Buckton Mill,Water Wheel and Sluice Gate

This is a water mill, likely dating from the late 18th century to the early 19th century, with subsequent alterations. It is constructed of sandstone rubble with brick dressings, featuring a Welsh slate and tiled roof and brick stacks. The building has an L-shaped plan, with the main range running north-west to south-east and a subsidiary arm extending to the north-east at the south end. It has two to three storeys plus attics. The south elevation includes a tall gable front on the left. This gable contains two round-headed cast-iron sash windows with brick heads, one on the first floor and one on the second. A further window is located at the gable’s top, beneath a cambered head. An entrance on the left side, also with a cambered head and ledged door, is accessed by a footbridge. A lower section, remodelled in the late 19th century, is located to the right and contains two late 20th-century sash windows, one on each floor. The tiled roof is topped with cresting. A large cast-iron water wheel, approximately 12 feet in diameter, is positioned above the two parts of the building, with raised lettering on each visible spoke reading “C HODGES LUDLOW FOUNDRY 1858.” Sluice gates are operated by wheels from the footbridge. Inside, a staircase from the 18th century features turned balusters and moulded handrails over two flights. A drive shaft from the water wheel leads to a cast iron crown wheel and pinion on the ground floor. The first floor contains an earlier wooden pinion, a late 18th-century fielded panelled door, and a Coakbrookdale cast-iron fireplace with swags, urns, and eared jambs, which is now located out of its original position. The attic includes a cat-walk, wooden pulleys, drums, and chains. The roof trusses are of queen-post construction. Buckton Mill is believed to have last operated in 1947 and was supposedly built in 1798.