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Summary

A four storey early 19th century tower mill, now converted into a house.

Full Description

<1> Department of the Environment, 1980, DoE Former Luton Rural District 14th List, 12/21 (Index). SBD11124.

Early C19. Four storey red brick tower mill. Cap and gear have been removed. Now used as a private house.

<2> Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service Documents, BLARS: WI276, Lease, 1847 (Unpublished document). SBD10551.

53a. In Mugginclon Field and Manor Closes (except the site on which the windmill no wstands).

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 6" Map, 1st Edition (Map). SBD10573.

"Windmill (corn)" marked.

<4> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 25" Map, 2nd Edition (Map). SBD10628.

Marked as "Old Windmill"

<5> Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service Documents, BLARS: Z251/305, Illustration (Unpublished document). SBD10551.

A postcard album dating from early part of 20th century. Contains postcard of 'Old Mill, Stanbridge'. Shows a brick built tower mill with decayed machinery apparent - much still in place.

<6> Notebook in Buckinghamshire County Museum, Aylesbury, Notebook: "Eaton Bray, Vol iiii", 1912, p. 140 (F. G. Gurney) (Unpublished document). SBD11047.

Mentions "the disused 'smock' mill."

<7> William Page & H. Arthur Doubleday (Editors), 1912, Victoria County History Vol III, Bedfordshire, Vol. III, 1912, pp. 400, 409 (Bibliographic reference). SBD13982.

A road leads south from Egginton to Stanbridge, passing an old disused windmill on the way.
An old windmill stands north of Stanbridge at the present day near the vicarage at a height of more than 400ft above the ordnance datum.

<8> Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, Survey of Ancient Buildings, Vol. 1, 1931, p. 5 (Serial). SBD11624.

Stanbridge - Brick Tower-Mill. The sails were two double shutter and two for cloths. Last used c1890.
Figure 25:- Photo taken in c1908 showing mill with sails, starting to deteriorate.

<9> Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, Vol. 14, 1931, p. 36 (Serial). SBD10681.

The present windmill is first indicated on its site in 1834-5. It stands above the 400 feet contour line. Is along the 'Mill Lane' that leads to Eggington. The tower is built of the narrow 2½ inch bricks; it stands 42 feet to the top of the crown and measures 23 feet 6 inches over the base, with 24-inch brickwork. It is 40 years ago or more since it was last used, but even so, and notwithstanding its being in such an exposed position, it still carries the greater part of three of its sails, two of which carried shutters and two were for cloths. These had an overall stretch of 60 feet and were 6 feet in width. It was worked with a fantail. There are four floots and two pairs of stones. The mill was built for William Twidell, early in 1800, it passed to Christopher Blackmaster in the 'thirties'. Benjamin Mead was miller in 1848.

<10> Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service Documents, BLARS: X325/83, Notebook, 1939 (F. G. Gurney) (Unpublished document). SBD10551.

Stanbridge Windmill - must have been in August 1939 when the windmill was cleared of this machinery.

<11> Bedfordshire Magazine, Vol. 1, 1947-1949, p. 156 (Serial). SBD10543.

At Stanbridge the mill had an automatic fan and four sails, two being double-shuttered patent sails, the others the old fashioned cloth or 'common' sails. This practise was by no means unusual. The mill was last worked about 1890.

<12> Bedfordshire Magazine, Vol. 8, 1961-1963, p. 172 (Serial). SBD10543.

Photograph of mill after conversion to house.

<13> J K Major, 1967, National Record of Industrial Monuments, 42/10018 (Index). SBD12557.

Built 1834-5, Last worked c1890. Corn milling. 4 storey brick tower mill. No gearing remains. House conversion.

<14> J Kenneth Major, Notes on mills, SPAB Wind and Watermill Section record cards (Unpublished document). SBD11272.

[no info]

<15> J Kenneth Major, J Kenneth Major Photographs, no ref (Photograph). SBD11274.

[No info]

<16> National Monuments Record, NMR Photographs, AA78/581 (Photograph). SBD10708.

Black & white image of mill, August 1934

<17> English Heritage, National Monuments Record Building Files, BF001939 (Unpublished document). SBD10795.

Details of documents held by the NMR

<18> Bedfordshire County Council, HER Slide Archive, 398 (Slide). SBD10508.

Colour image of mill without sails.

<19> Bedfordshire County Council, 1970 - 2000s, HER Photograph Archive, PU320/1980 (Photograph). SBD10506.

[no info]

<20> Bedfordshire County Council, 1970 - 2000s, HER Photograph Archive, No ref (Photograph). SBD10506.

Black & white image of mill

<21> Bedfordshire County Council, 1970 - 2000s, HER Photograph Archive, F637/10-15; 4/7/88 (Photograph). SBD10506.

