Gleaston Water Mill

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Gleaston Water Mill

This manorial corn mill is set in the rolling farmland of the Furness Peninsula. This rural spot has This rural spot has gone virtually unaltered for centuries.

18/06/2026

In Pig's Whisper , blue and white on the dresser this week.

15/06/2026

Two days of kind weather and with no one staying in Lile Cottage it's been the perfect time for restaining the doors and windows. At last the job's done. It was planned for twice before. We'd blocked dates off in the diary in preparation but each time the weather was way to wet to make a start and when the weather did improve we had bookings. Just the white paintwork to tackle at the next opportunity.
So that's what I do on days when I'm not in the shop.

10/06/2026

If you see someone without a smile - give them one of yours.

06/06/2026

Just over a week ago I planted up six hanging baskets. Luckily because of the change in the weather I opted to keep them in the greenhouse. Safe from the battering torrential showers and with some regular gentle watering they are blooming lovely.

04/06/2026

Before the mid nineteenth century commercial matches were expensive, so families would use long thin strips of rolled paper or long thin slivers of wood, called spills. Supplies of these spills were usually placed near the open fire so after being lit a spill could transfer its flame to light a candle, an oil lamp or a pipe.
This Victorian pair of spill vases would probably have been placed on a mantelpiece for easy access. Designs of spill vases varied tremendously. This pair with a lustre glaze feature rather glamorous fairies. Nowadays probably bit twee for modern tastes but ideal if repurposed for storing makeup brushes .

02/06/2026

86 years ago today Operation Dynamo was in progress. Also known as the "Miracle of Dunkirk" between May 6th and June 4th 1940 almost 930 vessels set off from England to cross the English Channel on a massive rescue mission to bring home 338,000 allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk. The soldiers were cut off and surrounded by the German army. The fleet of vessels included heavily armed Navy vessels but mainly consisted of an Armada of little boats. The now famous " Little ships " were made up from an odd mix of fishing vessels, pleasure yachts, life boats and rowing boats...... pretty much anything that could float and bring back some of the lads.
Thanks to the memories of the late Marie Edmondson we now have her recollections of life at the mill during World War Two and have dedicated one room of the museum to give a taste of mill life at that time. Life here carried on as normal but anti aircraft guns under camouflage netting, while awaiting dispersal , were stored in Mill Meadow and one of the malting rooms was used by Vickers Shipbuilding to store electrical spare parts. During the Barrow blitz families came out of the town every night to seek safety and we have a list of all those who found shelter at the mill house or within the mill itself . Our two Salford evacuees would have found the rural lifestyle so different from their life at home.

30/05/2026

Our Lile Cottage basking in the afternoon sunshine all ready for today's guest arriving. Once the farrowing house for the miller's pigs it is now a cosy holiday home for couples.

29/05/2026

Thank you for visiting us and leaving your lovely comments in the visitors' book . Please tell your friends about Gleaston Watermill.

28/05/2026

Nowadays we rely on fridges to keep our food chilled and safe from insects in hot weather. From the early 1700s right up to the 1960s people relied on having a meat safe in their home to protect their food. Although not able to chill the food the fine zinc mesh panels allowed a flow of cool air through the cabinet especially if the safe was sited in a cool area in the home. The mesh also prevented blow flies laying their eggs on exposed morsels.
The photograph shows the meat safe which belonged here at the mill house. The lower section has hooks in the top on which to suspend sausages or joints of meat. I doubt food would remain in the meat safe for long since the families at the mill were large and working in and around the mill would create healthy appetites.
Our meat safe is in a tatty condition because after it served its purpose in the house it was used to store hand tools in the mill. It is a larger version of what would normally be found in most homes.

27/05/2026

Baskets, bouquets and a green stag beetle....... everything you have ever wanted.......and more.
Pig's Whisper gift shop is open until 4.30pm today. Call in after visiting the tearoom and the museum. .

Address

Gleaston
Ulverston
LA120QH

Telephone

01229869244

Website

http://www.watermill.co.uk/

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