Let's restore historic mill

24 June 2009

A TV historian is backing a campaign to restore the machinery in the House Mill on the outskirts of the Olympic Park.

Dan Cruickshank, presenter of BBC TV's The Best Buildings of Britain and What the Industrial Revolution Did For Us, is leading the campaign to restore the machinery in the historic mill in Bromley-by-Bow.

He said: "The House Mill is the largest remaining tidal mill in the world and is a hidden gem in a deprived area of East London. The building is hugely important both for its heritage value and its future potential to generate hydro-electricity."

He is backing the Three Mills Partnership in efforts to secure the future of the building.

The Three Mills in Bromley-by-Bow were crucial to the existence of Londoners during the medieval period when they were used to grind wheat to supply the whole of London with flour.

In the 1500s the mills were used to grind gunpowder before grinding corn for distilleries from 1728 until the early 20th century.

After the Blitz, the House Mill fell into disuse and disrepair before the River Lea Tidal Mill restored the exterior in the 1980s.

The partnership has submitted an application to English Heritage and other bodies to raise funds for an options appraisal which would help determine sustainable solution for the House Mill and site.

Full story by Kay Atwal in this week's Recorder