Flower/Flour Power.

Do you remember the Flower Pot Men?
Did you know it was created by a lady from Castleford?
Hilda Brabann. In the early 1950s she wrote stories for BBC’s Listen With Mother series.
Some stories were based on the antics of her younger brothers, William and Benjamin Wright.
However, many years later, solicitors acting for former BBC Children’s head and official creator, Freda Lingstrom, threatened to sue her if she appeared on ITV’s Barrymore, to talk about the Flower Pot Men.
Freda Lingstrom held the copyright and claimed to have invented the TV programme, and it was just a coincidence that the names were the same.
Strange that one of the brothers said years later the nonsensical word “ Flobbadob” was invented by them, and their sister was nicknamed ‘ little weed’ because she was so thin.

Now to FLOUR.
While MrC was at the dentist,in Castleford, having his two front teeth filled, (after he chipped two pieces off last week) I visited Queens Mill, on the side of the River Aire, and had a very interesting guided tour. Just for me!
For more than 100 years, The Mill was where Allinson’s stoneground flour was milled.
“ The flour with nowt taken out”.
However milling can be traced as far as 1093.

The mill closed in 2010 and it looked like the end of eleven centuries tradition.
In 2013 the Castleford Heritage Trust bought the mill and in 2015 milling was resumed. Run entirely by volunteers.
The renovation of the mill is still ongoing, and they are hoping to eventually restore the mill wheel. ( cost one million pounds)

The collage shows the outside of the mill
Viewof the weir and new foot bridge taken from a back window.
New staircase.
One of 20 sets of French burr millstones.
The old mill wheel.
The bag of flour I purchased. ( nowt taken out, and nowt added)

Oh and MrC’s teeth now look like new!