Mill Adjoining To East Of Mill House

TQ 53 37 SPELDHURST GROOMBRIDGE HILL (east side), OLD GROOMBRIDGE 16/500 Mill adjoining to east of Mill House

GV II*

Watermill. Probably late C17, maybe early C18. Lower part of the east end wall is coursed sandstone with English bond red brick on top up to first floor level. Side walls are Flemish bond red brick up to first floor level. Timber-framed above, front and most of end wall is hung with peg-tile, rear and lower part of end wall is weatherboarded. Peg-tile roof.

Plan: Disused watermill facing north north west, say north. It is a single cell building built onto the end of Mill House (q.v.) to right (west) and left end is terraced into the bank of the dam built to create the large ornamental lake in front of Groombridge Place (q.v.) but which also provided the head far the watermill. Mill race used to run past the rear of the building but is disused and has been filled in. Waterwheel has been removed; an overshot wheel is reported.

Ground floor houses the machinery, stone floor and bin floor in the roofspace.

Exterior: Irregular 2-window front of old casement windows and upper windows still contain old diamond panes of leaded glass. Doorway roughly central and contains an old plank door in a plain solid frame. Roof butts the higher Mill House to right. It is gable-ended to left and extended to shelter the loading hatches below. 2-flap loading hatch door at stone (first) floor level with leaded diamond pane window to left, a boarded window to right and shuttered window in the gable.

Interior: Plain but sturdy carpentry detail including a 2-bay roof carried an a tie beam truss with staggered butt purlins. Apart from missing waterwheel the mill machinery remains intact and some may be early. Heavy framed hurst frame containing gearing (mostly timber wheels and teeth) driving 2 grindstones. Sack hoists and other features intact.

The mill is an interesting estate building and one of the very important group of related buildings in Old Groombridge.

Listing NGR: TQ5306837581