Historic mill makes green power

A project funded by a £53,600 grant from

Rural Enterprise Scheme to transform a 250-year-old Yorkshire Dales water mill into a working example of green power production is nearing completion. When finished, the mill will produce enough power to supply 100 households a day.

Yore Mill, in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire is a Grade 2 listed building, built in 1752 as a water powered cotton mill. In 1937 two hydroelectric turbines were installed in place of the water wheel. These remained in good working order until 1969, when the mill was closed down and its turbines fell into disuse.

The current owners hit upon the idea of restoring the fifty-year-old commercial turbines and the associated mill features needed to operate them, including the mill race and sluice gates, and generating power to sell to the national grid.

The turbines in combination with the powerful water source generate 55KW per hour per day.