Flour Power - National Mills Weekend 12th/13th May 2007

The SPAB have issued their press release about this years National Mills Weekend:

Over the weekend of 12th/13th May more than 400 of the country's wind and watermills will be open to the public as part of (SPAB's) the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings National Mills Weekend - an event which celebrates Britain's milling heritage. With questions about sustainable energy and interest in where our food comes from traditional Wind and Watermills provide some of the answers. All over the country families and individuals will be able to visit a variety of mills that have harnessed natural power for centuries.

Many mills from Little Salkeld in Cumbria to Lyme Regis in Dorset have in recent years opened bakeries where visitors can sample the produce made from the flour which is usually grown locally as well.

Simon Hudson from SPAB says: “"What better way of protecting the environment and supporting local food than by visiting your local mill? It is satisfying to know that even in our computerized age, technology that provided bread for our ancestors is still in use today."

More than 30 mills nationwide are run commercially these include Mapledurham in Oxfordshire with its unique lady miller and Maud Foster Windmill in Boston probably the finest working windmill in the country. Many of these mills are members of the Traditional Corn Millers Guild which was established by three SPAB members. The SPAB Mills Section regularly produces a book giving details of which mills are open to the public. The 8th edition of Mills Open is being published to coincide with National Mills Weekend this year.

Visiting Britain's wind and watermills is often seen as a nostalgic link to our past, but could they provide an environmentally friendly answer to some questions facing us today?