Monument record 6494/1 - Kingsthorpe Upper Mill, Kingsthorpe North Mill, Walkers Mill

The mill was in use until the mid 20th century, but demolished in c1963 after the top storey collapsed.

{1} Site of Kingsthorpe Upper Mill, reported to SMR by G. Starmer. Of the three mills this was farthest away from village. In 1439 Kingsthorpe North was valued at only half the worth of the other two mills. In 1521 North or "Farre Mill" was leased to John Hopkyns and his wife. The Cooke family were lessees during the C16th at which time it was valued at 25s. The mill was still fully operational and grinding corn until the 1950s, and was known locally as Walkers Mill.

{2} The mill was fully operational until the 1950s when vacated and became derelict, almost totally falling down by the 1960s. The site remains include some of the mill machinery.

{3} Archaeological watching brief undertaken during the construction of a guaging weir. Part of a stone wall from the mill complex survived on the west bank of the stream, supported by a concrete capping. This was destroyed during the process of widening and cleaning out of the stream bed. There was a large amount of stone, brick and timber on the spoil heap from cleaning out the stream including one complete and one broken millstone. The complete millstone was around 1.7 metres in diameter and was constructed of separate pieces held together in an iron hoop.

{4} 1086 One of the three Kingsthorpe Mills recorded at the Domesday survey.
1439 Earliest specific record of mill.
1521 Leased to John Hopkin and his wife, Margaret.
1608 Survey of manor of Kingsthorpe shows it was still held by the Crown, occupied by Francis Barnard.
1777 Abraham Abbot, miller.
1844 Charles Fitzhugh insured £200 on his stock in the water mill with 2 pairs of stones, the mill being built of dtone and tile.
c1880 Known as Highfield Mill when it was bought by Gainsford, a Northampton shoe manufacturer, who altered it to three storeys and changed the transmission from spur wheel drive to the stones to a layshaft drive.
1904 Business expanded after John Walker took over as a miller.
c1953 Milling ceased when it was mainly gristing.
c1963 Top storey collapsed and the mill demolished.
1992 Some sections of wall still standing. The curved brickwork for directing water on to the lower section of the undershot waterwheel, ad its framework were still in position. Three mill-stones were laying around the wheel chamber.
Late 1990s Wheel-race was opened up as part of flood prevention work and rubble and millstones cleared.
Site of mill and mill-house overgrown on rough ground. The former leat and wheel-race have been widened as part of flood prevention work, leaving only the brick arch carrying the former track which passed along the south side of the mill.

<1> NORTHAMPTON BOROUGH COUNCIL, 1987, Watermills in Northampton: History & Survivals, p.8 (checked) (Booklet). SNN15540.

<2> CADMAN G.E., 1995, SMR Report Form, (unchecked) (SMR Report Form). SNN50067.

<3> Jackson, D and Atkins, R, 1998, An archaeological watching brief during construction of a gauging weir on the River Nene at Geldharts, Northampton, (unchecked) (Report). SNN44569.

<4> STARMER G., 2002?, Northamptonshire Watermills Survey 2001 - 2002 (H-Z), p. 84 (Report). SNN105521.

Record last edited

Jan 30 2023 3:56PM