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Listed Building record MDR3720 - Chatsworth Water Mill and Former Corn Mill, Edensor

Type and Period (2)

  • (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status/Designation

Full Description

The mill stands close to Derwent at the southern end of Chatsworth Park. It dates from 1759, having been built by James Paine for the 4th Duke to replace an old mill nearer the house. It was last used to grind corn in 1950 and has steadily deteriorated. The windows have gone, as has most of the roof. The buildings are of stone, two storeys with an undershot wheel, of which only the castings remain. The roof of the wheel house is missing. A large weir in the river diverts water along a headrace, which is channelled underground for the first 100 yards, then emerges and is supplemented by a small stream. The tailrace is all underground (1) The Chatsworth Estate mill was fed from a weir on the River Derwent. The low breast waterwheel, some 14ft diameter and 3ft wide, worked from a leat taken from the nearby River Derwent. The mill was worked until about 1950 by Wilfred Johnson and was still largely completed but, in 1962, the structure was badly damaged when a large tree fell onto the roof in a winter gale. Presently only the shell of the building, with a few fragments of machinery, including the pit wheel, survive. An earlier mill, further up the valley, was destroyed in the 1760s as part of the improvements to the park by the architect, James Paine. The new mill took several years to complete because the site used was totally new and involved the construction of a weir across the river and associated leats. The weir continued to cause problems and in the 1840s Joseph Paxton, the 6th Duke's agent, sought William Strutt's advice as to how to resolve the matter. The response must have been good since the weir survives today. (2) Derelict ornate two/three storey former estate corn mill with neo-classical elevation, built of dressed gritstone. Wheel pit containing remains of undershot water wheel at rear. Mill stone can be seen against the wall. Fed by a mill leet from the Derwent. (3)

Sources/Archives (5)

  • --- Unpublished document: Jessop, O (Jessop Consultancy). 2014. Paine's Mill (Edensor Mill), Chatsworth, Derbyshire: Historic Building Survey.
  • --- Unpublished document: Jessop, O (Jessop Consultancy). 2014. Chatsworth River Corridor, Bakewell, Derbyshire: Appraisal Of Archaeology.
  • <1> Index: Council for British Archaeology (CBA). CBA Industrial Archaeology Report Card. Watermill, 1970.
  • <2> Bibliographic reference: Gifford, A. 1999. Derbyshire Watermills: Corn Mills.. A21, pp 35-36, Plate 4.
  • <3> Bibliographic reference: Fowkes, D (ed.). 1997. Derbyshire Industrial Archaeology. A Gazetteer of Sites. Part IV. Derbyshire Dales.

Map

Location

Grid reference SK 2592 6876 (point)
Civil Parish EDENSOR, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Events/Activities (2)

  • EDR5176
  • EDR5175

Please contact the HER for details.

External Links (0)

Record last edited

Nov 7 2023 5:47PM

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