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Summary

Picturesque group of millhouse and water mill with outbuildings. Late 16c/17c with 18c additions. Millhouse and mill of red sandstone rubble under tile roof.

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1296054: PILES MILL AND MILLHOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• National Park

Monument Types

• MACHINERY (Undated)
• BANK BARN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• CALF HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• CIDER HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• CORN MILL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• COW HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• LINHAY (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• MILL HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• PIGSTY (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• STABLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• WATERMILL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• GARAGE (Modern - 1901 AD to 2050 AD)
• MUSEUM (Modern - 1901 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

Two storey single pile house with front stair turret. Rear, two storey wing, the far end of this houses the mill. Wing lower than that of the house, with steeper pitch over mill than over south ( house) end, which has a raked dormer in the west pitch. Single storey rear lean-to enclosing rear lateral stack, porch in angle between lean-to and rear wing. Single ridge roof, with internal axial stack at east gable. West end of roof continuous over cider house which is angled back from front elevation of house. Northwest corner chimney in rear kitchen lean-to, the roof of this springs from under the house eaves, probably when thatched it was catslide. Calf boxes butt onto east gable end. Irregular fenestration. One raked dormer in wing roof east pitch.

The house faces onto a cobbled yard. Mounting block on east end of front.

Roof of triple V tiles with collared ridge tiles, catslide over stair turret. Rear lean-to double roman tiles.The walls are of rubble stone, mainly dark red sandstone with some waterworn green and purple stone, most of the latter in the stair turret and the west end of the front.

The Tudor-headed door frame in hall suggests a 16c/17c house, of which this, the jointed cruck in room N, and possibly the beam and fireplace in the living room, are the surviving remnants. Alternatively the house may have been aligned eastwards from the mill, with living room added as a rear-wing in the later 16c/ early 17c. There is little left to help in interpretation of the late medieval/ Tudor house, only excavation or, possibly, removal of all render and plaster, would give the answer.

Sitting room with its beam and fireplace either added as a wing, or built as part of a south facing house in the 16c/17c. During the 18c the east end of the house was rebuilt giving present sitting room and bedroom above. The 19c saw various rebuilds of portions of house and wing walls. In the late 19c/ early 20c the thatch was removed and the roof tiled.

In a good state of repair.

Outbuildings:

The Mill, disused as mill but opened to the public by the National Trust ( in hand): Single cell two storey east-facing, with the rear wing of the farmhouse continuing to the south, ridge of roof continuous but eaves of wing higher than those of mill. Overshot wheel on north gable, with launder and leat coming in from west, mill pond on northeast corner. Double roman tiles on east pitch, triple-V on west, with collared ridge tiles. A great deal of ivy on the east wall obscures the stone, the visible part is roughly squared rubble stone, some large blocks in jambs and quoins, wing wall much more rubbly and random, probably rebuilt. Larger rubble in north wall, with weatherboarding above windowsill level. West wall smaller rubble stone, randomly laid, with a rebuild in red sandstone above ground floor sill level in the southern half. Wood lintels.

Two sets of millstones were turned by the overshot wheel, all wheels transferring the drive are bevelled toothed metal except the two connecting with the drive to the stones, which have wood teeth set through a metal wheel. A separate drive is taken from the main shaft and extends to a gearing in a small shed in the back yard, supported on two stone piers, all these covered in ivy and other growth. This long drive was used to run the apple crusher in the cider barn. The drive into the cider shed has been removed.

Two shutes from the millstones fed the flour into the large wooden bin set alongside the machinery on the ground floor. Flaps in the loft floor enabled sacks of corn to be lifted up to the wheels, and the latter were lifted by swivel hoists set into a plank on the loft floor. Both cases for the millstones survive, but only one pair of stones are in situ. One odd stone rests against the north wall in the loft.

The machinery is enclosed by a wooden and wire netting partition, with a glass panel replacing three planks so the mechanism can be seen. Although the wheel can be turned, it cannot be coupled up to the machinery.

This mill is a remarkable survival, and it should be made to work.

The leat is taken off from River Aller, runs along and approaches the mill on a raised stone bank which bends and runs to the northwest corner of the mill. This part is lined with mortar. The overflow is on the north side, just before the metal launder takes the water. A shutter releases the water as needed onto the overshot wheel.

Built or rebuilt in the 16c/17c as a grist mill, probably on a much older site. In the Domesday entry for Allerford a mill is mentioned 'which pays 15d', it is just possible this is the mill site as the water comes from the River Aller. ( Domesday Book, Somerset, ed: John Morris). It is not clear whether the 16c/17c house ran north-south, as the mill and wing now do, or east-west as the present farmhouse does.The house and wing, and parts of the mill, were rebuilt during the late 18c/ early 19c. The mill machinery was renewed in the late 19c, probably from all wood to nearly all metal.

In a fair state of repair, the roof and ivy need attention.

Motor Shed, now disused: Small shed built to house the gearing which took the drive from the mill to the apple crusher in the cider house. Roof of corrugated iron over weatherboarded walls.

