The Old Mill, Waterwheel And Aqueduct

This is an 1879 water-powered corn mill with an attached house. Constructed from local lias stone, it has a double Roman clay tiled roof with plain verges and stone chimney stacks. The building is two storeys high and comprises a four-bay house and a two-bay mill, with an irregular window arrangement. The windows are mostly late 20th century small-pane casements, set under deep stone lintels, and have 20th century doors and porches. A cast iron waterwheel, 3.5 metres in diameter, manufactured by a Martock foundry, is located on the north gable. It last turned in 1968 and was undergoing repair in 1984. It’s a backshot design driven by water channeled from an iron-plated aqueduct supported by stone piers extending approximately 35 metres. Inside, much of the original grain milling machinery remains in place, along with a cider press, and was undergoing restoration in September 1984. The mill’s site has a history dating back to 1479-80, although the existing structure replaced an earlier mill removed from a higher upstream location around 1870. The adjoining three-bay property on the south gable, known as The Granary, has been significantly altered and is not considered to be of special interest.