Regenerating the riverside’s most iconic building

Wakefield Council successfully secured a £23.9m Town Deal from the government’s Town Fund to support a series of regeneration projects in Castleford. Work is well underway on these projects, including a scheme to help secure the future of Queen’s Mill - the riverside’s most iconic building.

Written records show there has been a mill on this site since 1093. The central part of the current complex was built in 1822, however one of the walls is believed to date back to 1785. In the last 10 years, the mill has become a real hub for the town, with lots of work being done there by members of the local community and volunteers.

Cllr Lorna Malkin, in her role as Chief Executive of Castleford Heritage Trust, is especially passionate about the improvement projects that are taking place, as the trust bought the mill in 2013. “It is our intention to keep the mill sustainable and secure its future. Currently all the commercial space here has been let. Following a series of improvements, we aim to create additional rentable space.

"By refurbishing the third and fourth floors there will be more space for new businesses to join the companies already based here, including Queen’s Mill Tea Room, Winner of Yorkshire Tea Room of The Year, and Recent Beans, an independent coffee company - they roast their own beans on site and produce the freshest coffee in Castleford. It has been extremely satisfying to see the companies using Queen’s Mill not only flourish, but in several cases, outgrow the space we have available, and everyone here remains committed to expanding on this success.”

Castleford is a riverside town that has been reinventing itself for over a thousand years. Back when the area was an Ancient Roman settlement, the river was shallower and much wider. The edge of the river would have come all the way up to where the Job Centre is today. When the foundations for the Job Centre were created, planks of wood were found, believed to have formed part of a jetty in Roman times. Between the planks grains of wheat were discovered, suggesting the Romans were exporting wheat from Castleford up to 2,000 years ago!

Queen’s Mill has a special place in the heart of volunteer Dave Weatherson, who shared a wealth of interesting facts and stories about the iconic building.

“Queen’s Mill is the largest stoneground flour mill in the world as it has 20 sets of stones and still produces flour on a regular basis. During the Covid lockdowns of 2020 flour became unavailable in many stores and supermarkets across the UK. During this time Queen’s Mill produced over 2 tonnes of flour to keep the people of Castleford baking.

“The waterwheel we have on-site dates back to 1885. Its purpose was to generate electricity for the mill. Queen’s Mill was the first building in Castleford to have electric lighting. There are records of the mill having two waterwheels. When the river is very low you can see the semi-circular scoring of the second wheel on the mill wall.

“Besides milling flour the mill has also been used to grind flint for the pottery industry in Castleford, the ground flint was used to glaze pottery produced in the area. Records show the mill was also used as a fulling mill. The power the waterwheel produced was used to raise very large wooden hammers which then fell on woven cloth to strengthen it.

“The land surrounding Queen’s Mill is home to some interesting wildlife. Considering it is almost in the centre of town, it might come as a surprise to learn we have regular visits from a Heron, Kingfisher, Moor Hens and of course Ducks. This year we had a nest of five Grey Wagtails that successfully fledged. In the river you can see Cormorants, Canada Geese and we’ve even seen an Egret. The most unusual sighting was of a Terrapin, someone must have got fed up with looking after it and put it in the river. It had grown to the size of a tortoise! We often see fish jumping out of the river and we have been told that there might be Salmon using the Fish Pass at the far end of the Millennium Bridge.”

The wooden clad building to the west of the site was built by the Queen’s Mill Volunteers. Known as The Boathouse, it was originally constructed for the Canal and River Trust as a stop off point for canoeists completing the Desmond Foundation cross country canoe trip from Goole to Liverpool. The building is made from expanded polystyrene blocks that look like giant Lego. The blocks are hollow so they can be used to support concrete, producing a strong structure that is well insulated. The Boathouse is now home to a music studio, a workshop manufacturing control panels for barges and boats, and a bakery.

The Castleford Heritage Trust bought the mill in 2013. The trust will be celebrating its 25th birthday in 2025, so there are lots of exciting events and projects in the pipeline to celebrate this milestone. Queen’s Mill has also secured National Lottery funding to deliver a series of community engagement projects, including arts and craft workshops, literature and poetry classes, and lots more. Making the regeneration work taking place at the mill and along the riverside so important for Castleford’s future.

Wakefield Council is committed to supporting the regeneration work taking place at Queen’s Mill. The Castleford Riverside regeneration project will see the Council transform the area around the mill into a waterfront destination that is better connected to the town centre, with more recreational space, and new food and drink facilities for everyone to enjoy. For more information about this and other regeneration projects taking place in Castleford, please visit our website.