Horse Harnesses and...Bagpipes

On arriving at the watermill today there were several picnickers enjoying the view over the millpond, even in its very drained pre-season appearance and lots of walkers wandering past making the most of the sunny Sunday.  Our neighbours from the former mill cottage were out for a walk with their pony.

It's still about a month before the mill opens to the general public again, (1pm on Sunday 1st April as you've asked), but this early visit was to collect some items of horse tack that are normally stored in our stable block as they are going to be displayed in a forthcoming exhibition at the Grosvenor Museum in Chester entitled "Taking The Reins: Horses in Cheshire" which will run from 19 May to 23 September 2012.

But it was only a brief visit as it was then on to meet with musicians at the Carden Arms in nearby Tilston to make plans for International Bagpipe Day on Saturday 10th March.  This has been organised by the Bagpipe Society to raise the profile of this traditional instrument, which was once so popular in Cheshire.  There are several events taking place around the local area, but we're proud to say that it all kicks off at Stretton Watermill at the very beginning of the day at 8.30am with some medieval music at the mill to recall Chaucer's Miller from the Canterbury Tales of who he wrote "a baggepipe wel coude he blow and sowne, and therewithal he broghte us out of towne" 

There are many more links between mills and bagpipes, but they are other stories for another day.