More information on how Cambion came to be in Castleton...
Part of the current Cambion premises
were once a sawmill which produced the pit props for the local mines. The mill stream (or
race) which cuts through the village - under some of the houses -was constructed in the
1450s and still feeds the mill pond that once powered a water wheel to drive the mill
equipment. (Today the water is used to cool plastic injection moulding equipment!) Some of
the older parts of the Cambion factory still bear the marks of early
industrialisation -
there are curved walls which housed water wheels, massive timbers as part of the fabric of
the buildings that held pieces of machinery in place and ancient beams support the roof.
The older industrial premises eventually were owned by the High Peak Mining and
Engineering Company who made tools and equipment to support the local mining community. As
the mining industry faltered the company went out of business in around 1960.
The Cambion organisation was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA in the 1930s and in the late 1950s the founder, Mr Frank Lyman, sought to set up a European manufacturing plant. The vacant Peak Mining premises were an ideal location. Castleton lies exactly in the center of the UK mainland with major industrial centers in Sheffield and Manchester only a few miles away. Manchester has in international airport and the seaports of Liverpool (west coast) and Hull (east coast) are within easy reach.
Today the old industrial site has been further developed and now contains 40,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space, employing over 100 people. The latest in manufacturing equipment for electronic components has been installed and is continually updated.
The link with the past, however, is not lost. The modifications to older buildings have tastefully preserved the fabric and character of them so well that an award was received from the Council for the Protection of Rural England. The name of our office block - Peveril House - is shared with one of the Norman founders of the castle and helps illustrate the link with almost 1000 years of history in Castleton. The fact that Cambion now occupies buildings that were vital to the mining industry means that we are carrying on a tradition of craftsmanship with our high quality products that began back in the mists of time.
THANKS to Graham Ollerenshaw for his help in supplying information to help in the completion of these notes. Graham owns and operates the Blue John Mine, the Blue John workshop and the Blue John Museum - the Ollerenshaw Collection, one of the largest the finest collections of Blue John artifacts in the World.