The Flax Factory - Metheringham Heath

Following the request in your recent magazine on your website may I be allowed to provide some details regarding the Flax Factory on Metheringham Heath.

The Flax Factory was built early in WW2, the brick building housing the machinery and the ten Dutch Barns to store the Flax. This was a new crop for Lincolnshire, the reason being that war was underway. Much more home grown food was needed so many acres of old rough grass came under the plough but a chief menace, the "Wire worm" grub became prevalent in the corn crops. With no spray on the market to kill them off a recommendation was made by the Ministry of Agriculture that one or two crops of Flax be used and this would clear the soil of the grubs. If the land was then to be used for potatoes a thick lush crop of mustard was ploughed in.

The first drilling of Flax was in March 1940 while the factory was being built. Given good weather it grew very quickly and by late June it was ready for harvesting, thus being out of the way before the corn harvest. Long strong green stalks were pulled by a machine just when the flowers had fallen. The roots were pulled because they held fibre which was then made into sheaves. "Stooking", the same as corn, it was left to dry until the sheaves were brown and then it was stacked and thatched.

At the factory the dry sheaves were elevated to the top of the building so the process began. Words like "retted", "scotching" and "green-scutching" were used by the ladies who worked there. What these words mean only these ladies will know and hopefully this article might rekindle a few memories from those still alive.

In the process some parts were awash with water while others were dry with plenty of dust about. Buses conveyed the works to the factory from the surrounding villages with others even coming from further afield including Ireland to then settle here after the conflict of war.

In 1941 the crop produced was some 8,000 tons processed from 3,000 acres.

The manager was a Mr William Dalton who came from Cottingham near Hull. He lived at Dunston Pillar and was awarded the BEM for his Service to Flax.

Mr Ellis of Digby was the Overseer of the "Carting" and came to the farms for helpers to load the lorries.
The late Mr Eric Parker of Scopwick House was Chairman of the company.

One of the Secretaries was Eileen Kew the daughter of the then Station Master at Metheringham Station.
As stated - perhaps this article will rekindle a few old memories of the ladies who worked there doing an excellent job for King and Country.

Peter Baumber Brookside, Scopwick