Stowford Mill, Ivybridge, is one of Devon’s oldest industrial sites – and it’s undergoing a transformation to become ‘trendy’, says The Plymouth Herald.
The Plymouth Herald writes:
The red brick chimney at Stowford Mill juts out above the trees lining the River Erme, framed by the swooping arches of the railway viaduct above it. Just a stone’s throw away from Ivybridge Community College, the mill is one of Devon’s oldest industrial sites. But it has been empty since the final members of staff walked out in early 2014. Now it is undergoing a stunning transformation and will soon be one of the trendiest places in Ivybridge to live, eat and shop.
The Grade II listed mill, with its landmark chimney and engine house, is being converted into 27 apartments, with a new ‘town square’ – made up of boutique shops, restaurants and cafes – next to it. Further up the site, 32 new houses are being built, plus 40 retirement apartments, with a new entrance road and landscaping. Mark Edworthy is the managing director of Burrington Estates, which bought the site five years ago, and since then has been acquiring planning permission, demolishing buildings and putting modern infrastructure in place.
For the last six months, the team has been undertaking ‘phase one’ of the build, and soon the foundations for the new housing will be put in place.
‘This is a gorgeous historical mill and we’re very excited to be on site transforming it into a vibrant place to live and work,’ said Mark, who co-owns Stowford Mill. For heritage reasons, we are leaving all the historical buildings, but constructing 32 new houses, 40 retirement apartments and converting the old mill into 27 flats, as well as a commercial area with a new town square, which will contain restaurants, coffee shops and boutique retail, so very exciting. A whole place to live and work will be created.’
Stowford Mill has been in operation as a paper mill for over 200 years, and prior to this it was a corn mill. It was run by Arjo Wiggins until March 2014, when the company transferred most of its operations to Stoneywood Mill in Aberdeen. Following the closure of Arjo Wiggins, the majority of the equipment within the mill was removed, and the state of the buildings deteriorated rapidly. Now most of the modern additions to the mill have been demolished, and contractors are working to secure the most historic parts of the site…
