The story
The firm was started in 1890 by Henry Sturgess Pledge. He was apprenticed at the Black Mill, Barham around 1850. Upon leaving Barham some time before 1882, Pledge ran the Wind, Steam and Water Mills at Kennington until 1892. Pledge ran the company with his sons Lawrence John Pledge and Walter Ebeneser Pledge. H S Pledge & Sons Ltd were millers and corn merchants owning two mills in Ashford; Victoria Mills and East Hill Mill.
East Hill Mill – grid reference TR 015 427
East Hill Mill was a watermill and steam mill. It is still standing at the bottom of East Hill Road, Ashford. As of 2010, it is a nightclub owned by Luminar Leisure called Liquid and Envy.
The building date is stated on the mill: "Flour Mill 1901". In the 1901 census of West Ashford the miller was Pledge's son Lawrence; he lived at the mill with his wife Ellen and six children.
Victoria Mills – TR 008 423
The Victoria Mills was a steam mill. It was built in 1890. The date was prominently displayed on the mill building. In the 1901 census the miller was Pledge's son Walter, who lived at the Mill with his wife Emma. Victoria Mills continued functioning until September 1984, when the building was gutted by fire. The mill was then demolished as it was in an unsafe condition. The company had been taken over by the Garnham Family. In 2014 the company was dissolved.
From Wikipedia’s article on H.S. Pledge & Sons Ltd, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3