Many of the Mills were privately owned and, during the second world war, substantial profits were made.

After the war, engineering materials were in short supply, resulting in a lack of investment in modern textile machinery and systems until the late 60's/early 70's. By then, the investment required was too large for many companies to afford.

This general lack of investment allowed world wide competition to overtake the UK woollen trade and, although rearguard action was taken by some textile companies through amalgamation, the lack of marketing and capital investment took their toll.

The Mill at Otterburn suffered from a lack of investment and it, too, had to close manufacturing in December 1976.

The machinery lay idle until John Waddell sold the business and premises to Euan Pringle, a member of yet another famous family of Scottish woollen manufacturers, in 1995. Since that time, the site has undergone a substantial period of redevelopment to produce the facilities you see today.