TRIP TO STOTT PARK BOBBIN MILL

I am busy editing Douglas Philipson's memoir of the bobbin mill at Sparkbridge. Sadly, Douglas died some years ago and I am having to do a bit of research to make sure I have understood the details of a working mill correctly. Luckily, English Heritage have preserved the Stott Park Bobbin Mill near Lakeside and opened it to the public. (www.engheritage.org) It is the only one of its kind. I went over there last Monday. It was a beautiful day, the mill looked just as it does in this photograph. Visitors are given a guided tour and shown the old machinery still in operation. It really is worth a trip and I was particularly pleased to discover that the Sparkbridge Bobbin Mill book will be a valuable contribution to the history of bobbin making in the south lakes. There is very little available on the subject and Douglas's memoir, as well as being technically detailed, paints a fascinating portrait of the everyday lives of the people who worked there in the early days of the 20th Century.