Building record 1174/6/1 - Former mill and mill house, Passenham

The mill was probably built by Sir Robert Banastre after 1650, replacing an early medieval building. The adjoining mill house is of 19th century date. Both have now been converted to residential use

{1} A mill is noted in 1086 Domesday survey as rendering 13s.4d. C.1170 a mill in Passenham was granted to the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem. In 1243 John Baligan had the moiety of a mill at Passenham. In 1415 there is reference to a watermill with a pond, which is entailed upon Roger Gardyner by feoffment of Richard Baligan, chaplain. The watermill is mentioned in Glebe Terriers of 1708. In 1823 Thomas Buckingham of Passenham in trust for Lord Maynard insured £160 on his dwelling house with water corn mill carrying three pairs of stones In 1836 a partnership between George Gates and Thomas Line of Passenham, millers and mealmen, was dissolved. W.J.N Frost was the last miller at Passenham to be listed in trade directories, and by c.1920 the mill ceased to operate. By 1928 the mill is noted as existing, but not used as a mill. In 1933 the mill was derelict, however small iron and steel waterwheels installed in each of the two wheel races drove small 25v. Generators.

Site visit 15th August 2001. Two-storey with attic stone building with red tiled gabled roof. Uneven fenestration on east side with a mixture of segmental headed and rectangular windows and evidence of blocked-in and inserted windows. An older window with stone mullion survives towards the south end of the upper storey. There are no doors in the east side although the stone arches over the two wheel-races rise above road level but the former openings now are bricked in.
The roof has a parapet at the south gable and at its north end there is an uncomfortable meeting with the lower pitched slate roof of the former mill-house. A triangular pediment rises above the eaves at a point nealy mid-way between the wheel-race arches. This possibly indicates that position of the former lucam. Three dormer windows have been inserted in recent years, together with three small roof lights.
It is said that the interior had been completely gutted and floor levels altered in the conversion to a dwelling.
Photographs.

{2} The Mill was erected by Sir Robert Banastre, Comptroller of the Royal Household to James I from 1626. The work had apparently been completed by the time of his death in 1646.
The building is constructed of coursed squared limestone, with a C20 plain tiled roof between raised coped gables, that at the north west end having been partly incorporated in the late 19th century cottage adjoining. There are two mill leats running under the building, 2.2m and 2.4m wide respectively, with stone shallow voussoired arches, with the bed of the river 1.8 to 2.1m below internal floor level, there being a ramp weir under the building. At the time of the conversion only the south east leat retained any machinery at ground level, although it seems most probable that both watercourses powered a wheel. This would have had a bevelled crown wheel returning the drive vertically to the chamber directly above, from where drives were taken off to the stones. Externally the mill building retains some 17th century features. Each mill leat has a low window from the ground floor, with chamfered stone surrounds, rebated externally for glass. There is no evidence for this to be hinged. Approximately mid-way between the watercourses there was an opening, presumably a main door, with a pitching door above set in a small gable. This was presumably the main service entrance. The upper floor has one surviving hollow chamfered and rebated stone 2-light window, and straight joints for two more. The gable copings, under-chamfered, terminate in double kneelers, carefully worked with insert stone corbels, and the lowest coping stone having a small pedestal for a ball or spike finial. The detail of the windows and low openings, together with the kneelers all suggest a later 17th century date for the whole building, and thus the early mill was probably rebuilt by Sir Robert Banastre after he acquired it in 1650. The building, although large and well detailed, appears never to have incorporated a dwelling house until the 19th century. The ground floor presumably acted as intake and dispatch at the road front, with water powered hoists to lift the grain to the upper level. This would have incorporated a series of storage bins and hoppers feeding through the floor to the stones at ground floor level. Despite its size there would have been little room for a miller’s dwelling. A late 19th century cottage adjoining the mill, and partly incorporating it north west gable. It was presumably built as a miller’s house. The two properties were converted to a single house in 1986. The mill and adjoining cottage were converted to a single house in 1986.
Source also contains drawings and photos.

{3} Identified by South Northamptonshire Council as being a building of historic and/or architectural significance.

{4} Mill is shown, but unnamed.

{6} In Domesday Book the king holds the manor of Passenham together with a mill rendering 13s4d and thirty acres of meadow. It was gifted by the king to the Knights Hospitallers in the later 12th century, and in 1243 a certain John Baligan is claimed to hold the moity of a mill and 15 acres. In 1415 the king granted an indenture to Roger and Alice Gardyner an indenture which included inter alia a water mill with the pond, and a swathe, and osier bed. In 1509 Richard Auchin was the miller, and it was gifted back to the reestablished Knights Hospitallers in 1558. The meadows are described in the 16th century as reasonably good and ‘yieldeth a reasonable store of fishe of divers kinde’. Stone fish trap weights, individual particularly to the River Ouse, and to a lesser extent, its tributaries in this area, the Tove and Ousel, have been found here indicating that fish were a significant part of the income of a mill. In the mid 17th century, and later glebe terriers continue to mentions the existence of a water mill, in addition to the mid 16th century post mill, and a survey of the Maynard estate in the late 18th century shows this mill, now rented out. The mill was granted to Sir Robert Banastre in 1650, who, it is suggested here, rebuilt it, and was occupied by a Roger Turvey. It was let to Thomas Buckingham from the 1790s to the 1820.s. In 1911, the corn mill consisted of two water wheels driving four pairs of stones. There were also two wheel houses, a chaff house, and a storeroom, and a ‘comfortable dwelling adjoining, of brick and slate’. The mill continued to work through the first world war and ceased working in around 1920.

{7} Mill is shown, but unnamed.

{8} Passenham Mill is marked.

<1> STARMER G., 2002?, Northamptonshire Watermills Survey 2001 - 2002 (H-Z), p.97 (+97a-b)(unchecked) (Report). SNN105521.

<2> Woodfield P., 2005, The Whittlewood Project: Historic Buildings Survey, Passenham with Old Stratford, (checked) (Report). SNN105033.

<3> SOUTH NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNCIL, 2012, South Northamptonshire Council Survey of Significant Historic Buildings, (checked) (Catalogue). SNN108984.

<4> Bryant A., 1827, Map of The County of Northampton, (unchecked) (Map). SNN2733.

<5> Brown O.F.; Roberts G.J., 1973, Passenham, The History of a Forest Village, (unchecked) (Book). SNN4109.

<6> Woodfield P., 2005, The Whittlewood Project: Historic Buildings Survey, Passenham with Old Stratford, (checked) (Report). SNN105033.

<7> Eyre T. (Revised by Jefferys T.), 1779, Map of the County of Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Map). SNN1852.

<8> Ordnance Survey, 1811-9, First Edition Ordnance Survey Surveyors Drawings, Sheet 229 (Map). SNN104902.

<9> Woodfield, P, 2003, The Whittlewood Project: Phase 1 rapid survey of all buildings within the 12 parishes of the survey, identifying buildings that have, or are likely to have, fabric dating from before 1700 (Report). SNN116636.

<10> Woodfield, P, 2003, The Whittlewood Project: Phase 1 rapid survey of all buildings within the 12 parishes of the survey, identifying buildings that have, or are likely to have, fabric dating from before 1700 (Report). SNN116636.

Record last edited

Oct 23 2024 4:21PM