Swineford Copper Mills Including Waterwheels and Machinery is a Grade II listed building in the South Gloucestershire local planning authority area, England. Industrial complex. 1 related planning application.

Swineford Copper Mills Including Waterwheels and Machinery

WRENN ID
ragged-wattle-raven
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
South Gloucestershire
Constituency
North East Somerset and Hanham MP: Dan Norris (Ind)
Country
England
Type
Industrial complex
Address
Swineford Copper Mills Including Waterwheels and Machinery, Bath Road, Bitton
OS grid reference
ST 690 689
Coordinates
51.41893, -2.44637
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Swineford Copper Mills, an important industrial complex, was founded by John Freeman and Company in 1840 and converted to a flock mill in the 1860s. The foundation of the Copper Mill is from the 18th century, and some remains may date from before 1840. The site consists of two main blocks, whose original purposes are now difficult to determine due to their varied historical uses.

The main block appears to be early 19th century but is dated 1840. It is constructed of coursed rubble with dressed quoins and an ashlar parapet. The river front features two storeys with three windows, which have glazing bar casements in elliptical heads with brick dressings. There are large blocked doors on each floor to the right, and the building has a hipped pantile roof. An adjoining wing, likely from the late 18th century, is two storeys high with three windows. The ground floor has moulded mid-19th century long mullion windows with cornices, although these have been altered. This wing also has a pantiled roof with brick stacks.

The secondary block has a plaque inscribed "Swineford Copper Mills J F and Co MDCCCXL". It is a single storey building made of coursed rubble with brick dressings and various openings, topped with a pantile roof. The rear features five gabled extensions, three of which have cut finial saddlestones, while one is hipped. The machinery on site includes two probably original waterwheels and shafting from the flock mill, along with two ashlar projections to the left of the front for the watercourses. A mill owner's cottage and a small outbuilding to the south are not included in this listing.

Local climate

Swineford Copper Mills Including Waterwheels and Machinery receives an average of 860 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 60% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 64% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 52% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 1 application
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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