The History of the Mill

The history of the Old Mill is a little hazy but as far as we can ascertain the building dates back to the late 1600s.
The main house was used as a store for the windmill which was situated in the top garden.

You can still see the outline of the mill’s foundations (picture right) in the lawn during dry weather.
The picture shows how the grounds may have looked before the mill became derelict in the early part of the 20th century.

After the demise of the windmill the building was used by a local wheelwright.
There were two large gates in the turreted wall at the front end of the house where the horses and carts would enter to
deliver and collect goods.

The building was converted into a house in the mid 1950s by a local artist called Miss Chadburn.

She was also responsible for the landscaping of the gardens and for introducing many exotic plants.

The whole of the then middle floor of the house (now our living room) was originally her studio. One wall was made up almost entirely of glass to give her the constant light that she needed for her paintings.

She and her builder also added some wonderful touches to the house during the original conversion like horses set into the plasterwork of the dining room fireplace and a carving of a windmill on top of a hill and two horses and carts to illustrate the Old Mill’s history.

The large pond in he bottom garden was created during the 1930s when the building was converted into a steam mill.

The pond is still used today but for purely recreational purposes.

One of the favourite pastimes of our guests is to feed the hundreds of voracious fish that now live in it.

There is also a small rowing boat that guests can use during the summer to enjoy a different view of the surroundings and admire the gardens

We have been at the mill now for over twenty years and have added several rooms and
buildings to it to make it into the wonderful
family home that we hope our guests will enjoy as much as we do.