See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

A former flour mill, latterly used as a sawmill, North Molton Mill was house converted in the 1970s. The waterwheel survives but the rest of the machinery was removed to Hele Mill, Ilfracombe.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS72NW/44

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WATERMILL (Unknown date)

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

'Mole Mills (Corn)' marked on 1880s-1890s 25 inch Ordnance Survey map.

Ordnance Survey, 1974, SS72NW (Cartographic). SDV342623.

Not marked on 1974 6 inch Ordnance Survey map.

Devon County Council, 1974, Survey of Watermills in Devon: Gazetteer (Report - Survey). SDV83967.

19th century flour mill and later, 1954, a sawmill. Building empty at time of survey in 1973 but recently sold as a dwelling. Machinery being moved to Hele Mill. Three storey building. Not of merit architecturally. Overshot wheel, 11 feet by 4 feet 6 inches. Wooden buckets in fair condition. Water from River Mole. Mill pond visible. Much machinery on site.

North Devon Archaeological Society, 1989, North Devon Watermills, 47 (Monograph). SDV337776.

Three storey building of stone under a slate roof. Cast iron overshot wheel with wooden buckets. 11 feet diameter, 4 feet 6 inches wide. In good condition. All the machinery including driving gears, hoists, sifting reels, cleaners, tools, scales and two pairs of millstones was in situ in 1973 at which time the site was being used as a fish hatchery. The machinery was removed to Hele Mill at Ilfracombe in February 1974. The building was subsequently house converted.

University of the Third Age, 1995, Watermills in North Devon 1994, 84-85 (Monograph). SDV74915.

Deep, fast flowing leat. Water piped to launder. Thought to have been used as a sawmill later than 1954.

Bodman, M., 1998, Water-Powered Sites in Devon, 35 (Report - non-specific). SDV305931.

Other details: No. 90.

Bodman, M., 2003, Watermills and Other Water-Powered Sites in Devon, 255 (Report - Interim). SDV325576.

Report in The Times for 28 July 1847 of a woman's body found wedged between the pitwheel and the wall of the mill. It is thought she gained access to the mill via an aperture above the waterwheel shaft. Corn had been found missing from the mill on several nights previously and, on the night in question, the wheel had been left slowly turning to prevent thieves entering.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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