Seeds of Change: Heritage project to celebrate 500 years of oil seed crushing industry
NAMED AFTER AN EGYPTIAN GODDESS: Isis oil mill silo. Picture by Andy Medcalf Photography
By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor
A project to celebrate 500 years of the oil seed crushing industry in Hull has been launched today.
Backed by a £25,000 grant from Historic England, the Seeds of Change project will focus on the lower River Hull valley and the Wincolmlee area where the majority of Hull’s oil seed crushing mills were located.
Led by Humber Field Archaeology, part of Hull City Council, Seeds of Change aims to involve those who are former or current employees in the oil seed crushing and related industries, who live or used to live in Wincolmlee, and those with an interest in investigating this fascinating part of the city’s history.
The project will include a heritage trail, oral history interviews and accompanying film footage, a soundtrack, a 3D virtual reality seed crushing mill, a self-contained computer game and a digital magazine.
The project is is expected to be completed later this year.
Councillor Rob Pritchard, the council’s portfolio holder for culture and leisure, said: “Seeds of Change is a fantastic project that celebrates a key part of Hull’s long-term history.
“The oil seed crushing industry is entrenched in the history and traditions of many Hull families, particularly those from the Wincolmlee area, so it will be brilliant to be able to give them, as well as visitor to Hull, a greater picture of what the industry was like.
“The council would like to thank Historic England for its support in Seeds of Change and I look forward to seeing it once completed.”
Marcus Jecock, senior archaeological investigator at Historic England, said: “We’re really pleased to be supporting Seeds of Change through our Everyday Heritage grants programme.
“The seed crushing industry had a huge impact on Hull’s social and economic development, as well as on the landscape, yet its history has been largely overlooked.
“This project promises to shed light on what life was like working and living in the shadow of these giant structures.”
You can find out more about Seeds of Change on Humber Field Archaeology’s social media, as well as on its website here.
See our exclusive drone pictures of the Isis oil mill silo in a feature here.