Building record 1085/5/1 - The Old Mill, Mill House & The Old Bakehouse, Winwick Mill

Watercourses, with pond, and buildings including converted mill on the Winwick Brook to the south-west of Winwick village (West Haddon Road). Early 19th century watermill with remains of machinery.

{1} Corn mill buildings. Late C18 and early C19 possibly incorporating some earlier work. Brick with some coursed rubble ironstone; Welsh slate roofs. Main range of 3 storeys contains mill (with wheel to N end) and drying floors (to S), the latter with one additional bay. Two wings (both of 2 storeys), that to the E (partially ruinous at time of inspection, January 1990) containing chaff house and storage rooms, that to the W formerly the miller's house. Exterior: mill and drying rooms under continuous roof with 2 ridge stacks; stone plinth to older part. 2 windows to all floors: ground floor (all blocked) and 1st floor under segmental arches; one window to 1st floor blocked with painted glazing bars, the other of 3 lights. 2nd floor windows under flat arches with original (or early) casements with glazing bars. Rear with one opening to ground and 1st floor. Former house with 2 stone walls and one (with fenestration) rebuilt in brick. End wall to mill largely rebuilt. E wing, of 2 builds, the older part with openings under segmental arches. Interior (drying rooms not inspected): machinery largely intact. Undershot water wheel, partially collapsed but with many paddles surviving. Transmission contained in stout timber frame. Wallower, upright shaft and great spur wheel with wooden cogs clearly visible in situ. Grinding components: 2 of the 3 stones complete in their wooden cases with iron hoops, the third stone broken. Hoppers. Sack hoist. Grain bin complete with HL hinges.

{3} Post medieval brick building; it stopped working soon after The Second World War due to an accident. The waterwheel is 16ft diam x 58ft wide (?). Much of the mechanism was still in place during the 1960s although somewhat damaged. Corn grinding mill.

{6} Former watermill on the Winwick Brook. The corn mill is on the west of the lane between Winwick and West Haddon. The three-storey mill and adjoining mill-house are of red brick with a slate roof. The overshot waterwheel was fed from a pond of about half an acre held by a dam on the west side of the mill. The three pairs of stones and much of the transmission machinery were retained when the mill was converted to a dwelling in 1990.

{8} Corn-milling industry. A mill at Winwick was included in the gift of Richard de Blickville to the monks of Pipewell. In 1652 a Richard Draper was the tenant of 'an overmill' at Winwick, valued at £10. In 1750 the miller William Gurney took a pauper child of 13 as an apprentice. The same miller was fined for altering the watercourse at Winwick in 1751. In 1774 the mill tenant Mr Walpole improved the mill at considerable personal expense. In c.1798 William Walpole purchased the mill from William, Lord Craven. In 1833 the mill was sold by John West to his tenant, John Swingler. In 1868 the dwelling house, then occupied by Joseph Coleman, with attached corn mill and steam engine was advertised for sale. In 1920 the mill is last recorded as having been worked by steam, and in 1940 the miller Thomas Henry Leeson was using only water power. The mill stopped working during WWII, following an accident to a boy, who was running on the waterwheel to turn it. The spokes of the wheel were destroyed to prevent its turning.
In 1989 the mill is recorded as being in a delapidated condition when advertised for sale. It was offered for sale along with mill-house, other outbuildings, millpond and paddock. It was purchased in 1990, following which the mill and mill-house were integrated to expand the living space, but much of the machinery was retained on the original 'stone floor' of the mill. In 1992 the mill was again advertised for sale.
The mill was visit by G.Starmer on 11/08/2000: the buildings, mill pond and watercourses form an integrated group remote from the main area of the village.
Significance: This is one of the best watermill sites for showing the relationship between the mill, its water supply and its surroundings, something which has been lost elsewhere. The Winwick site should be considered as of County significance. Currently Listed Grade II.
The main mill/mill-house building lies on a north-west to south-east axis. It is of three storeys, brick with a slated gabled roof. The upper part of the south-east gable end and first bay of north-east side appear to have newer bricks than the rest of the building. From the centre of the south-west side, a two-storey brick and stone building extends to the mill dam, where only a single storey appears above. Of red brick and some stone, this building has a slated gabled roof, the ridge of which is level with the eaves of the main building. At a right angle to the north-east side of the main building is another two-storey brick building, also having a slated gabled roof. At the main building the ridge of the roof is just below the eaves, but about halfway along its length the ridge and eaves drop slightly. Whereas the fenestration in the main building is virtually unchanged, the fenestration in this wing had been considerably altered by the insertion of three long vertical windows at various levels and double windowed doors on the ground floor. More detail given of interior arrangements.

{9} Shows an un-named mill.

{10} 'Mill' marked on map.

{11} Shows the mill, but un-named.

{12} 'Mill' marked on map.

{14} (SP628734) A large brick mill with water wheel, with sheet iron buckets. Three arms have been cut through near the wheel shaft. Originally there were three pairs of stones but much of the machinery has now gone. The 70 tooth great spur wheel, the 70 tooth crown wheel and the 20 tooth pinion wheel with upright shaft were still surviving in 1969.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 10/203 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G03 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN44900.

<3> Starmer G.H., 1964, CBA Record Cards: Industrial Archaeology in Northamptonshire, Recorded by GH Starmer, 27-Jul-1964, Record No.308312 (Recording Form (Not SMR)). SNN1647.

<4> Starmer G.H., 1973, National Register of Industrial Monuments, (part checked) (Catalogue). SNN571.

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

<6> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 2001, NIAG Industrial Gazetteer, Site 443 (part checked) (Draft). SNN101121.

<7> 1839, Winwick Parish Map (NRO Map 2949), (unchecked) (Map). SNN14191.

<8> STARMER G., 2002?, Northamptonshire Watermills Survey 2001 - 2002 (H-Z), p.135 (checked) (Report). SNN105521.

<9> Eyre T. (Revised by Jefferys T.), 1779, Map of the County of Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Map). SNN1852.

<10> Bryant A., 1827, Map of The County of Northampton, (unchecked) (Map). SNN2733.

<11> 1839, Winwick Tithe Map (NRO Map T225), (unchecked) (Map). SNN14184.

<12> Ordnance Survey, 1834, First Edition Ordnance Survey 1 Inch Map Series (Sheet 52), (unchecked) (Map). SNN281.

<13> Ordnance Survey, 1880s, First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 Inch Mapping Series (29.12), (unchecked) (Map). SNN106022.

<14> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1969, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1967/68 (Industrial Archaeology), p. 35 (Article). SNN100540.

<15> Historic England, Undated, National Record of Industrial Monuments (NRIM): Index Cards, NRI01 (Archive). SNN113469.

Record last edited

Aug 9 2023 11:38AM