Second Waterheel Project

At one time Acorn Bank Watermill boasted three water wheels. The first was restored and has been in use since 2011, making flour on a regular basis. It has long been an ambition of the maintenance team to reinstate the second water wheel and get it turning again. Old photos from the 1950s and 1980s show the two wheels sitting next to each other.

The second wheel in the 1950s

The wheels in 1981, the second wheel in the foreground

As a Grade II* listed watermill we had to obtain planning and listed building permission as a first stage in the process. This was achieved in 2022 after a well-presented application by our secretary. While this process was going on we gained some experience in what was required to build the wheel by setting up a temporary partial reconstruction.

A second major issue was the cost of the reconstruction project. This was helped considerably by a legacy from Barbara Boazman and Nancy Armstrong, two ladies who loved the old mill and remembered it. There is a plaque to commemorate their legacy on the wall in the mill yard.

Sarah Greenop uncovers a plaque commemorating

Barbara Boazman and Nancy Armstrong