Up a Lazy River: The History of Flax, Water and Working Life on the Isle

p a Lazy River: The History of Flax, Water and Working Life on the Isle

A free talk at The Millhouse, Rose Mills, Ilminster, TA19 9PS

Thursday 4th June, 10:30 am - 12 pm (with post-talk walk)

This talk about the history of flax and the story of mills in the River Isle area is by two knowledgeable local people, John Higman and Jim Sainsbury.

Water is everywhere in this story. It powers the mills, carries the trade, grows the crops, and eventually, when economies shift and easier and cheaper things come along, this fascinating crop gets left behind, and with it an important part of Somerset's past.

John Highnam's talk traces the life of the rivers and streams of West Dorset and South Somerset from the ground up: the properties of water itself, what it made possible, and how it shaped the communities that depended on it. He'll be exploring the mill networks that grew up along the Isle and its tributaries, the river trade that connected them to wider markets, and the crops that made this particular corner of England so significant — flax and hemp, grown in the distinctive soils of what John calls the Flax Crescent, and driven in no small part by the insatiable demands of the Royal Navy.

Then the canals arrived, the railways and then the roads. Industrial production drifted north, where the water ran harder and more reliably. The mills of the Isle valley quietened, and much of what they were and who worked in them slipped out of living memory.

Jim Sainsbury, Chairman of the Heritage of the Ile Trust, has spent years working to recover that memory. He and others have researched the history of the local mills and factories in depth, and will be drawing on the Trust's extensive photographic collection to put faces, buildings and places back into the story.

The talk takes place at The Millhouse — a Victorian flax mill, still in use as a creative arts hub on the west side of the market town of Ilminster, and which plays an important part in the history John and Jim will be discussing. Coming here isn't just about attending a talk. It's being in the building that was part of local history and listening to it re-told and re-experienced by a modern audience.

History is the stepping stones to who we are today. To know where we are going, we need to know where we have come from.

Join us on a walk along the footpath that weaves around the River Isle. Stay on for coffee or a spot of lunch at the Millhouse Café.

Free entry, open to all. No specialist knowledge required. Places are limited — please register to secure yours. Register on Eventbrite or on our website https://www.millhousearts.co.uk/buy-tickets/up-a-lazy-river-the-history-of-flax-water-and-working-life-on-the-isle



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