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January meeting 08
Stormy, wintry weather conditions did not deter some thirty audience members from
coming to our January meeting , when the speaker Mr John Cumberland of Ilkley,
gave a very interesting illustrated account of the work of the Gayle Mill Trust.
John , who is a Trust director, described the history of the mill in Gayle, a village
near Hawes in Upper Wensleydale,from its construction as a local watermill in the
1780's, after which it was a sawmill, making implements for homes and farms in the
area for a long time, until it fell into disuse in the 1950's. The Trust, seeing its potential as a heritage centre, stepped in in the 1980's and began the long process of restoring the mill, helped by its sturdy construction which had prevented it from becoming completely derelict and by grants from several national and local organisations. The aim is to make the mill into a combined heritage centre and training centre for timber-related crafts, though John described the problems involved in trying to combine modern technology and health and safety requirements
with trying to preserve the original atmosphere. Work continues, though the mill is
now open to visitors. |