally built for employees of John Dickinson. The main entrance to the fields was through the massive and splendid wrought iron gates which still stand on the East side of the Green, opposite the Artichoke pub. So, as you can see from this brief (?) message, Croxley Mills really did exist! Regards Phil HOW. (Born, Bred, and still living in Croxley)