Building record 965/2/1 - Willow Mill (Formerly Upper Mill)

The former mill is a two-storey with attic storey red brick building, with a Welsh-slated gabled roof. A wood-boarded lucam projects from near the top of the north-facing wall. Now house.

{1} Corn mill, Mill Hill. Cornmill showing on all early edition Ordnance Survey maps as a mill - building still in existence. Brick structure with wooden lucam… Now a domestic residence.

{2} No mill is recorded in Buckby in 1086. In 1294-5 just one mill is recorded, called Walkemilne. Given that this is the period when there is record of the sale of woollen cloth from at least two stalls within the market it may be that this was a fulling mill, ‘walker’ being a common term for a fuller. There was still fulling taking place in the village in 1564-5 and again in the first half of the 18th century. This implies that one of the mills was still at that time a fulling mill.
In 1310 there were 2 water mills on the Chokes manor and these continued in 1343-4 and in 1415-16, when they were held at farm. The Nether mylle is recorded in 1444. In 1484 one mill with holmes and pasture and meadow was held at farm for £5 per annum. In 1590 the two watermills were held by Roger Carell for £6/9/0 per annum from Sir Christopher Hatton who held them by lease from the Queen. The two mills are described as lying at the west end of Buckby, with two holmes of meadow belonging to them, with 3 arable lands and half an acre of meadow belonging to the Over Milne and one acre of arable to the Nether Milne. With the mills he also held two cottages each with a little close of pasture. In 1720 there was a water mill near Murcott and another a little below the town. These are depicted on Eayre's map, as the Upper and Lower mills on Bryant's map and on the first edition 1:2500 Ordnance Survey mapping and thus can be accurately located.

{3} Post medieval, brick built watermill; water courses now almost obliterated by rubbish tipping. Chimney size indicates use of steam engine at some time. Now converted into house.

{6} History:
1591 Mentioned along with the lower mill in the Duchy of Lancaster survey of the manor.
1805 Attempt by Grand Junction Canal Company to buy the mill, together with the lower mill.
1812 Robert Ashby insured £200 on the upper corn mill.
1857 Advertisement of sale of two watermills in Long Buckby refers to the top mill being recently fitted with a steam engine.
1880 Water wheel lowered.
1883 When advertised for sale, Top Buckby Mill was described as a brick-built arid slated building of three floors, and had garners capable of storing 300 quarters. It was working four pairs of stones.
1895 Plans prepared for a new mill at a cost of £5. 10. 0.
WWI Steam engine taken out of use.
1920 By this time the steam engine appears to have been removed and the mill worked only by water power.
WWII Water wheel out of use, replaced by a gas engine.
1953 Mill in use for gristing, driven by an oil engine.
1960s Mill ceased work in early years of the decade.
Later converted to dwelling.
Documentary sources: Eyre & Jefferys’ 1791 map shows it un-named; Bryant’s 1827 map marks it Upper Mill; 18 34 and 1912 1 inch OS maps mark it merely as Mill.

The former mill is a two-storey with attic storey red brick building, with a Welsh-slated gabled roof. A wood-boarded lucam projects from near the top of the north-facing wall. The ridge of its gabled roof is at the same height as the ridge of the main roof of the mill. The gable end of the lucam has a semi-circular headed cast iron window frame. The fenestration of the north-facing wall has been significantly altered with modern frames and imitation shutters. The west gable end retains semi-circular headed windows with cast-iron multi-light frames. There appears to be one window in each storey, including the attic storey. A smaller two-storey building adjoins the other gable end, which has a single circular window in the gable for the attic storey.
Access was not possible to the south (downstream) side of the mill. Viewing from the road on the east side, the mill seems to be joined on its downstream side by a low (single-storey?) brick building, its gabled roof being parallel to that of the main roof of the mill. This may have been associated with the steam engine here since, outside its west end is the base of a red brick square section chimney, surmounted by a decorative stone cornice.
If alterations are proposed to the area near the remains of the chimney, investigation/excavation may establish the method of engaging and disengaging the drive from steam engine and waterwheel.

<1> BALLINGER J., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Long Buckby (Industrial), (checked) (Digital archive). SNN100506.

<2> FOARD G., 2000, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Long Buckby (Medieval + Post Medieval), (checked) (Report). SNN100746.

<3> Starmer G.H., 1966, CBA Record Cards: Industrial Archaeology in Northamptonshire, Recorded by GH Starmer, Jun-1966, Record No.308304 (Recording Form (Not SMR)). SNN1626.

<4> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 1996-2013, Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group Newsletter, Issue 112 p.8 (unchecked) (Newsletter). SNN55360.

<5> Starmer G.H., 1982, National Register of Industrial Monuments, (part checked) (Catalogue). SNN563.

<6> STARMER G., 2002?, Northamptonshire Watermills Survey 2001 - 2002 (H-Z), p.87 (checked) (Report). SNN105521.

<7> Starmer G.H., 1973, National Register of Industrial Monuments, (part checked) (Catalogue). SNN571.

<8> Historic England, Undated, National Record of Industrial Monuments (NRIM): Index Cards, NRI01 (Archive). SNN113469.

Record last edited

May 23 2022 11:42AM