Slip, Quay And Retaining Walls

The slip, quay, and retaining walls at Sea Mills date from around the 18th century, likely with earlier origins. They are constructed from slate stone rubble. The slipway leads from the area northwest of the Sea Mills millhouse into a creek of a tributary of the River Camel. The retaining walls to the east are made of pitched and horizontally coursed slate stone, although parts of these walls have been rebuilt in the 20th century. To the west is the quay or jetty where the tide mill once stood, with its foundations still visible. Sea Mills was previously known as Sea Water Mills. The first mention of a mill at this location was a grist mill in 1675, and in 1810, 1816, and 1846, a three-storey stone building was offered for sale. The mill ceased operations in 1899 when the Padstow railway viaduct was built across the mouth of the estuary, which restricted the flow of water to the mill pond and limited access for cargo ships to the mill.