Last Saturday, the Mills Archive opened its doors to welcome our Friends of the Archive, volunteers and alumni to our annual Friends’ Garden Party at Watlington House in Reading. It was a glorious day: we were fortunate that the sun was shining and our beautiful herb and flower garden was in full bloom. Upon arrival,…
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Word of the Day: FAN!
On the hottest day of the year ever recorded in the UK, we are doing our best to keep cool at the Mills Archive. Working in a 17th-century building with no air conditioning is a challenge. The library is currently 26.8C at 10.30am. Our solution is to open the window in the library and put…
The Tangible vs the Intangible
Hello and welcome back to this week’s edition of the blog, detailing my internship journey with the Mills Archive Trust! Last week’s blog has gone down so well, I’m told that I’m now on the shortlist to be knighted within the next 500 years, so I’m hoping to keep that momentum up with this week’s…
Bibliotheca Molinologica
Now if you can pronounce that word at the first attempt, I am told (on good authority) that you are part of the ‘milling club’. Hence why I thought it would be an apt name for this piece, as only true mill researchers will appreciate the content of this blog! Hello and welcome back to…
Mills, mills and more mills!
Welcome back to part two of my weekly blog series, in which I share my internship adventure at the Mills Archive Trust with you. This week I have been dealing with the trials and tribulations of fame. Ever since my first blog went live I can’t walk 5 minutes without somebody asking me for a…
What’s this, a new intern?
Hello to you all! My name is Lewis, and I am the new library development intern for 6 weeks over the summer! I have been afforded the opportunity to work in such an esteemed organisation through the Reading University Internship Scheme, which has allowed me to gain experience working in an archive, whilst also being…
Tools of the trade
Alongside papers and photographs, the Mills Archive also collects small milling artefacts. These are some I recently added to our catalogue from the Thompson Family Collection. Can you guess what these items were used for? This may look like something that would come in handy in the zombie apocalypse, but it is in fact a…
As the Darkness Closes Round Us…
The artist Frank Brangwyn is famous for his cheerful watercolour and ink scenes of windmills, alongside which his annotations describe the long-lost peaceful arcadia of the mills’ pasts, contrasting them harshly with the stark reality of their present-day fate of ruin and decline. The emotive descriptions against which Brangwyn contrasts his paintings often tell stories…
The Mills Archive receives the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
We are thrilled to announce that the Mills Archive has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. To receive this award, equivalent to an MBE for organisations, is a great honour. This accolade represents the valuable contributions and commitment of all our volunteers that make the Mills Archive a success. The Queen’s Award for…
The Devil’s Art: The History of Gunpowder Manufacture
A man in a monk’s habit kneels on the floor, books and implements scattered about him. In his hand he holds a pair of scales – he is weighing ingredients to add to the mortar in front of him. Over him stands a sinister winged figure, directing his actions with a cruel smirk on his…