The Dunkirk Mill Centre offers a wonderful opportunity to see a see a massive working water wheel directly powering a rare piece of historic textile machinery. The overshot wheel, twelve feet wide and thirteen feet in diameter, was installed in the mill in 1855 as part of the last major re-building programme carried out during its time as a woollen mill. It was made and installed by James Ferrabee of Stroud having a mainly cast iron frame with forty steel buckets. The wheel is operated regularly on opening days, (subject to water supply), and the sight of the wheel starting to move in a powerful cascade of water is unforgettable. The Dunkirk Mill Centre has been made possible with the assistance of a grant from the Local Heritage Initiative.

There is also the chance to see a large working model pair of fulling stocks in operation, a display of locally made woollen cloth and a rare, working, mid C19th teazle raising gig.

An early C19th mechanical cloth shearing machine known as a cross-cutter has been added to the display, this machine spent its working life at Wallbridge Mill down the valley near Stroud. There is an exhibition showing the historic development of the Dunkirk Mills site during the C18th and C19th’s on display.

The Dunkirk Mills Centre is the first permanent exhibition to be run by the Trust, it has come about as the result of much hard work from a number of different organisations over a long period of time. The developers who secured planning permission to convert the mills into residential accommodation during the 1980’s entered into a legal agreement to restore the water wheel and provide accomodation for a display of textile history. Stroud District Council, Nailsworth Town Council and the Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology were all essential participants in bringing the present centre about. More recently, the Trust has put a great deal of work into researching and preparing the exhibition and to the installation of a mid C19th teasle raising gig together with the necessary line shafting for driving it from the water wheel.

For those seeking further location information on Google Maps etc, Dunkirk Mill’s postcode is GL5 5HH

Please not that no unaccompanied children are allowed.

Please note there is no public parking on site except for disabled visitors.You can park in the Cycle Path car park behind Egypt Mill just off the A46 on the edge of Nailsworth and follow the cycle trail, it isn’t far and it is a beautiful walk.