The site now occupied by 36 Lime St and Seven Stories The Centre for Children’s Books were in the 1830s occupied by a flour mill, and the Northumberland Flax Mill. -- There had been many water and wind powered mills along the Ouseburn from early times. They were grinding or milling corn and flint for local glass and pottery works. -- In 1848 what is now 36 Lime Street opened as a flax mill designed by John Dobson for Clarke Plummer and Co. The top floor and roof are not original. -- In 1859 flax manufacture stopped. Some workers moved to 47/49 Lime Street and set up Stokoe’s canvas and sailcloth works. -- Flour milling started at no 36 in 1859. Proctor and Sons moved to the Ouseburn from Willington Quay. -- In 1896 Henry Leetham who had mills in York took over – can still see the name painted on 36 and 30 Seven Stories. -- What is now the Cluny (Fun Palace) dates from the 1870s. -- The chimney was much taller than now and brick flues ran to many parts of no. 36 to serve various steam engines. These were seen a few years ago when Transco burst into them when installing a new gas mains. -- The last use of the chimney was a blacksmith’s forge in the stone built base. -- The building stopped being a mill during the First World War and had a number of uses until MacPhersons took it over as a bonded warehouse. -- Full strength whisky was brought from Scotland by sea and then blended and bottled here. This was Cluny Whisky. (Mike Greatbatch found some in a shop in Italy) -- MacPhersons owned the building from 1930 and there was an illuminated “Cluny” sign on the building for many years. -- Both 36 and 30 Lime Street are listed Grade II. -- Number 30 had been various things beginning as a flour mill in 1840 and ending as a printing works for the Trade Union Press. -- Were it not for the scaffolding, you would be able to see the makers’ name “Toward” on the cast iron uprights at the Lime Street entrance. Toward were local metalworkers. There are two Toward graves in St Ann’s churchyard and Toward Street is named after them. -- What we now think of as the front of the buildings were the backs when these buildings were in active use. Raw materials and finished products came and went by river in keels and wherries. Hoists and loading bays can still be seen. -- Together these buildings form an important and impressive reminder of the industrial history of the Ouseburn valley. Luckily they’re in sympathetic hands. Eric Larkham Chairman Ouseburn Trust Heritage Group