£1.4m grant for Warwick Bridge mill

A Cumbrian mill has been awarded £1.4 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund to help get it back in working order.

The money will go towards the North of England Civic Trust's £2 million project to refurbish the corn mill at Warwick Bridge, near Carlisle.

It wants open the historic mill, which dates back to the 1840s, as a tourist attraction with a traditional bakery on site.

The Trust plans to:

• re-commission the historic machinery

• employ an engineer to train people with the "traditional skills" of the mill

• use the mill's machinery for production, visitor demonstrations, and as a source of natural hydro power

• hire an education officer to work with local schools and colleges to make the mill a resource for learning

Graham Bell, Director of NECT, says the £1,379,300 grant is an important step in ensuring the history of the mill is preserved.