The history of the Wire Mill, going back many hundreds of years, is told by a storyboard in the Wire Mill Inn bar area. Water Skiing at the lake has been taking place for about thirty years.
The Water Skiing at Wiremill Lake started in the late sixties when the lake and pub were together owned as Wiremill Country Club. Some of the Country Club members with the owner, started leisure skiing on the lake behind a Delta boat. The lake was much smaller and had reeded up over the years. The current car park area was later filled in and much of the water area recovered in the early seventies and a four buoy slalom course installed, to enable the skiers to develop their slalom skiing.
As the skiing interests developed the boat shed was rebuilt with changing rooms and a Jump ramp constructed by the Members. During the mid-seventies the club became more formal with a core membership of about 25 members who pooled resources and finances to rebuild the jump ramp to tournament standard in 1975, along with extending the slalom course to six buoys from the original four.
In the late seventies the Country Club became a Free House and the lake usage continued as a separate entity run by the Water Ski Club and also used by the angling club. As skiing became more competitive, with interclub competitions, the members required more powerful boats and a boat owning fraternity developed with Moonfleets and Boesch boats.
In 1979 the Club was taken over by a number of the members, and more powerful boats were required to maintain competitive abilities. A MasterCraft was therefore purchased by the newly formed club and over the next couple of years members’ boats were phased out in favour of supporting the club MasterCraft.
Through the eighties the Membership grew to about 35, the Jump ramp was rebuilt to be adjustable from 4-6ft, the Lake was further cleared of reeds and silt and a two-way eight buoy slalom course installed in the late eighties. The lake required reinforcing as it was originally a dammed lake providing water for the Mill Wheel, and considerable earthworks were undertaken and the weir rebuilt to comply with the Reservoir Act.
In the early nineties skiing declined during the tough economic climate and then over the past few years the membership has grown to around fifty with much more mixed skiing activity including Slalom, Tricking, Jumping, Kneeboarding and Wakeboarding. The club amenities have now been further improved to include a clubroom for members and guests, plus a larger fenced off lawn, with Barbecue and picnic tables.
In Spring 2000, full video jump measurement facilities were installed, allowing operation from the lakeside, or in the shelter of the Clubroom.
The Club purchases a new Tournament Boat every 2-3 years.
