Monument record MDR11091 - Woodthorpe Mill, Mill Lane, Clay Cross

Woodthorpe Mill. Three storey gritstone building with slate roof, converted to residential use. Early 19th century. Outbuildings and associated mill cottages all in gritstone; mill leat in situ. Now 'The Old Steam Mill'. The parish boundary between Clay Cross and Tupton passes through the complex, and part of the mill and site of the mill pond is now Bateman's Hotel' and that section is actually in Tupton. (1) The site of the mill and mill pond appears to be within Wingerworth parish, not Tupton. (2) Woodthorpe water mill is situated on a short tributary of the River Amber. A water mill is indicated in Burdett's survey of 1767 in the locality of Woodthorpe Mill. Unfortunately the mill is not named on this map. It is probably an earlier mill than the present one on this stream. A mill is shown on Greenwood's map of 1825, but again the mill is not named and clearly pre-dates the building of the present mill. It is, however, marked as 'Woodthorpe Mill' on the first issue of the Ordnance map published in 1840 and on subsequent maps. The mill building carries a date of 1831 above an upper floor window mullion. It is constructed of stone and is set at right angles to the stream. A map in private hands shows that in 1841 it was fed by two large mill ponds above the mill. The original building was about 80ft long by 30ft wide. At right angles to the stone floor at the eastern end of the mill there was a drying kiln for grain, pieces of ceramic kiln tiles having been found there during building works. A chimney flue is still visible in the end wall of the mill. Water came into the wheel pit through a 12 inch cast iron pipe from the pond which was directly behind the mill. This pipe has been retained in the conversion to a public house, but is now set some 4ft below its original point of entry, due to building modifications. The stone wheelpit is within the building and the size of the pit suggests that the wheel was about 25ft in diameter and 4ft 6ins wide, and was either overshot or backshot. One part of a wheel-bearing assembly is still in place and another is on display outside the mill. The water left the mill through a stone culvert, now closed off. The mill ceased to operate in about 1928. All the machinery and wheel were demolished and removed by scrap merchants just before the Second World War. After the 1950s it was altered to become a large cattle shed. In 1990 a new wing was built at right angles to the old mill building and it was converted into a hotel with eight bedrooms. It is presently known as 'Batemans Mill Hotel'. (3)