Fantastic work is going on to save the mill from total dereliction and make it a place of activity and usefulness. As part of this I was asked to tutor one of the Heritage Courses run there.
The volunteers were fantastic and made me feel very welcome, even carrying stone and my work benches over the bridge to our workplace. They also kept us going with tea and coffee when needed.
The mill is on a tiny island, making use of the wide, fast flowing river Derwent for its power.
Lots of people turned up for the 'Have a Go' session in the morning and some wonderful carvings were done by young and old. In the afternoon we had a Letter Cutting session, with participants who had booked for the workshop. What a beautiful place to concentrate and carve - in the grounds of a beautiful stone building with the gurgling river a few feet away.
These carvers showed some of the wildlife found at the river edge.
This carving is of the Archimedes Screw, which is located just at the river's edge and provides all the electrical power at the mill.
One person carved an image of Jenny
Greenteeth - I had never heard of her - but apparently she
is a figure in English folklore - a river hag who would pull little
children and the elderly into the water and drown them!
Thanks all - a very enjoyable and happy day!
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