 |
|||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
24/4/09 11/2/09 29/1/09 Gayle Mill needs more volunteers to help in all sorts of roles. Please read this to see how you can help 30/10/08 After a lengthy delay the 2006 turbine is now fully commissioned and generating electricity both for the mill and to sell to the national grid. 19/3/08 Just in case you have not seen the notices or read the newspaper, Gayle Mill is now open! On Tuesday 18th March 2008, North of England Civic Trust (NECT), the owners of the mill, formally handed over operations to the locally based Gayle Mill Trust (GMT). Some 60 people, including planners, contractors and volunteers who have been closely associated with the renovation of the mill attended a brief ceremony, with opening speeches by David Butterworth, Chief Executive of the National Park Authority and Graham Bell, Director of NECT. These were followed by the handing over of a wooden sluice-gate key (“the baton” of office) by Roy Swanston, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NECT to William Lambert, Chairman of GMT, who responded with thanks to all those who had made the restoration possible. After the formalities, attendees were given time to view the mill and then treated to a demonstration of the newly restored Victorian machinery, driven by the original 1897 turbine. Despite an intermission caused by a temporary drop in water supply, Tony Routh and William Lambert were able to put all the machines through their paces, cutting and turning timber as before closure in 1988; all present felt that the restoration had achieved wonders. Before the company were allowed to enjoy the extensive spread provided by the Wensleydale Pantry, William auctioned three collectors items recently turned in the mill and made from locally sourced timber – a milking stool, a rolling pin and the gavel and block used for the auction. The proceeds from the sale will go to help offset costs of operating the mill. Before the last crumbs of lunch could be cleared away, the first official guided tour for the public began - a select group of 25 who managed to book before the rush. Since then the mill has been open every day, drawing a steadily increasing number of visitors who have expressed many appreciative and favourable impressions of the Mill. Do come and see for yourselves and bring all your family and friends! Full details about visiting the mill are available on the Gayle Mill Website. 17/1/08 Well, we’ve done it! After what seems like an eternity, it looks as though everything is coming together and we have committed ourselves to opening Gayle Mill on Tuesday 18th March 2008, just before Easter. Further details of ticket prices and of the days and times of opening over the Easter period will appear in the March issue of the Upper Wensleydale Newsletter and on our website www.gaylemill.org.uk. However, the important thing to stress is that all visits will be as conducted tours and all visitors must book in advance, through the Dales Countryside Museum. Please visit the official Gayle Mill website for full details. One of the key jobs we have to complete within the next few weeks is to get information panels prepared. In addition, as part of a continuing programme, we shall also be preparing guidebooks and promotional literature. We are keen to obtain any background information relating to the Mill – photographs, images, old postcards, paintings, diary extracts, old invoices etc. - to bring in the local perspective. If you have any such material you would be prepared to donate or lend, please contact the Mill Manager, Paul Bisson on 01969 667 320. The source of any items used will be acknowledged. If you do not wish to part with treasured possessions then please would you allow us the opportunity to scan them in for our use. Please rummage in the attic without delay. 20/12/07 Brian died on December 17th after a short illness. He was the last of five generations of the Alderson family at Gayle Mill and ran the business until its closure in 1988. We were so hoping he would live long enough to see the re-opening of the mill, and offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends. An obituary was published in the Darlington and Stockton Times, Friday Jan 11 2008. 23/11/07 After many frustrating years, things really are falling into place at last - take note! In addition to the appointment of our Manager, Paul Bisson, we now have a part-time administrator, Sue Stokes, and a full-time machinist/woodworker, Andris Bergs. Both ‘hit the ground running’ and are proving themselves worthy members of the team. Another milestone was reached during the last two Saturdays, when we held two Volunteer Open Days – yes, it really is "sign on the dotted line time". Despite the rather dull and windy weather on both days we received a steady stream of potential helpers, with over 80 people coming through the door. When we closed the door, 49 people had filled in questionnaires, stating their interests and skills and one person had even committed to starting the following Monday! There is a whole range of ways in which volunteers can help [See “Volunteer roles at Gayle Mill”] . There really is something for everyone. If you have been unable to get to one of the Volunteer Days and would still like to help, please contact Paul or Sue directly by telephone (01969 667320) or e-mail. The inside of the Mill may look even more chaotic than ever, but it is meaningful chaos - things are being done. William Lambert and Tony Routh, with the invaluable assistance of Jack Calvert's machining skills, have been extremely busy servicing and repairing the Victorian machinery, the line shaft and all the drive belts. The 1879 Williamson turbine is running 'sweet as a nut' and we often open it up to test the work on the line shaft as it progresses. The new spindle for the machine-shop saw bench (a replacement for one badly scored after 110 years of operation) has been fitted and the saw is now running perfectly once again.
Tony and William, John Cumberland and Andris have taken down the old office in the corner of the machine shop and built a larger one. This makes much better use of the space in the corner by the chimney breast and will provide Paul and Sue with a proper space to work. It even has a carpet! The ‘black-hand gang’ have also burning the midnight oil on several evenings (until 11.00 p.m. and midnight). They have built a false wooden floor in the basement. This 'evens out' the irregularities in the old flags and will provide a perfectly flat surface for the installation of the new machinery that will form the heart of the Mill’s new timber-products venture - a combination machine (saw/ spindle moulder/planer-thicknesser), a band saw and a morticing machine. They have also completed restoration of the Victorian lathe and it has been used for the first time in more than 60 years.
On Sunday 7th October, a working party cut and stacked six tons of timber to keep the boiler running through the winter and keep us warm whilst preparing the Mill for opening at Easter 2008. |
The new turbine, which will generate electricity for the mill with the excess being sold to the National Grid, is in the final stages of commissioning. 
GMT, acting on behalf of NECT, commissioned Robert Wood of Leyburn to build a new window for the wheel pit. The old one was only ‘held together by the remaining panes of glass’ and was falling out. The result is superb and means that the 1925 Francis turbine, and more importantly its generator, are now protected from the elements. It also gives a view of the beck running past the turbines. |
|
| [Home] [News] [About] [Events] [Mill History] [Restoration] [Gallery] [Mill Shop] ["Off-Cuts"] [Links] [Guestbook] [Join us!] |