THE JORDAN TRUST 

The Jordan Trust, run in association with Jordans Mill is registered as a charity, limited by guarantee and is based on the River Ivel at Holme Mills, Biggleswade.

The objectives of the Trust are to protect and preserve the character of the River Ivel site where flour milling was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Central to Holme Mills is the unique water driven Mill building which was last rebuilt following a fire in 1899.  Visitors to the mill are able to gain an understanding from staff and volunteers about the process involved to produce a variety of flour products from wheat varieties grown in the Ivel Valley over the last 1000 years.  In its day, this mill was a technologically advanced example of a milling system based on steel rolls rather than the millstones which had been powered for centuries by the power created by a six foot drop in water level on the Ivel river.

The advances in milling technology, particularly during the Victorian age, make the story of flour milling so interesting and the story that Holme Mills has to tell, so unique; much of the original Victorian machinery is still available and on show.

Another important aspect of the Trust’s work is to advance and promote the history of grain milling and food production with its ongoing slogan “keeping our food heritage alive”.

This educational aspect is facilitated by the recent layout of the mill where a complete cross section of the mill (from floor to ceiling) can be viewed through glass by visitors to explain the process and where an immersive audio visual presentation tells the story of flour milling.

The Jordan Trust, as well as telling the flour milling story, runs and maintains a Mill Garden where visitors can view grains such as wheat, oats, barley and rye growing alongside market gardening crops.  These crops include vegetables and salads which made East Bedfordshire such an important food production area and supplier to the London market.

The Trust’s visitor experience continues to benefit from ongoing enhancements, exhibitions and events to attract and educate visitors.