Coldharbour Mill

Coldharbour Mill is a grist mill, with subsequent development as a textile mill, dating back to at least 1707. Following a flood in 1753, it was rebuilt as a grist mill. The site was purchased in 1797 by Thomas Fox of Wellington, a manufacturer of serge and flannel, who expanded his business by constructing a brick and stone factory in 1799. From 1799 to 1981, Fox Bros. operated a yarn spinning business here. The mill subsequently closed in 1981 and, from 1982, has operated as a working wool museum, continuing to produce yarn commercially.

The original grist mill is a three-storey block of brick and stone, rectangular in plan, with a slated hipped roof and a basement. The east side features a four-window range with segmentally headed window arches. Various window ranges are present on the other sides of the building. The spinning mill is a three-storey block of brick and stone, rectangular in plan, with a slated gable-ended roof incorporating ridge ventilators. The attic floor is lit by continuous clerestory windows to the north and south. A two-storey extension exists to the north and a single-storey extension to the south, both with lean-to roofs and skylights. The main block has a seven-window range, and at the west end are ancillary buildings including an engine room, a boiler room, and a tall polygonal chimney stack. A high shot breast wheel survives at the opposite end of the block.