Mill End: A Creative Retreat Born of a Bold Vision
Liz Lewitt, a force of nature with a passion for creativity, has always made things happen. Her partner, Zoff , turns her visions into reality. Whilst not having quite the energy they did in their younger, wilder days, together they have created a quirky and unique house, rich with the warmth and history of ancient Medieval timber, and infused with the spirit of their combined talents and interests. Their passions have always been the creative process and connecting like minded people.
Mill End is not just a holiday house – it’s a living, breathing expression of creativity, hospitality, and reinvention. The diverse creative backgrounds of this dynamic duo and their unconventional ideas, infuse every corner of the house and make it an unforgettable stay, with immersive dining and table themes creating unforgettable memories.
Liz works hard to understand what your ideas, expectations and wishes are for your perfect gathering - the more details you can give her about what you want for your stay, gathering or event, the better she can help you co host, make suggestions and bring your vision in within budget. Mill End is not ‘just a house’. It is not minimally filled with bland pine furniture and nothing to do or look at. Mill End is a stage for wonderful experiences, photo opportunities and memories. Just add people!
Liz's Fashionable Beginnings
Liz, a fashion designer, theatrical costumier, stylist, writer, TV presenter, and academic, began her journey in the 1980s after completing a fashion degree then post-graduate degree in Bristol. Immersed in the post-punk and emerging hip hop scenes, Liz launched her own fashion label and opened a shop just off Park Street during the city’s cultural heyday. With Zoff, a former punk rocker and now a skilled builder and listed buildings specialist, she transformed an old car showroom into a fashion studio, retail store, and costume hire agency – a space that became a cultural hotspot in its own right.
The Journey of Liz & Zoff: From Punk Rock, Hells Angels & Fashion to Gatherings & Feasting
Their energy spilled into nightlife and media: they promoted one of Bristol’s longest-running independent club nights, SPANK, which featured fashion shows and themed visuals. Liz’s talents took her into freelance lecturing in fashion and contextual studies, casting, styling, and prop work for TV and advertising, collaborating with BBC, HTV, MTV, and more. She also co-presented a live TV show for Wire TV and regularly contributed fashion articles to magazines, with her lingerie even selling through Agent Provocateur. Her work is now archived in the V&A and Bath Costume Museum. Her designs featured nationally on Jean Paul Gaultier’s Eurotrash and Janet Street Porter’s Youth TV show and in The Face and iD magazines.
Il Bordello: A Floating Haven for Creativity
Creativity was not confined to land. In one of their most ambitious ventures, Liz and Zoff bought a 100-foot Dutch barge from the Bristol Hells Angels and transformed it into Il Bordello, a floating arts bar and creative venue. This eccentric members-only hub hosted a who’s-who of the city’s cultural elite: Massive Attack, Banksy, Portishead, Nick Walker, Roni Size, film & TV actors, poets & writers and creatives from Aardman and Bolex Brothers. From burlesque supper clubs to poetry nights, product launches, and cocktail soirees, Il Bordello embodied their flair for bringing people together in extraordinary settings. Notably, it was the first UK bar to sell vapourised alcohol, garnering media attention as far as Japan and Australia.
Mill End: A Fusion of Urban & Rural
Their latest project, Medieval Mill End Mitcheldean, is a 600-year-old mostly derelict village shop, pub, and barn, lovingly restored into an expansive, characterful holiday home that sleeps and seats up to 40 guests. This space carries echoes of their past adventures – layered textures of reclaimed wood, bespoke interiors, graffiti murals by Jody and FLX of Children of the Can, and a curated mishmash of art, books, cookware, vintage toys, and musical instruments. It’s designed to feel like a lived-in work of art – a creative retreat where guests instantly feel at home.
Your Mill End Experience Awaits
Whether you're planning a family reunion, a corporate retreat, a hen do, or a relaxing getaway, Mill End has something to inspire.
Book your stay to experience the magic of the Forest of Dean and create lasting memories.
Central to the Mill End experience is Bordello Banquets, their in-house catering and events company inspired by their earlier ventures. It brings the spirit of Il Bordello ashore – think feasts featuring locally foraged ingredients, artisan food and drink produced in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, imaginative menus, and immersive themed events. Whether you're here for a hen do, family celebration, corporate retreat, or creative workshop, every gathering is enriched by the same thoughtful, irreverent energy Liz and Zoff have honed over decades.
Mill End is more than a place to stay; it's a journey through a shared creative legacy. Every beam and floorboard whispers stories of club nights, fashion shoots, floating supper clubs, and rebellious reinventions. It’s a space for connection, imagination, and celebration – and a fitting tribute to a lifetime of living creatively.