Colour images of exterior of mill

<22> Bedfordshire County Council, 1970 - 2000s, HER Photograph Archive, F917/6, 09/10/1992 (Photograph). SBD10506.

Colour image of exterior of mill

<23> Beds and Bucks Observer, 'Knock-down' price of bold project; p6; May 9th 1984 (Newspaper Article). SBD10618.

One of the area's most striking landmarks is to be partly demolished. But before local historians put pen to paper to protest about the destruction of yet another listed building, perhaps the true situation should be explained.
The owners of the Old Mill in Stanbridge are planning to improve the 18th century building. And their bold project which they hope will save the mill, will cost about £35,000. What the family intend to do is knock down the "abominable" rectangular extension at the back of the mill and replace it with a circular one which will be more in keeping with the shape of the main building.
Other money will be spent on internal and external repairs to the much-praised building, which includes re-pointing. The building and architectural work is being done by local firms who specialise in this work and the family hope it will be completed by August.
"We hope this work will preserve the mill. The ghastly extension which was built in 1938 has, I believe, prevented people from buying it and so preserving it. Old mills are being demolished and it is a shame. This one is a landmark. People flock to it. People have been very interested in what we are doing and we are very interested in the history of the site an maintaining that history. That is why we are doing this."
So far the couple have spent £400 on planting trees in their near three acre garden. "This place will be lovely when we have finished with it. It is in a beautiful area".
The couple moved to the £100,000 property in June and are keen to learn as much about the building as possible. They already know it was built in 1780 brick-by-brick from the old mill which had stood in an adjoining field since 1292. And they also know that the sails form the mill used to travel so close to the ground that they may have killed a passing sheep!

<24> Leighton Buzzard Observer, 23/7/1998 (Newspaper Article). SBD10680.

Advertisement for the sale of the former windmill.

<25> Planning/Listed Building Application(s) Documentation, SB/LB/83/0041; 15/12/1983 (Unpublished document). SBD10792.

Listed building consent for single and two storey extensions and new roof cap.

<26> Planning/Listed Building Application(s) Documentation, SB/LB/89/0024; 30/11/1989 (Unpublished document). SBD10792.

Consent for reinstatement of mill dome and sails erection of single storey side extension with dormer windows to first floor and demolition of garage.

<27> Planning/Listed Building Application(s) Documentation, SB/TP/99/0564; 25/8/99 (Unpublished document). SBD10792.

Refusal for erection of single storey front extension, new roofs, additional floor to windmill and internal/external alterations.

<28> Bedfordshire County Council, Planning Dept File (Unpublished document). SBD11426.

Correspondence re proposed changes to The Old Mill.

<29> Planning/Listed Building Application(s) Documentation, SB/LB/2000/0033; 20/11/2000 (Unpublished document). SBD10792.

Listed building consent for erection of garage and new roof to mill tower, internal/external alterations and demolition of outbuilding.

<30> A A Bryan, 1998, Windmill gazetteer for England, p.1 (Bibliographic reference). SBD12556.

A tower mill built in the early 19th century for the processing of cereals. It is unknown when work ceased. Built of red brick, it is now a private house. Listed,

<31> Manshead Archaeological Society of Dunstable, The Manshead Magazine/Journal of the Manshead Archaeological Society of Dunstable, Vol. 42, Vol. 42, 2002, p.12 (Serial). SBD14209.

A surface survey of the garden identified finds of worked and burnt flints, Iron Age, Romano-British and Medieval sherds, Post-Medieval and modern material.

<32> Council for British Archaeology, 2003, South Midlands Archaeology, Volume 33, Vol. 33, 2003, p.16 (Serial). SBD14146.

A surface survey of the garden of the Old Mill House, Stanbridge, identified finds of worked and burnt flints, Iron Age, Romano-British and Medieval sherds, Post-Medieval and modern material.

<33> NMR/AMIE, HE NRHE Monument Inventory, 497473 (Index). SBD12367.

A tower mill built in the early 19th century for the processing of cereals. It is unknown when work ceased. Built of red brick, it is now a private house.

Protected Status:

• Listed Building (II) 967/26/261: The Old Windmill

Monument Type(s):

• WINDMILL (19th Century - 1800 AD to 1899 AD)

Associated Finds

• FBD14458 - WORKED OBJECT (Prehistoric - 500000 BC to 42 AD)
• FBD14456 - SHERD (Late Bronze Age to Late Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• FBD14457 - SHERD (Roman/Romano-British - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• FBD14459 - SHERD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Associated Events

• EBD1454 - Stanbridge, The Old Mill House

Sources and Further Reading

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.