Alongside the River Nene in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire are the overgrown remains of Turnells Mill - originally built in 1874
by the Whitworth Brothers, and operated by George Turnell. The
Whitworth company opened their Victoria Steam Mills nearby in 1886,
and continue to produce flour from the same premises. The watermill meanwhile continued to operate for a number of decades in the
20th century. It did eventually go out of use, and after becoming derelict, in 1975 it was set alight by vandals, and the building
demolished soon afterwards.
The site, alongside the A45 sliproad is still owned by Whitworths, and although the building has gone, there are still substantial
parts of the milling machinery remaining on the site, including the waterwheel itself. Local people, including Trevor Stainwright
(author of the definitive book on Windmills of Northamptonshire), and the Croyland Community Association are looking to uncover the
remains, and make them a feature to be enjoyed by the site's visitors. Plans include clearing the undergrowth, fencing the area, and
providing shelter and repairs to the machinery. Trevor has done much research on the mill, uncovering a lot of old photographs of
it, and such research will be used to produce an information board about the mill.
Although at an early stage, the plans have the initial support of
Wellingborough Council, and there is talk of putting in a Lottery
application. The local paper has covered the project, and those wishing to add their support can contact the reporter
stephanie.weaver@northantsnews.co.uk.
Preserving Turnells Mill, Wellingborough