Bridge And Other Remains Of Abbey Mills At Abbey Chase

The bridge and other remains of Abbey Mills at Abbey Chase are part of a former water mill that belonged to Chertsey Abbey at the time of the Dissolution. The structure dates from the medieval period, with elements from the 18th or 19th century and some early 20th-century modifications. The bridge features three arches, with the arches lined with large blocks of masonry on the northwest side, similar to the masonry found at the medieval Chertsey Abbey site. It is possible that the bridge was widened on the southeast side after the Reformation, where there is a greater use of brick compared to stone for the arch linings. The lower walls of the channels on the northwest side of the bridge are made of brick and similar masonry. The bridge parapet and upper channel walls are faced with masonry that was likely added in the 1920s, possibly by Percy Cane, as part of his landscaping design for the gardens at Abbey Chase. Wooden sluices at the northwest end are now partly decayed. Water flows under the bridge into a lower millpond, while overflow from the upper pool discharges through a channel in the north bank.

The mill is depicted on a map from 1735, indicating that the estate was the same as that granted away during the 16th-century Dissolution. Historical photographs and maps from the 19th century show part of the mill straddling the Abbey River, just northwest of the bridge, with the miller's house located to the south. The mills are referred to as Abbey Mills in 18th and 19th-century sources, such as a sketch from 1804-06 for the first edition of the Ordnance Survey 1-inch map and in minutes from a City of London Corporation Committee meeting on July 4, 1811, focused on improving the navigation of the River Thames. Abbey Chase House was constructed on the site of the miller's house in the early 20th century.