Hampshire Ambassadors group visit to Winchester City Mill
I am a member of the Hampshire Ambassadors, a group of people who during the course of their business and private lives support and promote business and economy in Hampshire.
One of their recent events involved a visit to the Winchester City Mill which is located on a site that has been used for milling flour since Saxon times.
We enjoyed a presentation given by the staff, who obviously enjoyed their work, and who were able to tell us all about the first recording of the mill in the Doomsday survey of 1086. We also learnt how, following her wedding in Winchester Cathedral, Mary Tudor gifted the mill to the city in 1154. After a rebuild in 1744 the Mill remained in use until the turn of the last century. More recently the mill has been restored to full working order and after the presentation we had the opportunity to see the watermill and its machinery in all its glory.
On a personal note it was great visit and it was lovely to meet staff so passionate about their work. The downside for me was that I had just started a wheat and dairy free diet that was, until that point, going really well. However I found myself being tempted to nibble on a range of wheat products (made with flour milled at Winchester) and local cheeses – all of which were very nice indeed.
The mill is a great place to visit with the family and both young and old can enjoy watching the mill in operation.
For more information about this unique venue visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-winchestercitymill/
For more information on Hampshire Ambassadors please visit:
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/business/advice-information/hampshire-ambassadors.htm
Photo L-R – Hannah Payne from Hampshire County Council, Anne Aldridge Winchester City Mill Manager, Peter Coates-Buglear of NewNet plc, Jennifer Laing of Cresson Creative, Glenda Willis Assistant Manager of Winchester City Mill, Janet Ashfield from mpowerme and Heather Coates-Buglear of NewNet plc.
