Beeleigh Steam Mill and bridge over tail race

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 29 January 2024 to amend details in the description and to reformat the text to current standards

TL80NW 574-1/1/233

MALDON Beeleigh ABBEY TURNING, Beeleigh (North East side) Beeleigh Steam Mill and bridge over tail race

24/09/71

GV II*

Steam mill, ruins of water mill and bridge. Early C19. The steam mill is of a mixture of red and cream Gault brick with a hipped slate roof with blue clay ridge and hip tiles.

EXTERIOR: two storeys with embellished elevations to North East and South East towards Beeleigh Falls House (qv). The South West elevation is part of Gault and part of red brick with a series of circular tie-bar plates. A large semicircular-arched opening faces onto a sunken external area, providing access to the engine which is visible within. Door opening with segmental head and further small openings now blocked or concealed by ivy.

The short North West elevation is of Gault brick with a central small segmental-arched opening with cast-iron window of 24 small panes. On the north corner is the base of a former chimney, now truncated, which wraps around on to the North East elevation.

The North East elevation has four broad semicircular-arched recesses with similar 24-pane iron windows to the lower storey.

The South East elevation is similar, but with cast-iron windows to both storeys, and of two semicircular-arched recesses.

The remains of the water mill to the South West consist of a rectangular enclosure of walling of varying height with some Gault and some red brick. Some former door and window openings survive and two large chambers for former breast-shot water wheels and two barge docks for unloading flour and grain. To the South East is a bridge now giving access to former mill house, Beeleigh Falls (qv), with red brick parapets, stone copings and two semicircular arches.

INTERIOR: the steam mill is divided into two compartments, separated by a brick partition. The smaller north-western part is open to full height and contains the complete iron, double-acting compound steam engine of 1845, by Wendworth. Alongside is an 'Elephant' boiler with two safety valves and firebox. The ground-floor chamber in the main body of the building contains an iron upright shaft with great spur wheel, the driving machinery and a circular-plan iron husting.

Designed to house five pairs of stones, the emplacements and upper ends of drive spindles remain on the upper floor. The former watermill was a large five-storeyed weatherboarded mill with 12 pairs of stones and two water wheels, and was destroyed by fire in 1875.

Listing NGR: TL8396908192