Former Steam Flour Mill at Sj 4127 6662

This is a former steam-powered flour mill, now used as a warehouse and workshop, dating to approximately 1785 and the early to mid-19th century. The chimney, boilerhouse, and engine house have since been removed. The building was constructed in three phases, arranged in a U-shape. The central wing, facing Steam Mill Street, occupies the site of the original mill shown on a map of Chester from 1789 and may contain original cast-iron columns and beams. The four-storey north wing, facing the Chester Canal, is likely from the early 19th century. The exterior features of the central and south wings were probably added in the 1840s. A square internal chimney survives at the junction of the middle and south wings. The building’s design is functional, with minimal applied ornamentation. It is constructed of brown brick in an irregular English garden wall bond, with grey slate roofs. Stone sills are present, along with cambered brick window heads. Some openings have been bricked up or altered; the central and south wings have 36-72 pane cast-iron windows, some with four-pane hoppers and others with inserted casements. A round-arched window is present in the gable of the loft. The north wing has replaced 2-pane, horizontally-sliding sashes and simple brick corbelling to the eaves and verges. The central and south wings feature stone-coped parapet gables. The north wing's interior was not inspected. The central wing has four bays featuring round cast-iron columns supporting heavy T-shaped iron beams, some of which have damaged webs formed into shallow, triangular shapes, increasing in depth towards the center. The south wing contains large timber beams supported by inserted, riveted stanchions and a goods lift shaft dated 1898. The external walls are up to 1 meter (3 feet) thick. The mill is notable for being an early example of a steam-powered, canal-side flour mill and for its cast-iron columns and beams.