It’s M-day (mill day)

Today, 21 May, is a date that has been carved into the minds of staff, visitors and volunteers at Sacrewell for months.

As we write, all the key players in the £1.8m HLF watermill project are in a meeting to officially hand the mill back to Sacrewell, following the completion of the building work.

Sacrewell has worked with Messenger Construction on the restoration of its 18th Century Watermill for the last year, starting with the demolition of the former chicken shed.

Project officer Jane Harrison says the next stage is a fitting end to the project.

“Although the contracted work for the project has officially come to an end today, we have asked Messenger to stay on and finish a few other jobs that need completing,” she explained.

“One of the tasks is to finish the demolition of the chicken shed by breaking through the old concrete floor and creating a new landscaping space.

“The work to the shed has bookended the project perfectly.”

The final works will take place over the next couple of weeks, meaning that the fencing around the mill will stay up until it’s completed, for the safety of our visitors.

Once Messenger has completed its final tasks, the interpretation will begin to go in.

Learning and interpretation officer, Nikki Cherry, has been working closely with Vertigo Creative on the interpretation which will consist of a number of written panels, audio and objects, as well as furnishings and characters to bring the mill back to life.

She said:  “The research and work that we have done to tell the story of Sacrewell Mill will be unlike anything visitors to Sacrewell will have experienced here before.

“It will take the educational value of Sacrewell to the next level and compliment the work that we already do with visitors, schools and groups.”

Sacrewell Mill will reopen to members on Saturday, 18 July and non-members on Sunday, 19 July. Please keep an eye on our website for details.