Project Cornmill: Cracking Open an Old Ashford Mystery

So… We Finally Opened the Door

Project Cornmill officially begins with us pushing open a creaky old door and immediately saying, “Oh wow… this place has stories.”

The Cornmill has been sat quietly on the edge of Coachworks for years, doing its best impression of a sleeping giant, But once you step inside, you realise it is got history pouring out of every beam, dusty corner and oddly placed bolt.

We will be sharing plenty of photos as we go, so you can enjoy the journey without needing to breathe in whatever century-old air we inhaled on day one.

This is the 2nd floor, sadly the original floorboards of this floor were non-existent, instead replaced with some questionable engineered wood that hasn't stood the test of time.

First Discoveries: Water, Water Everywhere

Now, onto the less glamorous part. Walking round on day one, it quickly became clear the building has been quietly soaking itself like a teabag in certain places.

We found: Damp in the walls, Floorboards that have definitely seen drier days, Moisture lingering in places where moisture has no business being.

Nothing terrifying — just the typical “I’ve been ignored for twenty years, please fix me” problems every historic building coughs up.

The Window From The Other Side - Currently you will find the windows to this beloved building with boarded or bricked up, some permanently, some just for element protection. This one caught our eye though... Did you work at Croford Coach Builders ?

Step One: Help the Old Girl Dry Out

Before we can start dreaming big and transforming the space, we have to do the sensible thing: stop any more water getting in and help the building dry properly.

Sorting the Windows and Doors

Most of the leaks are coming from windows and doors that have valiantly held on far longer than they should have. They can be fixed, but this is going to take a some time, quite a lot of glass and PUTTY, so much putty. Fixing these is priority number one, so Mother Nature stops dropping in uninvited.

Moving the Flowerbed (Sorry Plants)

There is also a big flowerbed in the Coachworks yard that has been leaning a bit too affectionately against an external Cornmill wall.It looks lovely… but it is also silently feeding damp straight into the building.

So, we are moving it. The plants will be rehomed somewhere nice and breathable, and The Cornmill gets a little space to air out and recover.

We are unsure of what the rear racking was used for, however the metal pigeon boxes pictured here at the from were once home to Fixings, Fastenings and Radom Bits 'N Bobs. Our Cleanup of the historic Pigeon mess has begun as you can see from the floorboards here.

The Drying-Out Phase (Not Glamorous, but Very Important)

Once the building is sealed up properly and the damp-causing flowerbed is relocated, the drying process begins. This is the slow, steady part of the project — lots of airflow, gentle ventilation, gentle dehumidification and regular checks.

It is not the dramatic “before and after” moment people expect from renovation shows, but it is essential. Think less “grand reveal” and more “building goes on a detox”.

Hooked... Yup, we are proper hooked in on this one, the project is being completed in house - we have decided not to involve big corps in this build and spend our time restoring this building, by us, for our community.

Saving the History, Not Painting Over It

One thing is absolutely certain: we are not here to scrub away The Cornmill’s past.

We want to show it. Everything original we find, everything quirky, everything that tells a story.. we want to keep it alive (as viabilly possible)

This is not about making the building something it never was.This is about giving Ashford back a piece of its history, refreshed, restored and ready for the next chapter.

In the 4th floor attic space, it was a Mill after all !

END.