Chinese TV Film Crew at Mellor Mill

 China’s National TV is making a ten-episode documentary on INNOVATION. One programme will cover the Industrial Revolution in England, particularly the textile inventions. The film-makers approached the Textile Institute, who contacted me, as a former Chairman of Council, to be interviewed. The date clashed with Oldknow Legacy Project meetings, so I could not go. Instead, I suggested that an important place to film would be the site of the largest mill in the world when it was built in 1790-92.

Heritage Lottery Fund Support Update, May 2013

John Hearle writes: At 4-30 pm on Tuesday May 28:  an hour before the deadline for a decision in September, an application was submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund by Canal & River Trust and Mellor Archaeological Trust for "Revealing Oldknow's Legacy: Mellor Mill and the Peak Forest Canal in Marple".

The full application

This full Stage 2 application was the result of nine months of hard work during the development phase following the success of the Stage 1 application. The effort was directed by a Steering Group consisting of Nick Smith and Fiona Turpin of C&RT and John Hearle and Bob Humphrey-Taylor of MAT, supported by an Advisory Group, chaired by Norman Redhead, County Archaeologist, with representatives of SMBC, Marple Civic Society, Vision for Marple, Marple Local History Society and Marple Locks Heritage Society – Bob H-T also wore another hat as Chairman of Mellor Society! The “out-of-pocket” costs were met by a grant of £45,000 from HLF plus £5000 each from C&RT and MAT, but the notional costed input of volunteer time (professional £350, skilled £150, unskilled £50 per day) made up a roughly equal sum.

Heritage Lottery Fund Support Update, February 2013

John Hearle writes:

It takes two or three months for the bureaucratic stages that lead to “permission to proceed” from HLF, but we are on track to submit the full application in May. The Steering Group, consisting of Nick Smith and Fiona Turpin (CRT) and John Hearle and Bob Humphrey-Taylor (MAT) has met twice with Nick Herepath, the grants officer from HLF. A larger management board has been set up. The Chairman is Norman Redhead, County Archaeologist, and the additional members are Alison Allcard (Marple Locks Heritage Society), Paul Hartley (SMBC), Ann Hearle (Marple Local History Society), Sue Ingham (Marple Vision Partnership), and Gillian Postill (Marple Civic Society).

The management board posing for a press release.

A number of consultants have been appointed to provide inputs to the full application:

• Conservation Management and Access: Architectural History Practice (AHP);
• Activity Plan: Parkin Heritage and Tourism;
• Digital Technology and Learning: Stardotstar and Helen Manchester, Bristol University;
• Mellor Mill Survey: Bob Humphrey-Taylor;
• Limekilns Desk Based Assessment: Peter Arrowsmith;
• Education and Community Involvement: Don Henson and Rob Isherwood.

Something that encourages me and gives me confidence for the future is that all the consultants are extremely enthusiastic about the project when they view the site and see its potential. In addition to meetings with the consultants, we had a digital learning strategy workshop at the Roman Lakes tearooms, when teachers and others presented their ideas in a brain-storming session led by Helen Manchester.

Much of the mill site itself has been explored with the work over the last two years, though there is still a need for trial trenches of the back wall and the engine house area. Bob has had a digger clearing bits of the area nearer the river and Rachel and others have been trial-trenching to find corners of workshops and the gasworks. Bob is planning a foray to find remains of Oldknow’s mansion and garden. For more on all these practical activities, follow Bob’s diary.

Heritage Lottery Fund Support Update, September 2012

An application for a grant for Mellor Mill and Oldknow's Legacy had been rejected in March 2012, but we were encouraged to collaborate with Britiash Waterways (now Canal and River Trust), whose application for Enriching Marple's Waterway Heritage [the Peak Forest Canal promoted by Oldknow] was also rejected.

The joint bid, Revealing Oldknow's Legacy: Mellor mill and the Peak Forest Canal in Marple, was submitted in June 2012. In September, we heard that the bid had been successful at Stage 1, the development stage, which will run to June 2013, when a second stage application will be submitted. A decision would be expected in September 2013. If successful, a £1.3million project would run through 2014-15-16.