Higher Mill And Millhouse

The Higher Mill and Millhouse date largely to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, though the site may have earlier origins. The buildings are constructed of whitewashed and roughcast materials, with a slate roof to the miller’s house (gabled at the ends) and corrugated iron roofs elsewhere. Axial and two left-end stacks are present.

The miller’s house is a double-depth, two-room wide structure with a central entrance leading into a stair hall. A projection at the right end of the house contains the overshot water wheel, powered by a leat (water channel) known as the Fairwater, which runs through Kingsteignton and also serves Lower Mill. A two-storey, flat-roofed addition is at the rear left, with a single-storey block behind that. A rear-right block, with a mansard roof at a right angle to the main range, appears largely rebuilt. Determining the precise sequence of construction is complicated, as a projecting stack on the left gable end of the miller’s house seems older than the front elevation's detailing, and the single-storey block may also predate the 18th century.

The three-storey miller’s house has a symmetrical three-bay front, originally with a central door hooded by columns and a glazed fanlight (though the doorhood has been lost). Ground-floor windows are 12-pane sashes without horns; the first-floor window on the right is similar, while the left and centre windows have been reglazed as 4-pane sashes, but remain within the original window openings. Three first-floor windows have been blocked or remain blind. The left gable end, facing Crossley Moor Road, features end stacks to both the front and rear of the ridge, the rear stack projecting. This elevation has a first-floor 16-pane sash without horns, a ground-floor 4-pane sash (likely replacing an earlier smaller-paned window), and a two-light second-floor casement with three panes per light. A three-plank door, possibly dating to the 17th or 18th century, is found in the adjoining single-storey block at the rear.

The overshot wheel is within a shallow projection at the right end of the main range and features an iron rim with timber spokes and buckets. Historic descriptions (dating to 1952) mentioned three pairs of stones and a roller mill powered by the wheel. Most of the original machinery was removed to assist in the restoration of another mill, with any surviving elements now cased within an inaccessible room. The mill was operational in 1952, and the buildings are now occupied by multiple tenants. The buildings have group value with the Fairwater and No. 19 (Thatchers) opposite.