The only way is Essex!

Ruth and Keith Andrews

We chose Essex for our early Spring break this year, as we hadn’t really visited Essex for over 20 years.  Essex is renowned for its windmills, and its large number of white weather-boarded watermills (most of which have been converted to private residences) – plus several silk mills.  We were blessed with 5 days of sunny Spring weather.  Although most of the windmills, and a few of the watermills have open days, as it was out of season we didn’t find any that were open which was as we expected.  Essex, of course, also has lots of pretty villages, but this is a newsletter about mills!

Stansted Mountfitchet:  Under the wrapping is a 5-storey brick tower dating from 1787 which worked until 1910.  We were pleased to see that renovation work is in progress.

Stebbing Town Mill:  This dates from the 18th century, but was renovated in 1877 by the same family that owned Felsted.  After milling ceased in 1901 it was used for animal feed, finally closing in 1995.

Bocking:  This is the second oldest post mill in Essex built in 1721,
 and moved to its present site in 1830. 

Bradford Street watermill was probably built in 1655 as a fulling mill.  By 1832 it had been converted to corn milling, with three floors, 4 pairs of stones, and a 6ft fall of water.  In 1836 it had 7 pairs of stones worked by water and steam.

We trespassed into Suffolk for the next few sites, and our information is more limited.

Cavendish:  We have no information about this building, but
the distinctive buff-coloured bricks must have been easy to carve.

Now we return to Essex.

Pentlow:  During the 19th century this mill incorporated a dairy and a brewery, before diversifying into milling and a coal merchant.  By 1870 it relied in animal feed with a sideline in poultry and eels.  The waterwheel was severely damaged in a flood around 1910, and replaced by a portable steam engine, and later by a paraffin engine.

Great Bardfield (left):  Gibraltar Tower Mill, now residential.

Finchingfield (right):  Duck End post mill,  mid-18th century, its roundhouse was added in 1840.  Disused by the 1890s, it is now restored and a much photographed feature of the picturesque village green.

Halstead:  A corn mill on the River Colne was converted to a silk-throwing and -weaving mill in 1825.  It was bought by Courtaulds in 1828.  The ground floor was used for drawing the silk, the first floor for winding, and the top floor for weaving.  In 1832 a power loom factory was built (seen on the left), a second in 1836, and a third in 1842.  The original mill astride the river is now an antiques centre, very much like Chesapeake Mill.

Colne Engaine:  Called Overshot Mill, it was built as a fulling mill in 1643, and converted to a corm mill between 1787 and 1810.  The iron waterwheel was replaced by a second-hand Gilkes turbine between the wars.  This apparently quiet country lane had very heavy traffic (probably because of road closure diversions) so photography was rather tricky.

Wickham Bishops:  We couldn’t see the mill here because of all the high hedges and walls, but of much more interest is the timber trestle railway bridge carrying the Maldon, Witham, and Braintree Railway over the Blackwater River and the mill leat.  They are the last surviving such bridges in England.

Kelvedon:  Greys Mill or Docwra Mill was rebuilt in 1858 after burning down.  The 3-bay annexe to the right housed a wheel pit, steam engine, and boiler.  In 1862 there were 11 pairs of stones at work, 6 on water power and 5 on steam.  In the 1980s it was a Deals’ seed warehouse but has now been converted to residential use.

Easterford Mill was a typical 3-pair country mill.  The building itself is curious with the weight of the stones floor taken on an inside timber frame and front wall of the mill supporting only the roof.  Milling ceased in 1929, it never had used auxiliary power so far as is known. 

Coggeshall, Abbey Mill:  We were unable to access the front of this mill, being put off by the forceful ‘PRIVATE’ signs.  From the rear we were able to see across the mill pond.  Built for the abbey which was founded in 1140, in 17th century it was a fulling mill;  the present mill was built in the mid-18th century as a weaving mill, but became a silk throwing mill in 1820.  In 1840 it was was converted to corn milling and later adapted for steam power;  the chimney and engine house remain.  It remains largely intact and is sometimes open to the public.

Braintree:  This large complex of silk weaving mills was developed in the late 1850s by Daniel Walters.  In 1875 power looms were introduced, including some Jacquard looms.  The business was bought by Warner & Sons in 1894, who reverted to hand loom weaving until 1918 when steam power was re-introduced.  After various changes, the mill ceased operation in 1971.  The two main buildings are now in commercial use, and part houses the Warner Archive.

Sudbury:  Like Halstead and Braintree, Sudbury (in Suffolk) is a silk town.  In 1985 HIAS visited this working silk mill, operated by Vanners, who trace their origins back to the French Protestant weavers who settled in London, later moving out to the Essex and Suffolk borders.  There are a variety of buildings dating from the 1930s.

Castle Hedingham:  We make an exception here to our rule about pretty villages.  Our excuse is that these are weavers’ cottages, as evidenced by the large first floor windows.  Like everywhere else, the textile industry began with weavers working at home.

Saffron Walden:  Myddleton Place was built as a combined shop, home, and warehouse in the 1490s.  The sack hoist was added in the early 19th century when part of the building was converted to a maltings.  Saffron Walden had a large brewery with the remains of some 6 surviving maltings scattered around the town.

Information from A Guide to the IA of Essex, AIA 2012,
and Some Essex Watermills, Hervey Benham 1983.