CO-CREATE: BOMBAY SAPPHIRE


The architect and client worked with English Heritage and English Nature to restore the historic buildings


TIMELINE FOR LAVERSTOKE MILL 903


There has been a mill on this site since 903AD


1086 Laverstoke Mill was recorded in the Domesday Book as a working Corn Mill


1718


Acquired by Henry Portal (c.1690 -1747), a French Huguenot who fl ed persecution and arrived in Southampton in 1706


1719


Henry Portal built the existing mill on-site to manufacture paper


1724


Portal won the contract to produce watermarked bank note paper for the Bank of England, a measure to target forgeries. Watermarks were necessary as banknotes were entirely handwritten until 1725


1850s


A series of reforms took place at Laverstoke under the control of Henry’s grandson, Sir Wyndham Portal (1822-1905). The Bank Charter Act of 1844 gave the Bank of England a monopoly on bank note issue and production. Laverstoke was given production over moulds which formed the individual notes for the Bank of England


1950s


More than 800 people worked for the Portals during this period 1963


The last bank note was produced for Western Samoa. Laverstoke Mill ceased milling paper


2000


Laverstoke Mill was offi cially declared derelict 2005


The site was purchased by St James Homes, who planned to build 70 homes despite substantial opposition


2008


Recession prevented the housing development plans from advancing


2010


The site was discovered by Bacardi-employee John Burke, and Bombay Sapphire bought it


2012


Work begins on site to transform it into a visitor experience and working distillery. A team member from Heatherwick Studio was on-site to supervise the work at least three days a week


2014


After years of neglect, the transformed site of the Bombay Sapphire Distillery opened in October


PHOTO: IWAN BAAN


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