Windermere Reflections on History – Fulling Mills: Community Archaeology Survey Report

Oxford Archaeology North was invited by the National Trust and the Lake District National Park Authority to provide supervision and support to facilitate and enable a community archaeology project examining a number of possible, former fulling mills located within the Windermere lake catchment. The project was financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund under the umbrella of Windermere Reflections.
The project was intended to undertake a series of detailed topographic surveys and desk-based analyses of former fulling mills, while providing support and training for volunteers in areas such as archaeological survey and archive research.
The surveys were undertaken between the 9th April and 5th May 2012.
The survey examined five possible fulling mills within the Windermere lake catchment. Four of the five sites are located within the northern part of the catchment, near the villages of Grasmere and Langdale, an area documented as important for fulling and weaving.