Heritage Lottery Fund
The House Mill has been given the green light by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a £2.65million grant. A development grant of £248,000 has been awarded to help the River Lea Tidal Mill Trust progress their plans, which include restoring the mill, its neighbour Miller's House, and creating a self-sustaining and vibrant visitor centre. The project demonstrates an excellent example of how heritage conservation can be married with new renewable energy production technologies to create a sustainable visitor attraction with wider community benefits. The Trust aims to incorporate hydro electricity production using the restored waterwheels and additional turbines, which will not only boost income at the site but also provide a key educational hook for learning about the milling process for visitors of all ages.

John Haggerty, Chairman of the River Lea Tidal Mill Trust said: “It has taken a long time to get here; we have had many disappoints over the years but now, thanks to HLF, we can progress this project with focused and positive energy to enable us to give the people of East London a heritage building they can be proud of; to give London another attraction and show the World its largest surviving tidal mill.  And, demonstrate sustainability through hydro-power.  It is a unique project in a unique building and we are very proud of it.”

Sue Bowers, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for London said: “We’re extremely pleased to give initial support to the Restoring House Mill project. This very rare industrial treasure well deserves to be saved for future generations and transformed into a key heritage attraction for East London.

Lyn Brown, MP for West Ham also offered her support for the project: “I would like to congratulate the River Lea Tidal Mill Trust on their successful initial application to the HLF. This is a very worthwhile project and I recognise the hard work and imagination of the volunteers who are dedicating their time to transforming this wonderful East London heritage asset into an attraction that can be enjoyed by all.”

Options Appraisal
The Three Mills Partnership commissioned an options appraisal that was completed in July 2010. The purpose was to identify and explore the various options for the future development of the House Mill on a long-term more sustainable basis: Central to this future vision is the introduction of improved facilities for catering, and the addition of external turbines to maximise the generation of hydro-electricity. This will enable the House Mill to become financially sustainable into the long term, and also provide improved visitor and education facilities.

The Fatwalk and Three Mills Green
A new stretch of linear green space, known as the Fatwalk, is planned and construction will begin later this year. It comprises a linear park incorporating new river crossing points, from Three Mills to East India Dock Basin alongside the River Lea. On display at the Miller's Café are the architect's plans for the redevelopment of Three Mills Green due to begin in the Autumn and will form part of the Fatwalk. It is hoped that the initiative will bring many new visitors to the House Mill.

Euston “Arch” Stones
As British Waterways was planning the construction of Three Mills Lock in Prescott Channel, various sources mentioned that remains of the Euston Arch were thought to be in the vicinity. It used to mark the entrance to the 1833 Euston Station, but was demolished in 1962 despite a massive public outcry. A few stones were found during the work to the lock and some more will be retrieved shortly under the eager eye of Dan Cruickshank, representing the Euston Arch Trust and English Heritage.

Danger UXB
An unexploded bomb was found on 2 June 2008 in the Prescott Channel during the works to build a new lock. The whole of the Three Mills area had to be immediatly evacuated. The Bomb Disposal Squad, the Royal Engineers, worked around the clock over the next five days to deal with the threat, successfully we are glad to say.