The Old Corn Mill - Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
A ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the completion of The Old Corn Mill development in South Elmsall took place on Thursday 26th August 2010 at 10am.
The Mayor and Mayoress of South Elmsall, Councillor Richard Askew and Councillor Jean Askew were joined by the Mayor and Mayoress of Wakefield, Councillor Tony Wallis and Mrs Doreen Wallis to cut the ribbon in recognition of the completion of the Old Corn Mill.
The once derelict building has been converted to 12 truly transformed apartments. Residents have now moved into the 12 apartments (a mixture of one bed and two bed) available through Chevin Housing Association for affordable rent. Chevin worked in partnership with Sleaths, Clayfield Construction and Wakefield Council to deliver this project.
The mill was owned by Mr J W Parkinson in the early 20th Century and was converted from being wind powered to steam driven, ensuring the mill would work none stop and did not rely on weather conditions. In 1904, the Old Corn Mill was built to house the new machinery. In 1937, the mill was purchased by Mr Harold Wressell and it stayed in the family until 1997. The mill was active throughout the years delivering corn, flour and feed to mills in Selby, Hull and Driffield and in the latter years sold gardening products and animal feed.
Mr Malcolm Wressell, Grandson of the original owner Mr Harold Wressell attended the ribbon cutting ceremony and said "After working at the Mill for nearly 40 years it is lovely to see the old building has not gone to total ruin and has been brought back to life offering much needed accommodation for local people. It's also great to see that Chevin Housing and Clayfield Construction have kept the building's character alive keeping some of the original features. This means that history has not been totally lost and can still be seen and this means a lot to me and my family as well as many people from the local community".
Steve Close, Group Chief Executive of the Chevin Housing Association stated "Although it's nice to see new building going up as part of regenerating an area it's even more satisfying to see a quality piece of refurbishment that has retained an important part of the heritage of an area. It took a long time in the planning stage to get right but the partnership of Chevin, Wakefield Council, the Homes and Community Agency and Clayfield Construction has resulted in an outstanding development which we can all be proud of".
"Chevin are working on a number of developments in the area and are delighted that the long standing partnership with Wakefield District Council and a number of other partners is continuing the process of regenerating the SE of Wakefield".
Councillor Denise Jeffery, Wakefield Council's cabinet member for regeneration, stated: "It's a magnificent transformation of the former Corn Mill. Everyone has worked hard to ensure the new apartments remain in keeping with the original building design. It now provides a high standard of accommodation for local residents".
Bob Hayhurst, a member of the local history group said "As one interested in local history, it's wonderful that a building linked to our industrial past is preserved in a practical way, yet keeping its shape and character.
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Photographed from left to right: Cutting the ribbon outside of the Old Corn Mill apartments - The Mayor and Mayoress of Wakefield - Mrs Doreen Wallis, and Councillor Tony Wallis, Bob Hayhurst - a member of the local history group, The Mayor and Mayoress of South Elmsall, Councillor Richard Askew and Councillor Jean Askew.
