Historic Thwaite Mills in Stourton is set to undergo a 12-month community restoration after four new owners took over the Grade II listed site with plans to reopen it as a working museum, pub, cafe, and canal-side beer garden.
New owners Will Habergham, Terry George, Michael Rothwell, and Kirk Allen are starting work this week, more than two years after the historic watermill closed to the public in April 2024. The project will be carried out alongside local volunteers through the relaunched Friends of Thwaite Mills supporters group.
“Thwaite Mills was saved by its community once before, and it’ll be brought back by its community now. We’re not going to disappear for a year and come back with a ribbon to cut. We want people watching it happen, turning up, and telling us what they want this place to be.”
— Will Habergham, Director of Thwaite Mills
Built between 1823 and 1825, Thwaite Mills operated commercially until 1975 before local volunteers stepped in to save the structure, opening it as a museum in 1990.
The revitalised site will feature a new pub and cafe with canal-side outdoor seating, alongside fully landscaped grounds that remain free for runners and dog walkers. The plans also include the return of popular craft fairs, car boot sales, and free family event days, with longer-term goals for weddings and live music while restoring the core historic watermill as a functioning museum.
Rather than waiting for a single reopening date, the owners will document the entire restoration step-by-step through an online social media diary. Members of the public can sign up to join the Friends of Thwaite Mills, participate in volunteer days, and submit feedback on the project at www.thwaitemills.com or via @thwaitemills on social channels.
