Grey'S Mill

KELVEDON MALDON ROAD TL 8618-8718 (east side)

10/257 Grey's Mill 25.6.74

GV II

Water and steam mill, now warehouse. 1858. Painted brick in English bond. 5 bays aligned NE-SW, and engine house of 3 narrow parallel ranges aligned NE-SW to SE. Mill of 4.storeys and loft, engine house of one storey. SW elevation of mill, 2 windows on ground and first floors, 3 on second floor, one on third floor, all original cast iron casements of 12 lights with cast iron lintels. Large semi-circular cast iron casement in loft. C20 double doors on ground floor, original double loading doors on first floor. Corner giant pilasters and 2 giant pilasters in each return, with simple brick capitals and bases. The left elevation has 5 similar windows on the ground and second floors, 4 similar windows and central double loading doors on the first floor, no windows on the third floor. Low-pitched roof with long overhangs. The engine house has 3 original cast iron casements with semi-circular heads; the gable of the middle range stands above the outer ranges, and has a round cast iron window. The interior has no machinery but otherwise is almost complete. Transverse beams of imported pine of high quality approx. 9.20 metres long, supported on cast iron stanchions on ground, first and second storeys, replaced wooden posts on third storey. Roof trusses with 2 raking struts in each pitch. Original internal stairs to full height at each end. C20 goods lift in front left corner. The mill was built for George Docwra after the earlier mill was destroyed by fire in 1858, and the engine house was added before 1872. At that time 6 pairs of stones were driven by water power, and 5 pairs by steam, operating 24 hours a day, 6 days a week; it was insured for £2,000. The square chimney was at the rear of the engine house. By 1976 it was leaning dangerously, and was demolished soon afterwards (H. Benham, Some Essex Water Mills, 1976, 67, and M.S. Gregson, unpublished dissertation Kelvedon Milling from the late Eighteenth Century to the early Twentieth Century, 1976, 5-6, in the possession of the owners).

Listing NGR: TL8609818210