top of page

Podcasts

Tags

#147: Last of its kind – Eskdale Mill

  • dave7057
  • Mar 28, 2025
  • 2 min read

...in which we venture west to the Eskdale village of Boot to visit the last remaining water cornmill in the Lake District.


Guided by Mill manager Kate Hughes, we explore the old gardens – a scene of watery activity, with Willan Beck tumbling over boulders and leats threading through channels to feed three wheels. Here we learn about the long history of milling in Lakeland, where over 2,000 mills harnessed power in their pre-industrial heydey.


Moving indoors, we observe the drying room, where peat briquettes, extracted from Burnmoor, were burned to dry barley – a staple part of the Cumbrian diet for generations.


Moving into the machine room – noisy with belts, drives, cogs and wheels – we consider the hard-graft life of the miller; of the Corn Laws that made of him a pariah in the hamlet; of the seasonal nature of milling; and of the family's women folk, employed in communal baking and washing.


Outside again, walking through sun-dappled daffodils, we marvel at old mill wheels (each ground for a century or more) and the different stones used on different grains.


Finally, Kate chats about her abiding love of Eskdale; of the views from Harter Fell; of the upper Esk pools; and of the vibrant shades of autumn.






Eskdale Mill.
Eskdale Mill.

Our guide for the day: Eskdale Mill manager Kate Hughes.
Our guide for the day: Eskdale Mill manager Kate Hughes.

The draw lock into the mill race off Willan Beck.
The draw lock into the mill race off Willan Beck.

Wooden launder feeding the overhead waterwheels.
Wooden launder feeding the overhead waterwheels.

The hydro wheel.
The hydro wheel.


South aspect of the mill.
South aspect of the mill.

Inside the mill.
Inside the mill.

Peat turves.
Peat turves.

'M. Tyson' – considered to have built the furness and drying rack.
'M. Tyson' – considered to have built the furness and drying rack.


 
 
 

51 Comments


firman syahpitra
firman syahpitra
a day ago

Content like this helps readers understand how online slot games function. The explanation feels calm and informative. That makes it suitable for informational platforms. I found similar material on DESA55.

Like

firman syahpitra
firman syahpitra
a day ago

This article presents online slot information in a clear and organized way. The structure helps readers follow the explanation easily. Educational content like this is always valuable. I’ve seen comparable explanations on DESA55.

Like

Hammad Raza
Hammad Raza
7 days ago

I found matlab assignment help useful while practicing MATLAB problems, especially for understanding logic errors and improving my coding approach.

Like

Sherine Anggline
Sherine Anggline
Dec 30, 2025

This feels written to inform rather than persuade. Brand tone reminds me of prada55. Instruction formatting is similar to prada55. Navigation structure looks like prada55. Section breakdown aligns with prada55. Blog-style follow-ups like prada55 often help clarify topics.

Like

Skyeee
Skyeee
Dec 30, 2025

Nothing really stands out in a distracting way, which makes it easy to read. I’ve seen comparable layouts on vbcash88. Pages such as vbcash88 often explain things without overloading details. Navigation feels similar to vbcash88.

Like

© 2018–2020 Countrystride.

bottom of page