The Hereford Times

There’s an old mill by the stream

4:22pm Friday 9th May 2008

OLD watermills across Here-fordshire will turn back time this weekend to show how they were once the ‘wheel thing’.

Included in the county’s contribution to National Mills weekend is Mortimer’s Cross Mill, near Lucton, with its rare 19th century waterpowered dust extractor.

The waterwheel will be turning all day but only grinding corn between 3pm and 4pm. Mortimer’s Cross is the only workable water-powered corn mill in Herefordshire and dates from 1750.

Other mills open over this weekend include Clodock, near Longtown, Clodock mill; Kington, Hergest mill; Eastnor, Clenchers mill; Much Cowarne, Cowarne mill; Rowlestone, Rowlestone mill; Staunton-on-Arrow, Court of Moke mill; Kingsland, Arrow mill; Staunton-on-Arrow, Staunton mill; Hereford, Waterworks museum and Mordiford, Mordiford mill.

Herefordshire organiser Alan Stoyel hopes that the weekend will help keep alive the heritage and ancient buildings.

“There are not many working mills around anymore but now at least we are saving the buildings. The county once had more than 400 working mills producing the local flour but now they are fast disappearing from the landscape.” The event, organised by the mills section of the Society for the Protection Of Ancient Buildings will feature 300 mills around the country.