Sawmill

The Sawmill, originally a cornmill, is a Grade II* listed watermill located in Dunham Massey, converted to a sawmill in the mid-19th century. It is believed to have been built around 1616 for "old" Sir George Booth, but it is definitely pre-1697. The building features English garden wall bond brickwork with stone dressings and a graduated stone slate roof. It stands two storeys plus an attic, with a stone plinth, stone quoins, and coped gables with kneelers.

The south elevation showcases a semi-circular stone arched waterwheel housing, flanked by stone buttresses. It has three two-light and three three-light double-chamfered stone mullion windows (some of which are later additions) with leaded casements, along with two gables, although the main roof runs longitudinally. Each end elevation includes an oeil-de-boeuf within the gable, added in 1756 during some alterations. The north side features a small projecting wing with a stone-dressed oeil-de-boeuf and a shaped brick chimney shaft for the carpenter's shop. Door openings are present on each elevation, while other window openings appear to be of a later date.

Inside, each storey is divided into two rooms by a half-timbered partition. The ground floor contains a reconstructed overshot waterwheel in one room and a lathe in the other. The first floor, which has access at ground level due to the crossfall, includes the carpenter's shop in one room and a frame saw, wood-boring machine, and circular saw in the other. The attic, accessed by a central flight of steps, formerly housed the granary.

This building is a rare and well-preserved example of a 17th-century watermill that was restored, with much of its machinery reconstructed in 1980, making it a fine working example.