Former Corn Mill at Durbridge Mill Farm

A former corn mill, probably dating from the early C19.

MATERIALS Local sandstone and red brick; slate roofs.

PLAN The mill building stands over the mill race and is orientated roughly east-west with a circular kiln at the eastern end. An extension at the western end, beyond the wheel, is slightly offset from the line of the main range.

EXTERIOR The mill is a three-storey structure in four sections. The principal range, which has a slightly higher roofline and steeper roof than the surrounding ranges, is of three irregular bays. The ground and first floors are built in large stone rubble blocks, with red brick above. The remodelled openings date from the C19 and all have segmental-arched brick dressings. The wheel is enclosed within the building at the western end, and visible in an opening from outside at ground-floor level. The central range has paired windows to each of the ground and first floors, with a doorway and taking-in door to the right. The upper floor is blind, with brick cogging under the eaves. The range to the right is narrower and slightly lower, with a doorway to the ground floor and a window to the upper floor. Attached at its eastern end is a circular brick kiln, dating from the building's use as a maltings, constructed in stone to the lower part with brick above, including for the cone chimney. Alongside it are the ruins of another similar kiln. To the far western end, a slightly offset one-bay square block built in brick to the lower section and clad in weatherboarding above has openings to ground and first floors, and a shuttered opening in the western gable. The rear elevations are less regular: the western block is blind; the main range has a ground-floor opening for the rear of the wheel, with smaller openings at ground and first floors, and a blind wall above; the eastern end is set into rising ground, with a window at each level and a doorway giving access to the first floor.

INTERIOR The main range of the mill retains its equipment: the iron undershot waterwheel is housed in an internal wheel pit lined in brick. The mechanism, which has two pairs of underdriven millstones, is all in iron, in an iron frame. The upper floor is carried on chamfered beams with runout stops of very large scantling. The upper floors are largely inaccessible but have similar beams. The interior of the flanking ranges are similar.