The Stott Park Bobbin Mill in the village of Finsthwaite is the only working bobbin mill left in the Lake District today.
The relief model is located in the barn. It shows the high and low land in the local landscape with the location of the bobbin mill, High Dam Tarn, streams and part of Lake Windermere.
The relief model is mounted on a wooden display table with photographs of old maps of the area from 1848, 1888 and 1912 mounted on the sides.
Information given next to the maps reads as follows;
1848 The local landscapeSince Stott Park bobbin mill's construction in 1835, the surrounding landscape has hardly changed. Comparing the map of 1848 with the table-top model reveals that the area of woodland remains largely the same.
Today, however, woodland management does not revolve around coppicing and the main employer is tourism, not rural industry.
While there are a few more houses, the pattern of settlement remains one of hamlets, farms, cottages and fields on the lower ground.
1848 The Old MillA closer look at the 1848 map shows the buildings of Stott Park bobbin mill. They comprised only the Old Mill and Smithy(red). Low Stott Park Farm, bobbin turners and apprentices. The first millpond (blue), which at the time powered a waterwheel, is clearly shown.
1888 The bobbin mill after expansionBy this date there had been dramatic changes. The Old Mill was surrounded by new buildings resulting from expansion between 1869 and 1880: the pond was drained and replaced by a new one, while new buildings were put up. These held more lathes and saws for working wood, steam engine and boiler, a water turbine, drying rooms and barns for storing wood.
1888 The bobbin mill at its heightBy 1912 a few more buildings had been added (red) for storing, sawing and weighing wood and the mill had reached the limits of its expansion. No further building took place as the mill settled into a period of steady production.
The mill is Scheduled Monument and the description given by Historic England can be seen at the following link: (
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The mill, now restored as a working industrial monument is owned and run by English Heritage and offers guided tours and steam weekends.
The Victorian machinery that fills the building is still used to drive the cutting, boring and finishing machines than turn long thin poles into bobbins.
You can watch a bobbin being made, and take it home as a souvenir.
There is a small gift shop selling bobbin related products.
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visit link)
(
visit link)