Herman Miller at Locksbrook traces the transition of Herman Miller from its purpose‑built building in Bath to its new site in Melksham, and the stories carried by the people who lived through that change. Known for its influential furniture design, the company left behind an iconic structure that was later transformed into Bath Spa University’s Locksbrook Campus. My connection to this shift is personal: as Covid‑19 restrictions eased, my family moved from Bath to Melksham, I began studying photography at Locksbrook, and I started working at Herman Miller’s new facility. I found myself moving between the company’s past and present every day.
This project brings together portraits, archival material, and interviews with long‑standing workers who remember the Bath building and newer employees who joined in Melksham. Through these conversations and images, I explore how architecture, memory, and labour intersect, and how a company’s identity is shaped by the spaces it occupies. The work reflects on continuity and change, capturing the legacy of Herman Miller through the people who built it, adapted with it, and carried its history forward.
This project brings together portraits, archival material, and interviews with long‑standing workers who remember the Bath building and newer employees who joined in Melksham. Through these conversations and images, I explore how architecture, memory, and labour intersect, and how a company’s identity is shaped by the spaces it occupies. The work reflects on continuity and change, capturing the legacy of Herman Miller through the people who built it, adapted with it, and carried its history forward.
Please note, the portraits are taken by and blong to Jakub Knap, however I have marked the archive images that belong to Herman Miller.
(Archive from ©Herman Miller)
©Jakub Knap
Andy Powell Monday 22nd November 2021
“ I started to work for Herman Miller in 1984 and have been there for 37 years. The first job I started off with was Fabric covering for example pin boards, but Because I got quite good at the job and team leaders were invented I started to move around the building, building my experiences and learning new skills in different areas such as shrink wrap, cell 23 and cell 03 which were the pain jobs, but the only place I havent worked at was the stores which was located at the back of the building. I’ve been working there for 5 years and after that Fabrics were moved to building 1 which is Lidl now and thats where I started to make chairs and continued to do Fabric work for another 2 -3 years night shifts. After those years and worked around BUilding 1 and 2 for another 11 years I moved to a different building in Chippenham for a year, then moved around the UK to other buildings, including in Ireland. And now I Moved to Melksham where I work now running the cbs for 4 and a half years.”
“There were good and Bad times in the past but it was fun. I think personally I liked to work at Building 1 (Lidl) a lot more just because it was a lot more of a cleaner environment, quieter and more relaxed.”
“ I started to work for Herman Miller in 1984 and have been there for 37 years. The first job I started off with was Fabric covering for example pin boards, but Because I got quite good at the job and team leaders were invented I started to move around the building, building my experiences and learning new skills in different areas such as shrink wrap, cell 23 and cell 03 which were the pain jobs, but the only place I havent worked at was the stores which was located at the back of the building. I’ve been working there for 5 years and after that Fabrics were moved to building 1 which is Lidl now and thats where I started to make chairs and continued to do Fabric work for another 2 -3 years night shifts. After those years and worked around BUilding 1 and 2 for another 11 years I moved to a different building in Chippenham for a year, then moved around the UK to other buildings, including in Ireland. And now I Moved to Melksham where I work now running the cbs for 4 and a half years.”
“There were good and Bad times in the past but it was fun. I think personally I liked to work at Building 1 (Lidl) a lot more just because it was a lot more of a cleaner environment, quieter and more relaxed.”
(Archive from ©Herman Miller)
©Jakub Knap
Derrick Burford Monday 8th November 2021
“I’ve been working as a supervisor for over 26 years now at Herman Miller which has been quite a long time and right now I work at Cell 03 which is the apple section in Melksham which is where we sand down some edges on tables, normally for Apple. For one of the processes we have to add vinyl to the edges and then just make it look good for instance sand some sharp edges and make sure everything is in spec condition before we send it off to get it packed and shipped. We used to have these robotic machines to do it for us but we got rid of them now so everything we do is by hand.”
“Where I started off was at Woodmill which is the a university campus now, and that place used to be a lot smaller, things were ran differently for example for the products to be shipped off, a delivery truck gets loaded in Bath at Woodmill and then it gets sent off all the way to chippenham to a delivery place and then it get s shipped which is a lot of money and it’s really time consuming but now because we have moved buildings to melksham, we have all the facilities all in one place so it saves money and time which is better. I did start off in a small group, there are plenty of opportunities for people to work there, but not many people picked the supervisor job as it is hard work and you will need to know most of the processes.”
“I’ve been working as a supervisor for over 26 years now at Herman Miller which has been quite a long time and right now I work at Cell 03 which is the apple section in Melksham which is where we sand down some edges on tables, normally for Apple. For one of the processes we have to add vinyl to the edges and then just make it look good for instance sand some sharp edges and make sure everything is in spec condition before we send it off to get it packed and shipped. We used to have these robotic machines to do it for us but we got rid of them now so everything we do is by hand.”
“Where I started off was at Woodmill which is the a university campus now, and that place used to be a lot smaller, things were ran differently for example for the products to be shipped off, a delivery truck gets loaded in Bath at Woodmill and then it gets sent off all the way to chippenham to a delivery place and then it get s shipped which is a lot of money and it’s really time consuming but now because we have moved buildings to melksham, we have all the facilities all in one place so it saves money and time which is better. I did start off in a small group, there are plenty of opportunities for people to work there, but not many people picked the supervisor job as it is hard work and you will need to know most of the processes.”
“I worked across the whole building in the Woodmill in the past, from working the edge Bander, to screens etc. there are things I don't miss as much but working at the old building was just full of joy, more relaxed, fun and it was just better times like the time someone is getting married or celebrates something, we chuck them into this large sink where these all sorts of things floating in it not just water, for instance old glue and drinks. It was great fun.”
