AN 18th Century mill that featured in a television series will soon be open following a £1m restoration project.

Gayle Mill, near Hawes, North Yorkshire, was in the final three of BBC2's Restoration series last year.

It was pipped at the post for a £2.5m Heritage Lottery Fund grant, but has now been restored.

The building's owner, the North of England Civic Trust, is within a few weeks of completing the work and handing the mill over to the Gayle Mill Trust.

It will run it as a not-for-profit training, production and visitor centre, focusing on timber and renewable energy.

Martin Glynn, a director of the Gayle Mill Trust, said: "We are delighted that Gayle Mill is nearing completion and can't wait to take it on.

"The North of England Civic Trust have done a fabulous job in securing the necessary funding and we are proud that Gayle Mill is one of the first - if not the first - buildings featured on BBC Restoration to be restored."

The Grade II-listed building was built in the 1780s as a cotton mill, but was converted to a saw mill in the late 19th Century. It contains the original Victorian machinery and what is believed to be the oldest water turbine of its kind in Europe.

It will soon be supplemented by a new turbine that will generate electricity and export it to the National Grid.

New machinery, including a mobile saw mill, will also be purchased to enable the trust to produce products, including gates and benches, and offer new services from the mill.

Funding was raised through grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and Yorkshire Forward.

Members of the Gayle Mill Trust are now looking for a general manager to oversee the development and running of the mill.