NewsTotnes Town

Urgent call for help! Totnes Waterwheel…

Totnes Town Mill Waterwheel Restoration Project.

13th January 2020

A restoration grant is being sought by the charity, Totnes Trust, for repairs to the Water Wheel that is part of an historic and important 16th century, Grade II Listed industrial building known as Town Mill, Coronation Road, Totnes.  The property is now in the ownership of the Totnes Trust and is sited in a very prominent position near the town centre, fronting busy pedestrian and vehicle routes.

 

Until 1945 the Town Mill was used for the milling of corn. Its water supply is from the leat that is fed from a weir, further upstream from the town on the River Dart. It formed part of the town’s strong industrial heritage along with adjacent buildings used variously over the years as woollen and fulling mills and an abattoir. For some 45 years the Town Mill became a storage unit and offices as part of the nearby meat processing activities. In 1978 the Town Mill was Listed as a ‘Building of Historic Interest’ by Historic England. The Mill is still in day to day use as a coffee/cocktail bar and also houses the Totnes Image Bank.

The woodwork on the wheel has now deteriorated to such a state that it can no longer be operated. We have applied for a grant to cover the full restoration project cost and have been successful in reaching the second round. The restoration will be carried out using local craftsmen.

What’s needed?

One stipulation in the grant offering is that we as a town must be able to show local support for the project. We therefore ask, if readers consider this is a worthwhile project; could they email a short note to info.totnestrust@gmail.com stating their support plus their name. For various reasons we need to get the application completed by Saturday 18th January.

 

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emma craig
emma craig
5 years ago

Done . Please update us on how else we can help.
Thanks

Jean Harris
Jean Harris
5 years ago

I support the project to restore the waterwheel I’m the town.

Peter Shearn
Admin
5 years ago
Reply to  Jean Harris

Thanks for your comment – The most effective thing to help would be to send it as an email to info.totnestrust@gmail.com before Friday…

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