Article date: Friday October 05 2007
Iconic Dartington estate building, the Lower Tweed Mill has been in the press lately and for all the right reasons. Dartington is going to switch the lights back on.
This landmark building beside Bidwell Brook has been lying vacant for nine years. Built in the 1930’s to manufacture Dartington Tweed, this Grade II listed textile mill housed several other businesses before falling out of use in the 1990s. Many plans to utilise the space have been proposed and, until now, all have fallen along the wayside. Dartington is delighted to have found the answers to the many and complex planning, financial, highways and listed building questions needed to at last bring the Lower Tweed Mill can back into use.
The £715,000 refurbishment of the site will supply warehousing and office space for the adjacent Dartington Cider Press Centre. A grant of £82,000 has been awarded from Devon Renaissance towards the renovation, which will also house a new ecommerce venture by Dartington Trading Company. Part of Dartington Trading Company’s Director, John Stainton’s vision is for a carbon neutral building. The water wheel will be used to generate electricity to power the site and electric vehicles working across Dartington Cider Press Centre – perhaps offering enough spare capacity to send electricity back to the national grid overnight.
Work will start in the next few weeks with life returning to the Lower Tweed Mill in August 2008.
James Ravilious Image Courtesy of The Dartington Hall Archive
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The Dartington Hall Trust is a registered charity no. 279756. Company no. 1485560. Registered Office: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EL United Kingdom. Telephone 01803 847000; Fax 01803 847007;