Waterwheel at Galton's Mill

The waterwheel at Galton’s Mill is a cast iron overshot wheel manufactured in 1793 for Samuel Galton by the Cookley Foundry. It was originally used for grinding musket barrels. The wheel itself is 4.3 metres in diameter and 1.3 metres wide, with an octagonal shaft and eight spokes at each end, supporting an outer wheel with buckets formed by cast iron sheets bolted to the wheel frame. Originally, the underside of the wheel was covered by wooden planks to prevent water leakage. Water was delivered to the wheel via a truncated launder, which was supplied by a cast iron penstock inscribed "CAST AT COOKLEY 1793". This penstock is connected to a rectangular pipe (pentrough) leading from the nearby mill pond. A 19th-century mechanism for controlling the gate in the penstock was added and connected to the upper rim via a rod extending into the grinding shop. A primary drive gear, nearly complete with fine cogs, is attached to the western end of the wheel's octagonal shaft. Both the wheel and the drive gear sit within brick-built pits. To the east of the waterwheel is a brick wall topped with modern decorative slabs, featuring three cambered ground-level openings; the largest providing access for the wheel axle to the bearing block, while the others allowed for maintenance. The mill buildings themselves are not of particular architectural interest. A mill has been present on this site since at least the 18th century, initially known as Savage’s Mill. After Samuel Galton took over the site in 1793, the mill was used to grind scythes until the mid-19th century, then later modernised in the 21st century to provide office accommodation. The waterwheel is a rare and well-documented survival, representing a late 18th-century cast iron wheel with metal buckets, accompanied by a contemporary penstock and pentrough illustrating late 18th-century technological advancements.