We could not have been more thrilled after a five-year haul, in September 2014, we were actually granted planning permission to develop White Mills Marina. The idea of creating a marina was first conceived several years earlier following 'yet another' family brain storming session around our kitchen table. At that time, the field which is now the site of White Mills Marina was used for grazing, however it had become increasingly obvious that the best outcome for the picturesque river side field was if things were to change. And that is exactly what happened.
The name White Mills comes from the name of the mills that were once situated along Station Road, adjacent to Lock 9 on the River Nene. Way back they were used as fulling mills, before becoming mills for corn. They changed ownership several times over the decades, and were last inhabited by the Miss Bradshaws before being demolished by the Home Guard in 1939/1940. The names of our pontoons are after some of the more well known residents of White Mills: Bradshaw, Tooley and Arnold.
The field on which White Mills Marina stands has been part of Pastures Farm for over 30 years and is just a stone's throw away from our family home. Pastures Farm was originally a mixed farm with around 400 sheep, today it is mainly arable although we are lucky enough to have a 27-acre Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at the heart of the farm, which features the county's second largest reed bed. We are totally spoiled as the reed bed is the home to a diverse range of birds and other wildlife, and an area of the Northamptonshire countryside that is becoming increasingly popular with walkers and bird watchers. We feel so very lucky to have something so special on our doorstep.