Heron Corn Mill has been awarded a Heritage Lottery grant of £939,100 to renovate the grade II* listed watermill.

Situated on the west bank of the River Bela in Beetham, Cumbria, the development will improve access and create training opportunities.

Matched funding has also been awarded by John Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust and Leader and the Rural Development Programme for England.

With the ability to once more grind organic wheat and spelt to make flour, the mill hopes to attract a wide range of visitors when it re-opens to the public in Easter next year.

A statement for the mill states that it “will be an important example of a sustainable historic building once completed which harks back to times gone by when it was an important food and animal feed provider producing many of the staples of everyday life”.

Audrey Steely, creative project manager, said:  “We are so pleased to have been awarded this HLF grant, as the mill is such an important building within our surroundings, demonstrating how water power was used through the ages. It will create so many new opportunities for us, and also enable access to be greatly improved for our locals and visitors.”

A soft launch will be held on 26 October, enabling visitors to preview the mill now that the conservation work has been done.