Ludlow turbine scheme river mill home up for sale
One year after a 17th century water mill began to draw energy from the river once more, it has gone up for sale for a cool £1.1 million.
Ludford Mill, on the River Teme on the edge of Ludlow, is Grade II listed and sits next to Ludford Weir, where this time last year a hydro-electric turbine went live after 18 months of work by Ludlow Hydro Co-operative.
One of those spear-heading the scheme was Angus Marshall, who lives at Ludford Mill with wife Jenny – but with it now up and running well the pair have decided to sell up, though they will still be among more than 170 people with shares in the electricity generated by the turbine.
Jenny said: "It's the house that's up for sale, not the hydro-electric turbine, which is still owned by the co-operative.
"Though as a house it's got a lot green credentials."
She said those moving in to the house would be in the unusual position of benefitting from electricity direct from the turbine next door rather than having to sign up with a utility company.
She said having fully renovated the house and successfully got the turbine project off the ground they were now moving on.
"The reason we're moving is that we are now just Angus and Jennie in a huge house that used to be full of family," she said.
"We're Shrewsbury people originally so we are returning there," she said.
Angus added that the turbine project had been quite the success since turned on in May last year.
"It has done exactly what we set out to do, it's producing the power we wanted it to, and everything is bang up to date at the property."
He said Ludlow Hydro Co-operative would be holding its annual meeting in June to review the success of the scheme, which started as the dream of just 12 people before shares were offered to the community to fund it's building. It can generate energy up to about 30kW, which is enough electricity to supply about 40 households.
Ludford Mill itself is documented as a paper mill in the early 17th Century and latterly as one of eight corn mills that served Ludlow through the 19th Century. The lower ground floor still retains the early 19th Century wheel and shaft.
The Marshalls have restored the the mill to family home with four bedrooms, a study, a bespoke kitchen and open-plan dining room, sitting room with French windows and landscaped gardens among other features.
