Victorian mill and history society join weekend of culture

The event runs from 10am to 4pm and will take place at the historical site on Langford Road in Biggleswade.

The Victorian Mill museum will be open to the public and people will be able to see the iconic machinery running at specific times, throughout the day.

There will be free interactive children’s activities and other local partners on site, who will also be providing free activities and demonstrations.

This year, in recognition of the centenary of the Universal Suffrage Act, the mill will be celebrating ‘Extraordinary Women’ and commemorating Pamela Jordan. Her outstanding dedication to her family and the Jordans brand were paramount to its success. On the day there will be a dedication board detailing her life story, which will be displayed in the Mill museum.

For nearly 70 years Pamela (aka Whizzer) Jordan has been an inspiration and the “all-pervading spirit” of Holme Mills.

The younger daughter of Great Barford farmer, Stan (who flew in WW1), she met husband, John, also a flyer and miller, and moved into the Mill House in 1949.

The match of any modern-day biker, she rode despatches around on a 650CC machine across a wartime countryside with no sign posts or navigational aids.

Living “above the shop” as she has since then has brought a number of responsibilities from running a home kitchen-based laboratory for checking flour samples, to running a highly successful “Mill shop” operation where products made on the mill site were tested and sold.

Whizzer’s support, enthusiasm and commitment to all activities that have taken place at Holme Mills have been critical to the sites’ evolvement and success.

Director, William Jordan, said: “We want to encourage people of all ages in our community to come and visit our beautifully restored Mill museum and watch the machines as they worked when we were children. This is our way of showing people young and old that milling is fun and very important so that we can preserve the mill and its history for future generation.”

“This year’s theme is very close to my family’s heart because we get to celebrate the most “Extraordinary” woman that we know, our mum.

We look forward to opening our doors to the public on 8th September for what promises to be a fun day for all the family.”

Demonstrations of the working Mill in action will be available during allotted times. Machines will run for half an hour during the following times: session one (10.30am-11.30am) session two (11.30am – 12.00pm) session three (12.30pm-13.00pm) session four (13.30pm-14.00pm).

Admission to the event is free for everyone and there is free parking available on site. www.jordansmill.com

>> Biggleswade History Society will be holding two open days from 10am to 4pm with free entry, on Friday, September 7 and Saturday, September 8, at Trinity Methodist Church,

There will be a display about those who served in World War 1. In the church there will be a film of those who lost their lives, many of whom are listed on the war memorials inside. There will be a second film of ‘Biggleswade: Times Past’ compiled by members of Trinity Methodist Church.

View research work carried out by members, along with a photographic display and medals. There will be material to buy, including books and ephemera surplus to society requirements which are looking for a good home in exchange for a small donation. Afternoon tea and cakes will be served in Footprints.