Monument record 4711/1/1 - Possible Mill Ponds

Possible watermill in the northwest corner of Courteenhall Park. The area is occupied by a small wood now called Windmill Spinney which on earlier maps was called Old Mill Spinney. Within the spinney are three small rectangular ponds with a larger roughly E-shaped one further upstream. To the southwest in a side valley, is another sub-rectangular pond bounded on the west by a low stone-rubble dam. They are shown exactly as now on the 1839 map. None of the surviving ponds appears to be the site of a watermill, but they may have been altered as part of the landscaping of the park in the 18th century.

{1} Earthworks of three small rectangular ponds, with a larger E-shaped pond upstream and a subrectangular pond to the south west [south-east?]. Situated in a side valley, the latter is bounded on the west by a low stone rubble dam. The form of the ponds has not changed from the 1839 Courteenhall map. None of the ponds appears to be the site of a watermill but they may have been altered as part of 18th century park landscaping.

{2} Watermill Spinney, on the north-west corner of the park, contains several ponds, presumably once associated with a mill.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.38 Site 4 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<2> English Heritage, 1991, Register of Parks & Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England (1991, Northamptonshire), (checked) (Report). SNN1167.

<3> 1794, Map of Courteenhall (Map). SNN19004.

<4> 1839, Courteenhall Tithe Map (Map). SNN20308.

Record last edited

May 20 2024 12:13PM