A PROJECT to preserve the history of the last surviving Chipping Brook mill has been given the go-ahead thanks to a lottery grant.

The Heritage Media Trust was given £9,800 to set up an online Kirk Mill Heritage Hub.

The money, from the Heritage Lottery Fund, will go towards recording tales from the site’s former workers and set up a website to access old pictures and videos.

The Grade II-listed building was built in the 1780s and was one of a series of cotton factories built along the brook.

The 11-acre site, owned by SCP investments Ltd, has full planning permission to be converted into a 60-bedroom hotel with leisure uses.

The plans were originally refused by Ribble Valley Borough Council, however the decision was overturned at appeal.

The site was put up on the market by Savills but the asking price has not been published.

Margaret Smith, a heritage trustee from Chipping, said its long history should not be forgotten.

She said: “The mill is a special place with a rich social and industrial past.

“It has a great importance to Chipping and Lancashire and of national significance.

“The mill has been lifeless for the last seven years.

“However the community can now help to revive its memories.

“The public will be able to contribute to the on-line Hub, making a ‘virtual’ heritage collection, including former workers’ stories, pictures and films shared and preserved for the future.

“We hope everyone, especially children, will enjoy using the resource as the mill’s history is uncovered.”

The trust will work with schools in Chipping to help them uncover their village’s past and to develop skills contribute to the project.

A corn mill was built on the site in 1544, but it was taken over by a cotton manufacturer in the 18th century.

In 1886 it housed HJ Berry furniture company until it closed in 2010.