As everyone knows, we at Clever Monty are obsessed with hidden treasure and the unexpected. So we thought that we should hide a story within the new walls of the building.
Part of our research took us to Stroud Library where we found a huge array of local interest books, detailing the history of the mills around Stroud. It was here that we found this advertisement, showing that Victoria Works had been established as a steam saw mill in 1871.
It seemed to us that this building had a vibrant legacy which inspired us to write the following story. The story has been hidden in the partition walls for future generations to find.
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To the curious and creative......
The Last Will and Testament of Victoria Steam Joinery Works, Chalford. Established 1871
My life has been spent offering shelter to those who graced my doors. It is my wish that everyone takes a memory of honest hard work from our time spent together.
I was built in a time of prosperity, when my brothers and sisters were amassed to address the mounting needs for wool and weaving. My vocation, however, was to be found in the very trees around us. I was built solidly, my red bricks sturdy with purpose. Those who stood back to admire were not met with an ostentatious facade, but a steady and sincere welcome.
I did not yearn for fame or fortune. I chose to leave that to my sister with the walking sticks. No. I yearned for life, bustling movement, the screech and roar of saws against wood. The vibrations from this and the men and women who worked within my walls sustained me. Carried me. It is these memories which held me when I stood empty and cold.
When the artists came I felt their curious gaze. They came quietly at first, touching and marvelling at the cobwebs and crumbling bricks. They delighted in my history. Gently re-imagining a new future for me. One of colour and laughter and more hard work than they or I had thought possible. They brought new, serene vibrations which sang to me all day.
For it is these vibrations, this energy; yours, mine, theirs which is here for the taking. Our memories capture some, but the rest has to be held within the fabric of our lives. So, to you, I bequeath just that. Take the energy which coursed through me like blood through veins and capture it. A fire-fly in a jam jar. Hold it. Make it yours and use it to do something wonderful.
Clever Monty
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