Residents 'devastated' over Mansfield's Hermitage Mill fire

Emergency services were called to a large fire at the old mill on Hermitage Lane at around 3am on Monday March 28, with 20 appliances battling the flames at the height of the blaze.

The mill was built in 1782 and has grade II-listed status, it has been empty since 2008 with a number of planning applications submitted over the years – most recently in 2021, when Hermitage Mill Developments submitted plans to convert the property into a 70-bed care facility.

Sarah Dyer, who lives nearby, has reported a number of safety concerns to authorities during the pandemic, as residents saw an increase in teenagers visiting the site and the area being blighted with antisocial behaviour.

She explains: “It’s awful that it’s been set on fire, but we all saw it coming.

"It used to have security on it, but it hasn’t had any as far as we can tell for the past two years, so kids have been messing about in it ever since.

"We’ve seen parties being held there, and I even reported young lads running across the top floor trying to knock windows out

“It was a lovely building and would have made fantastic apartments if it had been developed, now we’ll just end up with 500 little houses thrown up on the site and all that history lost.

"I’m actually devastated.”

Others mourned the loss of a piece of history for the town.

Alice Margaret Green said: “What a shame for such a building to go up in smoke.

"It’s just more heritage gone from our area.”

Matthew Longmate called for a tough sentence to those who were responsible, as it was announced that three men, aged 18, had been arrested in connection with the blaze.

He said: “Why do some people decide to randomly set fire to things?

"I know it's been a derelict building for quite a few years now, however that is part of the history of the town.

"Hopefully the justice system won't just slap them on the wrist and will charge them accordingly.”

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