Events & News | Eling Experience

Hello Again,

As you will recall from my first update in August, the mill repairs were due to commence on 29th September. I am delighted to say everything went to plan with regards to the start date and thus far our contractors are on schedule to finish on time too. Hopefully we will be testing & training before the end of the year, ready to produce flour early 2026, all being well.

The most significant aspect of the repair work was the replacement of the two timber bearing beams that support the waterwheel bearing and gearing mechanism. These can be seen in the 1st photo below with circles highlighting the water damage. We could no longer operate safely with these beams in place. The second photo shows the pit after beams have been removed but not yet replaced.

Some of you may recall these beams were to be replaced with greenheart timer, originally grown in South America. The wood is extremely hard and strong and so it cannot be worked with standard tools. It is durable in marine conditions often used to build docks and other structures.

I am pleased to report these are now in place! Although there is still plenty of work to do yet, we have managed to turn the waterwheel by hand to test all wheels are synced, stable and meshing correctly. Something we have not seen for a significant period of time.

The next photo below shows the steel structure constructed above the under croft (wheel pit) to aid the fitting of the two new beams. You can see how difficult and awkward this was to complete in such a tight space.

We have taken many more photos of the work taking place. At some point in the near future we will display these in the Tide Mill Shop, ETME Café, Facebook and on our Web Site. Watch this space for details. I also have these photos on my phone, so if you see me at any point please feel free to stop me and ask to see them.

For those of you that have walked past the mill recently you will also have noticed some repair work taking place on the exterior of the building too. All our timber windows and doors are having a facelift for the first time in a very long time. You can already see the positive difference this makes to the building, whilst at the same time making the building safer.

We would like to thank local residence for their patience and understanding whilst the scaffold and barriers are in place to allow the work to take place.

Kind Regards

Gary Mitchell (Miller)

Hello

Firstly, I would like to introduce myself as the new Miller at Eling Tide Mill. My name is Gary Mitchell; I have been in my new position since early June. Prior to moving into the Miller role, I was part of the Toll Bridge Team, some of you will already know me.

My First Update:

My original intention was to introduce myself in July, whilst at the same time giving an update on the proposed mill repairs. However, due to the changing situation throughout July, I wanted to wait until we had something more significant and exciting to tell you!

The excellent news is we now have a timeline for making the mill safe to mill again, with our expert contractors ready and eager to start

29th September 2025.

Some of the materials required to complete repairs, such as ‘greenheart timber’ (follow link for more details on this fascinating wood Chlorocardium rodiei - Wikipedia) have a longer lead time.

So, with a favourable tide, my next update will be to inform you how the repairs have progressed and when we can expect to be producing flour. Until then if you wish to call in to see me please do so.

Don’t forget the mill is still open for visitors should you wish to visit prior to the repairs starting. Opening times can be found on Eling Tide Mill Experience web page or by following this link Home | Eling Experience.

Kind Regards

Gary Mitchell (Miller)

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