Mill Cottage

Mill Cottage is a derelict property is Emmerdale which Aaron Dingle bought at auction in December 2016.

On 28th June 2016, then owner Rakesh Kotecha set the house on fire to claim the insurance money; unaware former resident Nicola King was inside. The Mill exploded and Dan Spencer and Ronnie Hale arrived at the scene and rescued Nicola. Ronnie went back in, believing Rakesh and Priya were inside and he was knocked unconscious. Rakesh and Carly Hope rescued Ronnie. The insurance adjuster Neville Crosby smelt a rat so the insurance company refused to pay out. Mill Cottage was repossessed in October 2016 and sold to Aaron Dingle at auction two months later and hired Ronnie to the building work.

In March 2017, Nicola's husband Jimmy King kidnapped Rakesh and held him hostage in the Mill. Rakesh managed to untie his hands and tries to escape but Jimmy accidentally pushes Rakesh out of the window. Rakesh survived the fall and was discharged from hospital a few days later.

Millhouse
Upon his return to Beckindale in 1972, Jack Sugden showed an interest in the abandoned Millhouse. His mother, Annie told him that the property is theirs but it would cost too much money to put right and that it can't be demolished as there is a preservation order on it. Annie claims that for her, his father and his grandfather's lifespan no-one has ever lived in the building.

Owners
The Miffield Estate owned by George Verney held the ownership of Emmerdale Farm land and The Mill (of which The Mill was part of). The Miffield Estate leased Emmerdale Farm with The Mill out to Jacob Sugden until his death in 1972, where it was then inherited by Jack Sugden. Henry Wilks bought the freehold from the Miffield Estate in early 1973. Aaron Dingle bought the derelict property at auction in December 2016 with Olivia Flaherty.
 * Until 1973 - George Verney
 * 1973 - Henry Wilks
 * 2016-present - Aaron Dingle

Residents
Jack moved into the Mill shortly after arriving back in Beckindale. Prior to this, the Mill had been unoccupied for years. While he initially lived at Emmerdale Farm immediatly on his return, he decided to inhabit the Mill as a place to begin work on his next novel, taking up lodging primarily in an upstairs room he converted into a bedroom. Trash was a homeless person who routinely returned to the village, at least once a year. Whilst Jack was on a trip to London, he took up lodgings in the Mill and Jack arrived back to find him dossing down in one of the downstairs rooms. Jack agreed to let Trash stay on at the Mill in return for running errands. Trash's residence was shortlived however, when he found a necklace belonging to local missing girl Sharon Crossthwaite and became the prime suspect in her disappearance. Fearful of being locked up after spending time on a psychiatric ward, an innocent Trash fell to his death from Jack's bedroom window when trying to flee from the Mill. Penny Golightly arrived in the village looking for her father after hearing he was staying in the village. Her father was Trash who had just recently been buried in the cemetery. Jack invited Penny to stay at the Mill for a time while she became familiar with the village in which her father spent the final weeks of his life. She began a relationship with Joe Sugden but when disagreements arose between the two of them, Penny packed her things and left the village
 * 1973 - Jack Sugden
 * 1973 - Trash
 * 1973 - Penny Golightly



Background Information

 * Mill Cottage (originally The Mill) is one of the only locations in the programme to have a specifically pinpointed location on each of the village sets used in the series. Originally, appearing in 1972, The Mill was located on Emmerdale Farm land, just over the river and North East to the farm itself. Since the move to the Harewood village however, the Mill is now located South of the village at the very bottom of Main Street.