New Entrance to Town Mill from The Lynch officially opened by the Mayor & Mayoress

We had a wonderful afternoon at Town Mill on July 16th when we were delighted to welcome Guests of Honour, the Mayor of Lyme Regis, Councillor Pip Evans and Mayoress, Jackie Evans to officially open the new staircase providing access from The Lynch into the glorious MILLER’S GARDEN here at the mill.

A celebratory afternoon was enjoyed by everyone from Town Mill volunteers, friends and supporters of the mill, representatives from Lyme Regis Town Council and Town Mill trustees.

These artistically-inspired wheatsheaf stairs have been created and installed by the super-talented Alistair McGoldrick of Arc Edge Metalwork and are part of a suite of work which Alistair has been commissioned to undertake to elevate this special heritage site, most recently this beautiful staircase as well as complimentary gates and metalwork signage into the Miller’s Garden which replaced the utilitarian “works depot” gates which had previously been in situ. We were thrilled that Alistair and his family could join us for the grand ribbon-cutting too!

WHEATSHEAF GATES

New gates into the Miller’s Garden to compliment the new staircase from The Lynch - designed from an initial concept by Hugh Dunford Wood and made by Alistair McGoldrick of Arc Edge Metalwork

It has been possible to complete these projects because of the generous support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Lyme Regis Town Council who have recognised the significance of this free-entry heritage site in the very centre of Lyme Regis which connects both the local community and visitors alike with the rich traditions of over 700 years of stone-ground milling of flour at Town Mill and which continues daily on site to this day.

Using money donated by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the U.K.’s heritage and this support specifically enables us to maintain ancient milling methods and traditions and share them with both current and future generations.

A particular thanks must also go to the small Town Mill volunteer gardening team who undertook an unprecedented amount of heavy work re-aligning the garden to maintain its full accessibility after the new staircase had been installed - their hard work and huge commitment to maintaining the historical context of the garden means a great deal to us all and is a project we could not have got over the line without them.

We are delighted that the Mayor acknowledged the special position of the mill as a hub for artisan and creative businesses and its ability to provide a tranquil space that compliments all the special qualities this beautiful regency seaside town offers.

The mill is a free-to-visit attraction open 7 days a week and run by our extremely knowledgeable volunteers. Whilst we have introduced this new stepped access from The Lynch, the site remains accessible via step-free access from both Coombe Street / Mill Lane and along The Lynch. Our garden is designed to be wheelchair accessible and we can offer an immersive mill experience for wheelchair users with an accessible platform into the ground floor of the mill with the most beautiful view of the milling machinery in action.