WARWICK BRIDGE CORN MILL, CARLISLE, CUMBRIA

Use can be the preserver of history; this mill has a recorded line of production on site from 1169 right up to 1989, but following the death of its miller the future looked bleak. In a £2 million lifeline project supported with substantial grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic England, Architectural Heritage Fund and a range of other supporters, Cultura restored this distinctive Cumbrian cornmill back to full working order, adding a new craft bakery. Following a successful social investment share issue in 2020 a new community benefit society was established to run the mill. The miller, Karen Mason, has been involved throughout the restoration and now uses the Victorian millstones to produce flour using locally-sourced grains, and enjoys sharing her knowledge and giving demonstrations to visitors. The mill is now operating once again at the heart of this community but, like all machines, it needs tending, and so there will always be opportunities for volunteers and trainees drawn in by the rumble of the wheel and gears or the smell of freshly baked breads.

During 2023 further work was carried out at the mill on biodiversity conservation funded through Cumbria Waste Management Environment Fund and SPAB Mills Section, conserving and enhancing the headrace, bypass and cascade which were essential in reducing d flooding risk to neighbouring properties and improving the river quality status of the Cairn Beck.

Cultura’s holistic approach to the restoration project earned it a place in the Council of Europe’s Strategy 21 good practice guide as a case study.

warwickbridgecornmill.co.uk