Exploring the wider estate and watermill at Acorn Bank

Snowdrops form a huge white blanket in the woods from the end of January, and Snowdrop Weekends are a great opportunity to come and see this amazing spectacle (on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 February - 1 March). The café, watermill, second-hand bookshop and gardens will also be open so you can enjoy a wander and a bite to eat.

We'll then be open on 7, 8, 14 & 15 March so you can come along and enjoy a peaceful weekend wander in the garden and parkland before we open for the season on Monday 16 March.

Lots of birds flock to the estate for the winter. Redwing and Fieldfares scour the hedgerows for berries, and Siskin and Redpoll form a flock of up to 60 birds near the watermill, feeding on the Alders. In cold, frosty weather, woodcocks use the woodland floor to rest during the day, and feed in unfrozen areas under the big trees looking for worms and grubs.

Snipe can also be found in the fields during the winter, and Dippers and Grey Wagtails are easier to see at Crowdundle Beck in the woods.

Spot flocks of geese and wintering Whooper Swans flying over Acorn Bank as they move up and down the Eden Valley.

Roe deer use the estate during the winter, sheltering in the woods - and causing problems in the gardens if they can find a way in!

Tucked away between the trees and the Crowdundle Beck, the watermill is only a short walk from the garden. There has been a watermill at Acorn Bank for hundreds of years. The first mention is made in 1323 when the estate passed to the Knights Hospitaller, however the present building dates from the early 19th century.

You can see it working and chat to the millers about restoration work from April to October on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, 11am–3pm. On Tuesdays during the school holidays, you'll find light refreshments bering served at the Mill.

Although primarily a corn mill, the mill was also used to provide power to the gypsum mines which were on the estate.

The mill stopped working in the 1940s and gradually fell into a state of ruin. Its restoration began in the late 1980s when the woodland walks were also opened, allowing visitors greater access to the estate.

The mill building was partially restored with the help of work experience teams and has been open to the public since 1995.

Since 2007 the mill has undergone further transformation with the help of a dedicated team of volunteers who have restored its machinery to working order. Flour was ground for the first time in more than 70 years in September 2011. The volunteer team’s achievement was recognised when they won the Marsh Heritage Volunteering Award in 2012. These volunteers stepped up to the plate again in early 2021, when, owing to COVID-19, it was feared the mill may have to close due to scaled-back operations at Acorn Bank.

The team formed the Acorn Bank Watermill Trust, and the mill continues to produce flour. Follow their endeavours on the Acorn Bank Watermill Trust website  and at facebook.com/acornbankwatermill.

If you're interested in volunteering, email the team directly at david.robertson@acornbankwatermill.org.uk