Charlecote Mill and wall to south

Charlecote Mill and Wall to South

Water mill for corn and later animal feed, subsequently restored as a corn mill. Dating from the mid to late 18th century with alterations made in the 19th century.

The mill stands on an island in the mill race, with water passing on both sides to feed undershot wheels at either end of the building. It is constructed of brick laid in Flemish stretcher bond, with a gabled plain clay tile roof.

The building follows a T-plan, with the main range oriented roughly east-west and the principal elevation facing south. It is two storeys tall with an attic storey. The south elevation is a symmetrical five-window range with a top cogged cornice. The central entrance door and loading door above are set within segmental-headed openings, fitted with heavy pegged frames to the paired and studded plank doors. The ground floor has segmental-headed windows with two-light small-paned glazing; four similar windows appear on the first floor, two of which have opening casements. A weatherboarded gabled lucombe with a two-light small-paned casement window projects over the entrance bay. The western return has a central round-arched doorway with paired plank doors leading to the wheel chamber, with blind wall above except for a three-light casement window high in the gable. The rear elevation had its eaves raised in the later 19th century, probably to accommodate additional grain storage. The projecting central wing has segmental-headed windows with three-light frames and small-paned opening casements on the ground floor, first floor, and attic. Either side of this wing are pegged doorways in segmental openings with studded plank doors; the outer bays of each house the wheel chambers, marked by wide segmental-headed openings with timber lintels and paired plank doors. Above these are small-paned opening casements on the first floor, and the west end carries a small opening with a projecting iron shaft and wheel above the wheel chamber.

The interior has a stone flag floor on the ground level, with very heavy chamfered beams with runout stops supporting elm plank floors above. The upper floors are accessed by straight ladder stairs. The roof structure is a heavy queen-post design with wide, high openings between the queen posts to allow sack trollies to pass through. Each truss apex is supported by a jowled king post set on the collar. The building houses two undershot water wheels, one at each end, with elements largely dating from the 19th century. Paddles and sluice gates were largely renewed during 1970s repairs. The wooden upright shafts and wheels are contained within two heavily-constructed timber hurst frames, which have boarded cladding to their inner ground-floor faces with meal spouts taking flour from first-floor millstones, and segmental extensions to accommodate spur wheels. Each wheel drives two pairs of stones on the milling floor. Deep grain bins between the first and attic floors are accessed through hatches on the attic floor, fitted with studded leather hinges. The entire original roof structure remains in place; the raised rear section rises on timbers set above the earlier roof. Scratched and painted inscriptions of past millers' initials and names appear throughout the building, together with taper marks and two daisy wheels.

To the south of the mill building stands a parapet wall at the end of the island. Constructed from brick, the upper section is battered, with a narrow half-round mortar capping.