Eling Tide Mill reopened by Angela Rippon 45 years ago

The celebrated newsreader whose poised delivery and household-name status made her one of the most recognisable faces in Britain, performed the opening 45 years ago. 

She wasn't just reading the news; she was making local headlines, arriving to bestow a touch of stardom on the grand reopening of the meticulously renovated Eling Tide Mill.

The day itself felt like something from a storybook. 

Arriving not in a sleek limousine but on a charming, horse-drawn dray cart, Angela Rippon was a vision, looking utterly resplendent against the rustic backdrop. Bathed in brilliant sunshine, her striking mauve suit and perfectly coiffed auburn hair seemed to glow.

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Before she could even step down, an eager crowd of residents and fans, armed with notebooks and autograph books, swamped the dray. 

With the grace for which she was famous, she navigated the throng, her beaming smile undeterred, before finally slipping inside the mill to perform the day's historic duty.

A sense of anticipation filled the ancient building. 

All eyes were on her as she grasped the ceremonial lever. 

With a symbolic pull, she set the great wheels of the centuries-old mill back in motion. After decades of silence, a low rumble began, growing into the steady, rhythmic groan of ancient timber and stone grinding together. It was a sound that hadn't been heard in a generation.

Within moments, the magic was complete. 

A golden stream of appetising, freshly milled wholemeal flour cascaded down a chute into the waiting sacks below — a tangible, fragrant symbol of the mill's resurrection.

The site itself is steeped in echoes of the past. 

The reopening in 1980 was just one moment in a saga stretching back over a millennium. 

There has been a tide mill at Eling for more than 1,000 years, with the earliest surviving reference to its existence captured forever in the pages of the Domesday Book of AD 1086.

While the present, beautifully restored building dates back some 180 years, whispers and speculation suggest the site's history is even deeper, with some historians theorising that the very first mill on this spot may have dated back as far as Roman times.

For centuries, this ingenious water-powered mill relied on the twice-daily gift of the tide. 

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The estuary, Bartley Water, served as its vast mill pond. 

At its peak, the mill was a masterpiece of engineering, harnessing the immense power of the receding water. 

Eling used two mighty water wheels to make the most of the precious eight-hour window during low tide, when the water could drain fast enough to turn the heavy stones.

Like so many small, traditional mills across the country, Eling's fortunes turned with the relentless march of progress. The introduction of vast, steam-powered roller mills, built at the docks to process grain imported from overseas, dealt a devastating blow.

The old tide mill struggled to survive, performing other duties like producing animal feed, but its time was running out. 

By 1936, the tidal-powered machinery had finally broken down, and with no money left for repairs, the great wheels fell silent.

For another ten years, the millstones remained motionless. In 1946, the site was officially abandoned, its intricate internal workings left to the mercy of the elements, to cobwebs, and to decay.

It seemed destined to become a ghostly skeleton, a forgotten relic. 

But in 1975, a new chapter began. The mill, then on the very verge of collapse, was given a new lease on life when the New Forest District Council decided to purchase the crumbling structure and restore it to its former glory.

It was a Herculean effort. A dedicated band of volunteers, driven by a passion for local history, gave up their evenings and weekends to give the mill a sound, weatherproof roof. 

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Simultaneously, the Eling Tide Mill Trust was established to oversee the final, complex phase of restoration. 

Their goal was not just to save the building, but to make it work again.

When Angela Rippon pulled that lever in 1980, she was completing their vision: reopening the mill not just as a static museum, but as a living, breathing, working piece of history.

The subsequent restoration work cleverly struck a balance between education and operation. 

One water wheel, with its corresponding set of millstones, was painstakingly restored to full working condition. 

The other wheel, however, was left untouched, allowing visitors a rare, clear view of the complex machinery without the need for modern safety screens.

Today, just as on that glamorous day in 1980, the working machinery is run daily. It is one of only two remaining operating tide mills in the United Kingdom. The other is Woodbridge Tide Mill in Suffolk

The scent of milled grain once again fills the air, as the mill produces and sells its own flour to visitors and a new generation of local customers, offering a delicious, tangible taste of history.