Calf Boxes, now garden store/ woodshed: Singe storey gable-ended range of three stock boxes, butting onto north end of house and angled back from it. Triple V tile roof, with collared ridge tiles, as house. The walls at south end mainly red sandstone, north end ( added 3rd cell) waterworn pebbles, with squared red sandstone in the quoins, walls much patched and irregular in places. Jambs of smaller stone, lower parts disturbed. Probably the building shown on the 1889 OS Somerset sheet XXXIV.6 map. It may also be shown on the 1876 Holnicote Estate map and the 1841 Selworthy Tithe map. 19c.

Cider House, now store: Two cell one-and-a-half storey building, butting onto south end of house and angled back from it. Roof of roman tiles with plain ridge. The lower part of the walls are mainly purple and grey/ green sandstone, waterworn, with similar larger squared stones in jambs. West wall all quarried stone, not waterworn. This building seems to have been partially rebuilt on the front ( south) elevation. On 1809-12 Holnicote Estate Survey and all later maps. The red sandstone rebuild may go with the rebuild of the house, or alterations to it. The history of development of the house is not very clear, and the cider house is related to this, the lack of a full-height dividing wall between the two buildings demonstrates this.

Lean-to on Cider House, now porch: Lean-to with front supported by three posts, front and west end open. Probably added late in the 19th century to the north side of Cider House

Stable, now disused: Single storey, two cell, with spine wall under ridge,gable-ended, east facing, freestanding between Cart Linhay and Cider House, with steps on the north side up to the leat. Roman tile roof with matching ridge. Front wall gabled, rubble stone with brick jambs, spaces above doors weatherboarded. Small area of cob between south door and centre of front. rear wall built into bank, rubble stone with cob above on south side.Northern part recessed, narrower, all rubble stone with brick jambs for pitching door. Side walls river stone and red sandstone. A building is shown in this position on the 1809-12 Holnicote Estate Survey, but is not shown on the 1841 Selworthy Tithe map. The cob of the southern part suggests a 18c date as the tenth baronet built in stone. It may be that as a small unit or a remnant of a building it was not shown on the Tithe map, and therefore not on the 1876 Holnicote Estate map. 18c/ early 19c.

Cart Linhay, now garage and sunhouse: Open fronted two bay single storey building, butting onto west end of Bank Barn, gable ended, facing onto the yard. Slate roof with collared ridge tiles. Mainly rubble red sandstone with some grey waterworn stone. Rear wall built into bank. Half-hip built up in west gable. Not shown on 1876 Holnicote Estate map or 1841 Selworthy Tithe map, but on 1889 OS Somerset sheet XXXIV.6, scale 1:2500. Possibly mid 19c as the 1876 map seems to be just a copy of the Tithe map, there are very few differences. The half-hip at the west end suggests thatch before the roof was slated, it may however only indicate a change of materials or of plan. Mid/ late 19c.

Bank Barn, now education centre ( in hand): East facing, centre of a range of four buildings, two storey on the east face, with the west wall built into the bank, giving access on that side at first floor level only. The Linhay butts onto the north wall, and the former Shippon onto the south, with the Pigsties set on its south wall. Gabled roof, catslide over the central advanced section of the east front. Cobbled yard in front, a mixture of earlier cobbling and late 19c waterworn pebbles. A wall separates the yard from the garden. A brick on stone cattle trough is set through the southeast part of the south yard wall. The southeastern corner of the yard is semicircular with an opening, its function is not known.

The first floor of the barn is used as an education centre, it was a threshing barn. The roof is of slate with plain red ridge tiles. The walls are rubble stone, a mix of red, purple and grey- green sandstone, roughly squared in the quoins and jambs. Lintels are either a piece of red sandstone or segmental arches over the wider openings. Rear wall all red sandstone. Built between 1876 Holnicote Estate map and 1889 OS Somerset sheet XXXIV.6, if the map evidence is to be believed. The estate map was copied from the 1841 Selworthy Tithe map, so it is just possible this is mid 19c in date. As a bank barn the threshing floor and doors were on the first floor, and the ground floor was used for stock, with a fold yard in front. First floor converted into a field studies centre along with Shippon in 1991. Mid/ late 19c.

Shippon, now entrance/ kitchen/ cloakrooms ( in hand): One and a half storey, three bay, butting on south wall of barn, built into bank, west wall continuous with that of barn. The east wall had two roof-high openings. Ridged roof, lower than that of Bank Barn. Adapted as entrance, kitchen and lavatories serving the education centre in the barn in 1991. Slate roof with red ridge tiles. Rubble stone walls, red sandstone mixed with some purple and a few pieces of lias. Rear wall continuous with that of barn, all red sandstone. Not shown on 1876 Holnicote Estate map but on 1889 OS Somerset sheet XXXIV.6, scale 1:2500. See comments on Bank Barn about this dating.

Pigsties, now wood store ( in hand): Single storey addition at the south end of the barn range, gable-ended, butting onto the south wall of Shippon. Double roman tile roof with matching roof. Rubble stone walls, mostly waterworn purple sandstone with some red, grey and green, brick quoins and jambs, wood lintels. Added to the barn range, later than other buildings, not shown on the 1889 OS Somerset sheet XXXIV.6, scale 1:2500, but on the 1903 2nd edition. C. 1900.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

Related records: none recorded

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