Site record MDR9069 - Site of Warney Corn Mill, Old Road, Darley Dale
Type and Period (4)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
Former site of Warney Corn Mill, Old Road, Darley Dale, dating to at least 1767. (1)
The earliest available mapping showing a mill at this location is Burdett's 1767 survey of Derbyshire. (2)
A corn mill and millpond are shown at this location on Sanderson's map of 1835, labelled 'Corn Mill.' (3)
The Tithe map of 1838 depicts the mill in the same configuration as Sanderson's map, at Plot No. 1326, with the mill pond at Plot No. 1320. (4)
The Tithe map of 1838 is the last map on which the earlier two mill buildings were shown. The northeastern building is not shown on the 1st edition 25" OS map of c1880, but it appears that the southwestern building on the Tithe map does continue to the time of the 1st edition. (4) It is not shown on the 2nd edition 25" OS map of c1891, where the earlier two mill buildings appear to have been replaced by part of the building that remains on the site today. The latter appears to be included into more recent expansions of the building's footprint (MDR23058).
Warney Mill was owned at the beginning of the 19th century by the Allsop family, but after the death of her husband John in 1806, Lydia Allsop left the mill. Over the next 30 years it was rented by various people. In 1825 it was described in an advertisement as a capital water corn mill containing five pairs of stones, with a newly erected dwelling house with suitable outbuildings, together with a piece of rich meadow land called Warney. During this time it continued to be owned by the Allsop family. Dr Josiah Allsop, a physician in Birmingham, owned it until his death in 1832 of cholera, and his son John was the owner throughout the 1840s. In the late 1840s William Else, who had been a miller in Lea, rented the property and, after his death, his son John Else became the miller. In 1859 John started to build the new mill that still stands today. His initials can still be seen over the door. It took about a year to build the mill and construct the dams, and cost about £1800, with teams of up to 18 men working each day. John Else bought the mill from John Allsop in 1860 for £4200, and it stayed in the family for nearly 90 years. His son William ran the mill in the 1890s but became bankrupt and the mill passed to John Else’s son in law James Walton. The mill remained operational throughout the early 20th century but was sold in 1950. In the advertisement it was described as the ‘old established soundly constructed mill…complete with loading bay, machinery, water mill, milldam and croft of land’. There were plans to turn it into a hotel, but eventually it became the DFS warehouse it remains today [2015]. (5)
This large stone mill on the Warney Brook, which runs into the River Derwent, operated until at least 1940. From 1891 until it closed, the mill was operated by James Walton & Co. It has been converted into part of a large furniture sales complex. (6)
Sources/Archives (6)
- <1> SDR23924 Unpublished document: Burpoe, M (ARS Ltd). 2015. An Historic Environment Desk Based Assessment of Land at Old Road, Darley Dale, Derbyshire.
- <2> SDR3582 Map: Burdett, RP. Survey of Derbyshire, Began in the Year 1762 and finished in the Year 1767.
- <3> SDR18634 Map: Sanderson, G. 1835. Twenty Miles round Mansfield.
- <4> SDR20958 Map: 1839. Darley Dale Tithe Map. 1326, 1320.
- <5> SDR23648 Unpublished document: Cooper, J. 2015. Warney Mill, Darley Dale.
- <6> SDR19066 Bibliographic reference: Gifford, A. 1999. Derbyshire Watermills: Corn Mills.. A20, 35.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 2777 6256 (443m by 328m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | DARLEY DALE, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR4439
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Feb 27 2020 10:10PM