Danes Mill

Danes Mill is a former mill and miller's house, dating to the mid- to late 17th century for the house, and the mid- to late 19th century for the mill itself. The building is constructed of plastered cob on stone rubble footings, with some brickwork in the mill; stone rubble stacks topped with 19th-century brick; and a slate roof, formerly thatched over the house. The building terraces into the hillside, facing south-east.

The house is arranged with a three-room plan. The original living room, formerly a parlour, has a gable-end stack backing onto the mill, and has been combined with a smaller central room. A corner stack was inserted in the 19th century. A further unheated service room is at the right end; a disused gable-end stack suggests it was originally the kitchen. A passage runs behind the central room, connecting the end rooms. Much of the mill has been converted to residential use, including a large kitchen space which formerly housed the mill gearing, with grindstones on the floor above. A single-room plan service block projects forward, and the full-height wheelhouse forms the left end. The rear wall of the mill is cob, suggesting a 17th or earlier origin, but the rest was rebuilt in the 19th century. The house is two storeys in height; the mill section is two storeys with lofts.

The exterior features an irregular 1:5 window front with mostly 19th-century windows, although some 20th-century casements with glazing bars are present. A window in the service room at the right end is unglazed, has internal shutters, and is topped with a low segmental arch. The front doorway, positioned left of centre, incorporates a 19th-century panelled door. The mill lofts were originally open and are now clad with corrugated iron. The remains of two overshot wheel housings are present within the wheelhouse, where the leat has been infilled. The roof is gable-ended.

Inside the house, the main room has a chamfered crossbeam with scroll-double nick stops. The fireplace has been lined with brick but retains its original oak lintel, also chamfered with runout stops. The crossbeam in the service room is chamfered with scroll stops. Both fireplaces in the main and centre rooms contain 20th-century grates. The roof structure consists of A-frame trusses with pegged and spiked lap-jointed collars, which are likely original. The mill interior has plain 19th-century carpentry detail. Danes Mill enjoys a very attractive setting, with the River Tale flowing in front of the building towards Danes Bridge, and an orchard opposite.