Danes Mill

PLYMTREE ST 00 SE 3/121 Danes Mill - GV II

Former mill and miller's house. The house is mid - late C17, the mill is mid - late C19. Plastered cob on stone rubble footings, part of the mill is brick; stone rubble stacks topped with C19 brick; slate roof, formerly thatch over the house. Plan: the building faces south-east built across and terraced into the bottom of the hillside. The former mill occupies the left (south-west) end, the rest is taken up by the house. The house has a 3-room plan. The largest room is the living room, the former parlour, which has a gable-end stack backing onto the former mill. This room has been united with a small central room. Its front corner stack was inserted in the C19. At the right end there is an unheated service room. There is here a disused gable-end stack. If this is original this room was probably the kitchen. A passage along the back of the central room connects the end rooms. Most of the mill has now been brought into domestic use. The main part is a large room (now a kitchen) on the same axis as the main block. Here was formerly the mill gearing with the grindstones on the floor above. A 1-room plan service block projects forward in front of the the left part of the main block. The former wheelhouse projects full height from the left end. The rear wall of the mill is cob suggesting C17 or earlier origins but the rest was rebuilt in the C19. The house is 2 storeys; the mill is 2 storeys with lofts. Exterior: irregular 1:5 - window front of mostly C19 but with some C20 casements with glazing bars. The service room window at the right end is unglazed with internal shutters and has a low segmental arch over. The front doorway is left of centre and contains a C19 panelled door. The mill lofts were originally open and are now clad with corrugated iron. In the wheelhouse the leat has been infilled and the wheels removed but there is still evidence here for 2 overshot wheels. The roof is gable-ended. Interior: in the former miller's house the main room has a chamfered crossbeam with scroll-double nick stops. The fireplace has been lined with brick but has its original oak lintel, chamfered with runout stops. The right end room crossbeam is chamfered with scroll stops. The fireplace here and the one in the centre room both have C20 grates. The roof is carried on A-frame trusses with pegged and spiked lap- jointed collars; it is probably original. The former mill has plain C19 carpentry detail. Danes Mill nas a very attractive setting with the River Tale passing in front of the house towards nearby Danes Bridge (q.v) and an orchard on the other side.

Listing NGR: ST0753303366