An historic Cumbrian mill has been brought into community ownership following a £2m restoration project which protects the site for future generations.
The corn mill at Warwick Bridge dates back to 1170 and flour has been made at the site for over 800 years, although has not been in use in recent years. It was largely rebuilt in 1845 and its recent restoration has equipped it for the future.
New and restored buildings and machinery has come at a cost of £2m, including a £1.34m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and further funding from Historic England, the RDPE LEADER programme, and others including the Headley Trust, one of the Sainsbury family trusts.
To ensure the mill continues to thrive and can serve future generations of the community, Cultura Trust, the owner of the site, has leased the mill to Warwick Bridge Corn Mill Limited, a community benefit society, which will oversee the running of the mill.
Through a community share issue, which has seen over 200 people become shareholders in the venture, locals will be living, breathing, baking and eating the fresh straight-out-of-the-oven results of their efforts.
Warwick Bridge Corn Mill Limited has engaged a community enterprise based in Edinburgh, Breadshare, to run the operation. This will include flour production, baked products and courses in traditional breadmaking. In addition, volunteers will be able to lend a hand learning some of the skills in milling to keep the mill turning, which will keep the flour flowing.
The unique lease was prepared by law firm Sintons, longstanding lawyers to charity Cultura.
Graham Bell, director of Cultura Trust, said the handover marks 20 years of the trust’s determination to save this piece of living history and pass it into the hands of the community to run.
“We looked at options including creating a microbrewery, which back then were rare, but really, this mill has flour dust engrained in its walls and floorboards – we couldn’t ignore that call to revive the life it was made for,” he said.
Phil Healy, a neighbour of the corn mill who watched the mill sit idle, became the founding chairman of Warwick Bridge Corn Mill Limited.
“Receiving the sluice-gate key as a symbol of the lease is in character with this wonderful, powerful, longstanding “member of our community” that we’ll be taking care of. Every one of over 200 people who have bought shares feel strongly about this mill – their mill, their neighbour, their investment,” he said.
Paul Liddle, partner in the real estate team at Sintons, added: “This is a much-loved community site with a proud history stretching back hundreds of years. To revive its flour making past in the hands of local people who are so passionate about its purpose is a fantastic achievement. The corn mill can now serve this community for generations to come and we are delighted to have supported Cultura in enabling this benevolent handover.”
