Discovering Snuff Mills

Further Info

This story was made on a four and a half day training workshop for library staff in Bristol. It was the first Bristol Stories workshop to use entirely Windows software.

It was led by Paul Matson, Sarwat Siddiqui and Paddy Uglow and was supported by Bristol’s Museums, Galleries & Archives.

Transcript

When I first came to Bristol I lived in Easton – streets of terraced houses and rows of small shops, cut through by the main railway line and the M32 motorway.

Just up the road I found Eastville Park, an open space with grass and trees. The boating pond had an island where water birds were nesting – swans, ducks, coots and moorhens. On the far side was a stream running between the park and the allotments, which sloped up as the motorway curved northwards.

I followed the stream away from the flyover, avoiding the muddy patches on the path, and crossed a road at the bottom of a steep hill. I went past a small tea hut, through a car park and into Snuff Mills.

The first thing I noticed was the sound of the water falling over the weir, and the Snuff Mills building with its waterwheel, still turning slowly as the water trickled down the chute. I was drawn to the wall overlooking the weir – I love the sound of moving water and watching the patterns it makes as it flows.

The mill is at the foot of a cliff with tall trees leaning across from the other side of the water, and unseen birds were singing in among the leaves.

That was when I noticed the second thing – the silence. No traffic or trains, no people rushing past – it was so quiet there that the water and birdsong sounded loud to my ears.

There was a seat by the wall, and I sat down to enjoy the calm and the quiet - only a few minutes walk from the busy inner city.

Credits

All media not otherwise credited created by the story author, or permission obtained, used under copyright licence.

Motorway sound created by Freqman, Freesound, used under Public Domain licence.

Waterfall created by Ignotus, Freesound, used under Public Domain licence.

Thrush singing created by Reinsamba, Freesound, used under Public Domain licence.