Building record 7356/1/1 - Mill Building, with Machinery

{1} Mill demolished in March 1970. Waterwheel removed some time before demolition, but cast-iron wheelshaft and other machinery remained until demolition.
Attached to the wheelshaft was a cast iron pit-wheel over 8ft diameter with 128 wooden cogs, and running in an iron pit box let into the ground. The all metal wallower had 40 teeth and was fixed to an octagonal vertical shaft of c.5" sides. The great spur wheel, of iron with 124 wooden cogs, was 8ft diameter. The stone nuts were of iron with 25 teeth. Two pairs of stones each 50" diameter were supported on cast iron crown hursting. At the top of the vertical shaft was an iron crown wheel with 72 wooden cogs engaging with an iron pinion of 16 teeth. This was on a shaft carrying several pulleys, some of wood and some of iron. On a wooden beam over the mill-race was carved "MILL….BILT BY WP MILRIGHT…ON FOR THE." This beam is to go to the Billing Mill Museum of Milling, Northampton.

{2} The long straight leat from the River Nene is still in water and flows thorugh the brick-lined wheel race, still retaining its sloping bottom. The dried-up by-pass channel is to the north of the leat and more or less parallel to it. Approx north of the wheel race, the by-pass channel goes underground at a brick arch, curving to the south to enter the tail pond through another brick arch. There is some brickwork at the east end of the pond.

<1> Brown A.E. (Editor), 1971, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1970, p.38 (checked) (Journal). SNN100525.

<2> STARMER G., 2002?, Northamptonshire Watermills Survey 2001 - 2002 (A-H), p.65 (unchecked) (Report). SNN105520.

Record last edited

Jan 18 2010 4:58PM