Hello everybody! This week has been rather bittersweet for me, because it is (unfortunately) my last week as an intern at the Mills Archive. However, it has been just as exciting and fascinating as all the ones that have preceded it!
One exciting development I am eager to reveal to you all is that our new website is getting closer and closer to a launch date. I know I have been sharing some of the developments with you in the blog, but to the left is a sneak peek of what it might actually look like.
I love the streamlined, modern look and the new colour scheme, but these are just some of the visual features we have upgraded. The website also carries better functionality and easier navigation between the different areas of the Archive, and I am just as excited to explore the whole site with you all when it goes live later this year. You can go back and compare it to our current (soon to be former) website, and let us know what you think of the changes we have made in the comments below.
We also received a fascinating series of articles from one of our enthusiastic collectors this week. The articles, written by Rosemary Dixon, were published in the Eastern Daily Press earlier this year, and follow various mills and their histories over the years. One of the more poignant ones recounted a fire at Horstead Mill in 1963, which was particularly sad because the mill had just been lovingly restored by Mr. L. Hector Read the previous year.
The Press Cuttings Collection is now being taken over by Talbot Green, one of the regular volunteers at the Mills Archive, and I am sure a lot of you are already familiar with him. He has added an entire new dimension to the project with his vast knowledge about mills, am I am looking forward to following the progress of the catalogue under his care.
Although I have only been working at the Archive for three months, I have been able to see how much of an impact this organization is having on preserving milling heritage, and how quickly it is growing to meet the needs of those who use the facilities on offer. I am really eager to see the progress of this expansion, and I will keenly be following the new developments even after I have left.
I really appreciate all of you who have been with me on my journey at the Archive. I have had an amazing experience and met some very special people who have made me realise just how passionate I am about the kind of work that is being done here. In my short time at the Archive, I was made to feel so welcome, and I will sorely miss the friendliness and warmth that was part of every working day here. Goodbye everybody, and thanks for all the memories!
