Islington Mill is a very special place. In its nearly 200 years of existence, the mill has been critical in the heritage and cultural identity of Salford as a City of Makers.
In the most recent 20 years of its fascinating history, it has supported more than 5,000 artists from 35 countries, and over 50 businesses and 100 artists now call it home.
I am proud to have worked with Islington Mill over the past three years, helping to secure the Architectural Heritage Funds and National Heritage Lottery Funds to ensure the building can continue to be a home for the creative community.
This month, we are inviting people along to celebrate the rich history of Islington Mill during a Heritage Open Day. Free tickets are available for the virtual event on April 22nd.
The event will include the first public screening of ‘From Industry to Art’, which will explore the mill’s history by means of a cinematic ‘hard hat tour’.
It will showcase the Georgian building techniques used in the construction of the cotton spinning mill, and tell the story of its evolution into the space we know today.
I will be taking part in a Q&A panel discussion alongside the film, hosted by Stef, Islington Mill’s General Manager. The other panelists include the owner of Islington Mill Bill Campbell, Chris Wild of Salford Archaeology, and Maurice Carlin, who led the formation of Islington Mill Art Academy in 2007.
We will also be giving virtual tours of the building on the Islington Mill Instagram page, and you are very welcome to join me as I show the courtyard. This is my favourite space in the mill, where you get to see all the different phases and ages of buildings that make up the whole site. We will also tell you more about different parts of the mill.
Free tickets for both the film screening and the panel discussion can be booked on Eventbrite.
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