AN historic bobbin mill is marking 50 years since its closure as a commercial mill.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the closure of Stott Park Bobbin Mill, staff at the English Heritage managed property will once again be running the iconic steam boiler over the weekend of the 15th October – the date that the Mill closed back in 1971.

This unique historical time-capsule, set on the shores of Windermere showcases a period of change, as machinery developed through time.

Here, up to a quarter of a million bobbins a week were produced, and the original belt driven machinery used to make them can be seen up close on each guided tour of the mill.

For three days in October (15,16,17th) the steam mill will run giving visitors an idea of the exact journey from tree to bobbin first hand, hearing, seeing and smelling just what a bobbin mill was like.

Nestled in a picturesque wooded valley, Stott Park was built in 1835 by a local landowner and extended 50 years later.

It was one of over 100 such mills that operated in the Lake District over about two centuries from the 1780s. Production continued at Stott Park until 1971 and although it wasn’t the last bobbin mill in the Lake District to close, its machines and processes had not been updated since the 19th century. It came into the care of English Heritage in 1984 and is the only surviving example of a Lakeland bobbin mill.

Visitors should book their tickets online by searching for English Heritage Stott Park Bobbin Mill.