Georgian Whitchurch Silk Mill reopens after £2m revamp

Mill machinery at Whitchurch Silk Mill is powered by water

A silk mill which has been operating for more than two centuries has reopened after a £2m restoration project.

Whitchurch Silk Mill in Hampshire produces silk using Victorian looms and hydro-powered machinery.

The Grade II* listed building has been preserved and the interior remodelled during the two-year project.

The machines have also been repaired to allow workers to pass on their skills to trainees.

The mill offers traineeships teaching people from Berkshire and Hampshire to weave using traditional skills

"It's the only one of its kind in the country," said Christine Beresford, chairman of the Whitchurch Silk Mill Trust.

"There are still a few silk mills in England but they're commercial - most of them use modern machinery and they're not open to the public."

The mill was built in 1815 on the River Test and has been open to the public since 1990

The mill operates as a museum and offers traineeships teaching people from Berkshire and Hampshire to weave using traditional skills.

The products made are then sold to help fund the building and its work.

The machines at the mill date from the 1890s to the 1960s

The mill, built in 1815 on the River Test, opened to the public in 1990.

The project to restore it was part-funded with £1.7m of Heritage Lottery Funding and a grant of £100,000 from the Greenham Common Trust.

During the revamp, exhibition space was also created inside the mill