Listed Building record MDR5136 - Fall Mill, Fallgate, Ashover
Type and Period (5)
- MILLSTONE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- WATER WHEEL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- TAIL RACE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- WATERMILL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- CORN MILL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
SK 354623 Fallgate, Water Mill. The remains of a water-powered mill at Fallgate on the River Amber, below Hockley Lane. It consists of 2 buildings, stone built, with a brick cottage. There is an overshot wheel, of cast iron segmental construction. There is a cast iron pentrough in situ. The tail race is now dry. There are a number of millstones scattered around the site. (1, 2)
Mill adjacent to Demonsdale Farm. Still in fair condition [in 1973] and being used for farm purposes. (3)
A dilapidated mill building now [in 1988] fully restored, including the original machinery. The stone-built water-powered mill has been restored with a stone slated roof and all the floors have been reinstated. The original drying house, also stone-built with a red pantile roof, has been completely repaired and part of the original drying floor has been retained which was originally gas fired. This part of the mill has been converted into a meeting room. The machinery has also been repaired, including all wooden cogs, and the water wheel has been completely reinstated. On lease to Ashover Parish Council for 25 years. (4)
There has probably been a water mill on this site from very early times and certainly since the early 17th century. A mill is recorded at Ashover in Domesday Book, which may well refer to a mill at this location. There is a reference to the mill in 1672: '..all those closes called Fall Leas with one corn mill and a kiln there erected ..'. There are two datestones on the present building: 'E S 1762,69 on a small brick living extension to the mill and 'E S 1781' over the door into the mill itself. The initials refer to Enoch Stephenson, who owned and worked the mill in the second half of the 18th century. During restoration in 1987 the remains of an apparent datestone were found in the wheel pit. Although not complete, the figures '168-' were discernible, but the last figure was quite illegible. A description of the mill in 1806 stated that it had 'two water wheels, two pair of grey stones, one pair of black and one pair of French stones, a drying kiln and dressing machine', while the Poor Rate assessment of 1852 described the site as comprising the following: 'corn mill, wheel house, shelling house, counting house, engine house, hovel, cart hovel, drying kiln and coke house'. In 1918 the Clay Cross Company recognised the potential of quarries on the land and purchased the site. They used the mill for grinding fluorspar. In 1925 a spur from the Ashover Light Railway was built in front of the buildings to load the products of the quarries and the mill. Fall Gate Mill continued in use until the 1950s, but then fell into disrepair. However, a restoration programme commenced in 1985, with the stone mill, kiln and living quarters being restored in 1986-7. One of the two water wheels has been restored. There are many interesting artefacts in the building, including tools, minerals, millstones and pulleys. At present the mill does not have a water supply as the mill dam is partially filled in. Originally water was brought to the mill through a long leat which followed the field contours from a weir about half a mile upstream. (5)
Water-Mill, Fallgate. At Fallgate stands a disused water-mill, on the Amber below Hockley Lane. Its two buildings, a stone-built mill and a smaller cottage in brick, now serve as a chicken coop. The overshot wheel is entirely of cast iron segmental construction, intact but deteriorating. The water was brought to the wheel by a tank above it, which survives. Very little remains inside the mill. A number of old millstones litter the ground nearby. (6)
Sources/Archives (6)
- <1> SDR10000 Index: North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust (NDAT). North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust Index. 0100.
- <2> SDR19111 Index: Council for British Archaeology (CBA). CBA Industrial Archaeology Report Card. Anon March 3 1970.
- <3> SDR18918 Unpublished document: County Treasure Recording Form. 10(i).2, with photos, 1973.
- <4> SDR18918 Unpublished document: County Treasure Recording Form. 10(I).6, with photos, 1988.
- <5> SDR19066 Bibliographic reference: Gifford, A. 1999. Derbyshire Watermills: Corn Mills.. C2, pp 103-107, plates 43 & 44.
- <6> SDR19367 Bibliographic reference: Fowkes, D. 2000. Derbyshire Industrial Archaeology. Part V. North East Derbyshire. p 26.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 353 622 (286m by 250m) Approximate |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | ASHOVER, NORTH EAST DERBYSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR2978
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Jan 16 2024 11:51PM