Discover a unique one-day education destination programme on the Isle of Wight at Calbourne Water Mill. One of the world’s longest working water mills, making flour over thousands of years. During the Victorian period it produced flour to make bread eaten by many Islanders, even possibly Queen Victoria and Alfred Lord Tennyson. In the 1890s it converted from water-powered to steam-powered and provides a fantastic opportunity for young learners to explore how the Industrial Revolution changed everyone’s lives in one beautiful Isle of Wight Biosphere setting.

Perfect for Year 5 learners studying local history and the Victorians, Years 7-8 studying the Industrial Revolution, and Year 6 transition opportunities between primary and secondary education. A great complement to studying Osborne House, providing a working life perspective on Victorian Britain.

Let Dorothy Weeks and her friends welcome you all to their late Victorian home at Calbourne Water Mill…

‘The rolling landscape, from the chalk downs to the sand and clay valley, where the water springs after winter rains, is perfect for the pretty Caul Bourne stream. Three springs are the source of the waters, two higher up the downs, and one at a pond by the gates of Westover Manor House, which overlooks the picturesque village of Calbourne. As the stream passes along Winkle Street, which has the old sheep-wash still in place, it then heads to Calbourne Water Mill, a short walk away.

Hello, my name is Dorothy Weeks. I am 9 years old, and I live in this beautiful village, called Calbourne, on the south-west side of the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight is an island off the southern coast of England.

My family own Calbourne Water Mill. My dad, George Weeks, is the miller and a grain merchant. He employs many people from our bustling village to work at the mill. I go to school in the village, and I have a lot of friends here.

I am so excited that you are coming to visit Calbourne Water Mill! You will explore the many changes that took place here in the late 19^th century, during the Industrial Revolution, that affected my life and the lives of other people across Great Britain. In fact, the developments that took place during the Industrial Revolution created the world that you live in today.

It is 1901 here and there is lots going on in Great Britain. Let me tell you a bit about it. Our beloved queen, Queen Victoria, died in January of this year so we are at the end of the Victorian era. But the Industrial Revolution continues, and it is a time of great change! The manufacturing of goods has moved from small shops and people’s homes to large factories. A lot of people have moved from rural areas like Calbourne to urban areas to work. All these changes have happened very quickly. My grandparents tell me that Great Britain was a very different place to live in before the Industrial Revolution.

During your visit, you will investigate the enquiry question: How has industrialisation changed our lives?

You will do this by exploring 4 mini enquiries:

• Over time, how have we worked with nature to get food?
• How did late 19^th century discoveries in science, technology, industry and engineering change the way we work?
• What impact have people had on south-west Wight over time?
• How did industrialisation change where people lived?

By visiting the mill and its outbuildings, the orchard, and the ancient paths through woodland, you will consider how life was in Great Britain before the Industrial Revolution, during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, and how changes during that era shaped our lives today.