Gayle Mill, North Yorkshire facts for kids
Gayle Mill is a very old building in the small village of Gayle, England. It was built around 1784. People believe it is the oldest cotton mill that still looks mostly the same as when it was first built. The mill is located about one mile south of the market town of Hawes, within the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park. Cultura Trust owns the mill. It is now open to visitors, showing how old machinery used to work.
Contents
History of Gayle Mill
From Cotton to Sawmill
The mill is a special building, listed as Grade II*. This means it's an important historical building that needs to be protected. It was first built by Oswald and Thomas Routh to spin cotton using power from a large waterwheel. This waterwheel was 22 feet tall! By 1813, the mill started spinning flax and wool for the local knitting industry. For a time in the 1800s, people even lived inside the mill.
Around 1879, Gayle Mill changed into a sawmill. The big waterwheel was removed. In its place, a special water turbine was installed. This turbine is very rare, and it's thought to be the only one of its kind still working today! This turbine powered different woodworking machines. It ran tools like a sawbench, a circular saw, a planer, and lathes using belts and pulleys.
Electricity and War Time
In 1919, a part of the mill was used to make electricity for the local area. The turbines helped generate power for the village until 1948. During the Second World War, soldiers stayed on the top floor of the mill. The millpond, which held water for the mill, was even used for secret tests. These tests were part of the preparations for the Normandy landings, a very important event in the war.
Restoration and Reopening
Saving the Mill
Gayle Mill stopped working in 1988 after more than 100 years as a sawmill. It looked like it might be turned into homes. But in 2004, the mill became famous when it appeared on a TV show called Restoration on BBC2. It won the regional competition and was one of the top three in the national finals.
Because of this, work began in 2004 to fix up the mill. The restoration took four years and cost over £1 million. Money for the repairs came from several groups, including the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage.
A New Chapter for Gayle Mill
A group of local volunteers helped form the Gayle Mill Trust. The mill officially reopened to the public in 2008. The TV show's host, Griff Rhys Jones, even came back in 2009 to film an update on the restoration. In 2012, Gayle Mill was also shown on another TV program called How Britain Worked on Channel 4.
For several years, the mill was a place where people could learn traditional woodworking skills. It was also a popular visitor attraction. It showed how old machinery worked and how energy could be used sustainably.
In April 2018, the mill closed again because more repairs were needed to make it safer for visitors. Fundraising started, and refurbishment work began in 2020. The building work was finished in 2021. Since then, Gayle Mill has reopened to the public on a part-time basis, continuing to share its amazing history.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in North Yorkshire
- Listed buildings in Hawes
