Sarehill Mill re-opens as a working water mill

Sarehole Mill re-opened today, after £400,000 was spent during the winter de-silting the mill pond, re-roofing, installing flour milling equipment and getting the 1850 bread ovens working again.

The mill is now milling flour for the first time since, well, at least 1960, if not earlier. The bread ovens haven't baked bread since 1860.

What was a static museum has now been transformed into a working museum and you can tell the difference straight away with all the smells, noise and vibrations of an operating water mill. The water wheel is now turning full pelt - before it turned slowly with a trickle of water. Now water gushes through this wheel.

10 volunteer millers now work on the site and hopefully, once they sort out the consistency of the flour, they'll start baking bread - a kitchen for preparing the dough has also being installed.

For some background see my earlier blog entry at http://martinmullaney.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/sarehole-mill-moseley-to-start-milling.html