A disappointment at the Mellor Mill Site

We recently had a Structural Engineer look at some of our tunnels as part of the Mellor Mill Survey which I am conducting as part of our submission for stage two funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  Sadly the tailrace tunnel from the Wellington wheel pit to the Waterloo wheel pit is in a dangerous condition.  It is so bad that we will not, for safety reasons, be able to excavate it. We, Mellor Archaeological Trust, decided we had to gate off this tunnel as a matter of urgency since leaving it open is tantamount to allowing people to investigate it with all the risks that would involve.  We had hoped to clear this tunnel out and invite visitors to walk through but sadly this will not be possible. However, the tunnel which brought power into the mill via a drive shaft, from the Waterloo Wheel, is in excellent condition and there is every reason to believe this will be a viable route for visitors to use as they progress around the site from the mill to the ancillary buildings down by the River Goyt. 

I'll be down there this weekend if you feel like joining us, or just visiting, now that the weather has improved.