Belvedere Mill, Chalford with River Frome in spate

I wanted to go for another drive this morning while the sun shone to put more charge in the Skoda's battery. I'm not sure that it can be charged these days as it has a feeling of being on its way out. But we were a bit late in getting moving so the clouds had already begun to restrict the light.

I headed up the Frome valley to Chalford where I wanted to ascend the hillside to go to Avening. I thought I'd park where the road turns off and begins to ascend to have a look at this mill. It is an old friend and has been photographed by everyone, but I still like it.

Belvedere Mill (formerly known as Tayloe's Mill after one of its previous owners) was built in the early 19th century and is now Grade 2 Listed. The mill pond is getting very silted up and it is only when the river is in spate that the power of the water can be observed. It retains a certain majestic quality reminding of its former life as a cloth producing centre. It is now used as offices by an electronics firm but previous uses have included fulling, corn milling, silk throwing and upholstery manufacture. Just behind the cars and the weeping willow on the right of the picture, and about ten feet higher up, is the bed of the old disused Thames & Severn Canal. It retains a certain majestic quality reminding of its former life as a cloth producing centre.

An aside:
My good friend Jonathan Thomson was featured in a programme this morning on Radio 4's 'Farming Today' at 6-30am called 'Rewilding to create a private nature reserve'.
I've been taking photos of the nature reserve for Jonathan over the last couple of years and have blipped from there. There are some of my pics featured on his website, Underhill Wood Nature Reserve

Jonathan Thomson says he's always had a close bond with the natural world. He grew up on a dairy farm in New Zealand and has dedicated his retirement to creating his own private nature reserve. Six years ago he bought a 25 acre parcel of land in Wiltshire. Underhill Wood had been a llama farm and a commercial woodland. Now with a team of volunteers, he's created a mosaic of habitats: from sedge marsh and meadows, to woodland and hedgerows. He says the bio-diversity has improved enormously and the site is now a haven for barn owls, bats, snakes and kingfishers., He uses it as a place of learning and regularly invites ecologists, school children and insect experts to study the wildlife there.
I think this link will let you listen to it again, but probably only for 30 days from now.