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Summary

House, formerly a mill and mill house. Probably early 19th century. Granite rubble, painted at the front with a slated roof. Mill was used for grinding corn in the late 1970s, one wheel remained and the owner was intending to restore the mill to working order.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1242425: PONSWORTHY MILL, INCLUDING THE GARDEN WALL AND GATEPOSTS FRONTING THE ROAD

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX77SW44
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 445346
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77SW/47
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 441815

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CORN MILL (XVII to XIX - 1700 AD? (Between) to 1840 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1838-1848, Tithe Mosaic, approximately 1838-1848 (Cartographic). SDV349431.

Mill and yard, field no 1712, a disused mill depicted on the Tithe Map.

Ordnance Survey, 1904 - 1906, Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map (Cartographic). SDV325644.

'Corn Mill' marked on the early 20th century historic map.

Harris, H., 1968, Industrial Archaeology of Dartmoor, 226-7 (Monograph). SDV149229.

On the West Webburn, the old Ponsworthy Mill is disused and falling into ruins. A 19th century sketch by Fred Foot in the Torquay Natural History Museum shows the mill with two water wheels in line, one after the other.

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

Visited in 1973 (estimate). 18th century gristmill. Building of stone with slate roof is now disused. Overshot wheel with open paddles. Diameter 11 feet. Leat is still present. Sluice gates exist. Axle tree. Pit wheel. Wallower. Main shaft. Spare wheel. Stone nut and mill stones (2) are all part of drive and milling mechanisms present.

Beeson, M. M. R. + Masterman, M. C. H., 1979, An Archaeological Survey of Enclosed Land in Widecombe-In-The-Moor Parish, Vol III, 485 (Report - Survey). SDV337078.

Ponsworthy Mill is now a holiday cottage. The house itself is probably late 16th century or early 17th century. Over the main fireplace in the living room there is a massive stone lintel. The mill was used for grinding corn. It had twin wheels, the metal one of which is still in existence, although the woodwork has rotted. The pit is cleared. Wooden gearing. The one remaining wheel according to a wheelwright expert probably dates from the 1760s. The holes where the launder used to carry the water to the wheel can still be seen. The present owner wants to restore the mill to working order.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England, 1242425 (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

WIDECOMBE-IN- PONSWORTHY SX 77 SW THE-MOOR 6/241 Ponsworthy Mill, including the 10.3.77 garden wall and gateposts fronting the road GV II
House, formerly a mill and mill house. Probably early C19. Granite rubble, painted at the front. Slated roof. Small rendered chimneystack on left gable. L-shaped plan. House-part, at right-angles to road, has 2-room plan with central passage leading to staircase at the back; mill building at right-angles to it, at the end farthest from the road. 2 storeys. House has symmetrical 3-window front. Windows have granite lintels; low wide windows on ground storey, tall narrow ones above, all having C19 casements with glazing-bars. Old plank door with inserted window in centre. Inward face of mill building has an old plank door to right of ground storey and a C19 casement window with glazing-bars to left. Against gable-wall of mill a ruined, single-storey lean-to. At rear is an iron mill-wheel moulded with the maker's name, WILLCOCKS & SON, BUCKFASTLEIGH; wooden spokes and paddles have mostly rotted away. Fronting the road is a good garden wall of large-scale granite rubble and 2 plain granite gateposts. Interior of house and mill not inspected but 1977 provisional list said that "internally it retains much of the original machinery with wooden gearing and belt drives".
Listing NGR: SX7008273874

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 29/06/2022 (Website). SDV364039.

(SX 70087387) The Mill (NAT) (1963 OS map).
Pondsworthy mill and house is an 18th century L-shaped two storey building of rubble with a slate roof. One metal water wheel is still in existence. A 19th century sketch by Fredrick Foot in the Torquay Natural History Museum shows the mill with two water-wheels in line, one after another (citing DOE list, 1952, 110 / Harris, H., 1968, pg. 226-7 / Devon Committee for Rescue Archaeology Publication 7, 1979, pg. 45).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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