New owners unveil plans to revive historic watermill

A historic Leeds watermill is set for a new lease of life after being acquired by four owners with plans to reopen the site as a museum, pub and cafe.

Will Habergham, Terry George, Michael Rothwell and Kirk Allen have taken ownership of Thwaite Mills, a Grade II-listed site in Stourton that has been closed to the public since April 2024.

Restoration work is beginning this week and is expected to take around 12 months, although no reopening date has yet been confirmed.

The new owners say early plans include bringing the mill back into use as a working museum alongside a pub and cafe with canal-side seating.

Its grounds will be fully landscaped and made freely accessible to walkers, runners and dog walkers, while longer-term ambitions include a beer garden, weddings and small music events.

Free family activities are also planned, with the new owners exploring the return of craft fairs and car boot sales previously held at the site.

Community involvement will form a key part of the restoration, with Friends of Thwaite Mills being relaunched and volunteers invited to help shape the attraction’s future.

Members will receive project updates and opportunities to participate in volunteer days, while the restoration itself will be documented through a social media diary.

Will said: “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.”

Built between 1823 and 1825, Thwaite Mills originally operated as a flax mill before later producing whiting and paint.

Commercial operations continued until 1975, when a broken weir threatened the mill’s future.

Local volunteers stepped in to save the site the following year, paving the way for its opening as a museum in 1990.

Members of the public can find out more, sign up as a Friend of Thwaite Mills and follow the restoration diary at www.thwaitemills.com and on social media at @thwaitemills.

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