From jute to coco nut to plastic to tufted carpet to closing down.

 There are two mill ponds in Holme the first is created by a spring which comes underground from Farleton Fell this flows under the road to create the second pond which fed the mill. The site must have been chosen because of the water supply for records show that a mill has existed here since the 12 C, though now it makes no input into the production of the light industrial businesses that  occupy the site. Formally a corn then flax mill -and at that time a further mill was built and existed for a time on the right bank of the canal in the middle of the village -this buildings short history has not yet revealed itself to me. Holme Mills changed  products again when it moved over to the production of jute and coco nut matting- the demise of this product, the change to plastic matting and then after the fire to tufted carpet in the early seventies sealed its fate and Bowater Scott shut the site and it was sold off in 1976.

Geoff Pegg of Holme History Society has collected together from local sources a wonderful archive on the mill- he has very kindly given me access to it - it will be available for all to see as part of the Heron Corn Mill archive.
Mike Prill, the son of Everard the last manager under Goodacre's, has written an extensive history of the mill, there are registers, doctors reports and accident book entries along with some great photos of the assembled work force and arrangements on flat bed wagons of all the products.

Now it is an active light industrial estate but it holds an echo of the products of Bela Mill in Milnthorpe which under the Dobson family made finely cut horn combs. Abbey horn works relocated here from Kendal with products  belonging to that pre-plastic era.

All year round the mill ponds are alive with wild birds as many as 37 swans were counted sheltering there  during last winters very cold weather. Birds come inland from Leighton Moss during stormy times and  the Herons from Dallam come fishing here for duckling. How the bird life has changed it would be interesting to find out!