©Jakub Knap
(Archive from ©Herman Miller)
Jakub Knap 27th October 2021
“I’ve started working at Herman Miller in Melksham at the start of July 2021 which was quite a new interesting experience for me even though it is in my skill set. For the first few weeks I worked at screens. After getting used to it and getting used to the work place I was moved to a different area which was Cell 3 where tables for Apple are being produced. What we have to do is we get a few pallets full of apple tables and we have to sand down the edge of the table, apply a water based glue with a spray gun and put a wooden vinyl on top. After we move it to set and start making it look nice. Last step is just cleaning it and doing a quality check before it gets sent off, but this is one of the processes out of many.
I really do enjoy working there, making some friends on the way, having a laugh but also working hard as it's a nice, good way to get things of my mind and get the experience of working hard. Everyone there is quite friendly, and it is quite relaxed compared to other jobs such as being a waiter but that is my point of view. “
“I’ve started working at Herman Miller in Melksham at the start of July 2021 which was quite a new interesting experience for me even though it is in my skill set. For the first few weeks I worked at screens. After getting used to it and getting used to the work place I was moved to a different area which was Cell 3 where tables for Apple are being produced. What we have to do is we get a few pallets full of apple tables and we have to sand down the edge of the table, apply a water based glue with a spray gun and put a wooden vinyl on top. After we move it to set and start making it look nice. Last step is just cleaning it and doing a quality check before it gets sent off, but this is one of the processes out of many.
I really do enjoy working there, making some friends on the way, having a laugh but also working hard as it's a nice, good way to get things of my mind and get the experience of working hard. Everyone there is quite friendly, and it is quite relaxed compared to other jobs such as being a waiter but that is my point of view. “
©Jakub Knap
(Archive from ©Herman Miller)
Steve Lee Saturday 30th October 2021
Steve was born in Southmead Bristol in July 1957 and because of his age we can tell he has a history and a story hiding behind him of how he started to work for Herman Miller. He moved to Exmouth at the age of 6 between 1963 - 1964 and went to Exmouth comprehensive school.
1973 - He went to a catering college in Exeter.
1974 - Joined the army, catering care.
1976 - Went parachute training with the P Company but while doing it, at some point he landed badly during the session and disjointed his joints in his knee in Kenya
1981 - became a Civilian and became a second chief serving Danish Food but after the head chief left he took over the position and was a head chief for 3 years until he got bored of it.
After this he decided to go traveling a bit around the UK on his motorcycle visiting different towns and experiencing different pubs which was something he always wanted to do, with also having a year long break from work to enjoy it.
Early 1986 - After his travel he got a job at a rubber Factory in Box and worked there for around 2 years.
1988 - Offered a better job doing the same thing but for a different company which worked better for him as he had more pay in Corsham, Been there for 3 years.
Steve was born in Southmead Bristol in July 1957 and because of his age we can tell he has a history and a story hiding behind him of how he started to work for Herman Miller. He moved to Exmouth at the age of 6 between 1963 - 1964 and went to Exmouth comprehensive school.
1973 - He went to a catering college in Exeter.
1974 - Joined the army, catering care.
1976 - Went parachute training with the P Company but while doing it, at some point he landed badly during the session and disjointed his joints in his knee in Kenya
1981 - became a Civilian and became a second chief serving Danish Food but after the head chief left he took over the position and was a head chief for 3 years until he got bored of it.
After this he decided to go traveling a bit around the UK on his motorcycle visiting different towns and experiencing different pubs which was something he always wanted to do, with also having a year long break from work to enjoy it.
Early 1986 - After his travel he got a job at a rubber Factory in Box and worked there for around 2 years.
1988 - Offered a better job doing the same thing but for a different company which worked better for him as he had more pay in Corsham, Been there for 3 years.
1991 - Laid off due to the company moving locations to Scotland.
1992 - 1994 worked for Bath Archaeological trust, research materials and measuring them around Bath to document it.
Around this time he had a problem breathing so it turned out that he needed inhalers but between 1991 and 1997 he passed out struggling to breath, went to hospital and discovered he had Pleurisy which is liquid build up in his lungs.
July 1997 - Had an interview with Herman Miller and they offered him night shifts but he declined it as it was too much for him especially working a lot in the past.
4th August 1997 - Herman Miller had another job opening for day shifts and he accepted.
2010 - Found out he had lung disease.
And now he has been working for Herman Miller for 24 years starting off at Building 2 Woodmill which was one of his best experiences as everyone was friendly, being cared for like a family. Used to have company Christmas picnics or parties and sometimes there were kids parties where workers can bring their children so the kids can get to know each other. Bath was ‘Brilliant’ for him and others as there were lots of good times.
After Herman Miller moved out from Bath to Melksham, things got harder and it wasn’t as easy as it used to be but things change.
1992 - 1994 worked for Bath Archaeological trust, research materials and measuring them around Bath to document it.
Around this time he had a problem breathing so it turned out that he needed inhalers but between 1991 and 1997 he passed out struggling to breath, went to hospital and discovered he had Pleurisy which is liquid build up in his lungs.
July 1997 - Had an interview with Herman Miller and they offered him night shifts but he declined it as it was too much for him especially working a lot in the past.
4th August 1997 - Herman Miller had another job opening for day shifts and he accepted.
2010 - Found out he had lung disease.
And now he has been working for Herman Miller for 24 years starting off at Building 2 Woodmill which was one of his best experiences as everyone was friendly, being cared for like a family. Used to have company Christmas picnics or parties and sometimes there were kids parties where workers can bring their children so the kids can get to know each other. Bath was ‘Brilliant’ for him and others as there were lots of good times.
After Herman Miller moved out from Bath to Melksham, things got harder and it wasn’t as easy as it used to be but things change.