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Summary

The wheelwright's shop at Walkhamton Mill or Walkham Mill was established in 1845 and remained in production until the late 20th century. Although now partially house converted it nevertheless represents a unique survival of a water-powered rural workshop. The ground floor still retains some of the original specialist machines and overhead shafts and pulleys driven by a waterwheel. The latter is said to date from 1845.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1326417: WALKHAM MILL

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NW48
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1305498
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 92874

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WOOLLEN MILL (Founded, Unknown to XVIII)
• BLACKSMITHS WORKSHOP (Built, XIX - 1801 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))
• WHEELWRIGHTS WORKSHOP (Established, XIX - 1845 AD to 1845 AD)

Full description

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

Buildings shown on 19th century map.

Watts, M., 1998, The Wheelwright's Shop, Walkhampton (Report - Survey). SDV347625.

The wheelwright's shop at Walkhampton was established in 1845 using power from a waterwheel. The main building contains the machine shop with a loft over and is a two storey stone rubble structure under a slated gable roof. The loft was formerly used for the assembly and finishing carts. There was formerly a forge immediately to the east and a large timber framed structure clad with corrugated iron to the west. These two buildings have now been demolished and the surrounding area developed for housing. The main machine shop building survives as a building 12 metres north to south and 7 metres east to west with a roof of six bays supported on softwood trusses. The water supply comes from a tributary of the River Walkham and the overshot waterwheel is supplied by a long timber launder running west from the village bridge. The power to the majority of the machines in the main shop has been partly superseded by individual electric motors. The machines include saws, lathes and drilling machines as well as numerous hand tools.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

'Walkhampton Mill' shown on modern mapping. Map object based on this Source.

English Heritage, 2011, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV347072.

Walkham Mill. Wheelwright's shop. Circa mid C19, extended in C20. Stone rubble walls. Gable ended corrugated iron roof. Plan: The original building is rectangular on plan consisting of one large workshop. The water wheel which drives the machinery is detached from the building and adjoined the right-hand wall at the rear. In the late C19 the building began to be extended by a blacksmith's'shop built on along the left-hand wall and in the C20 a large addition was made at the right-hand side constructed of corrugated sheeting. Exterior: 2 storeys. The entrance is in the gable end which has a wide opening on both ground and 1st floors and a small window below the gable. Lean-to addition of former blacksmith's shop against left-hand wall with doorway in its gable end. Extensive C20 corrugated addition to right. The overshot water wheel at the rear is served by wooden launders but is now enclosed. Interior: The gearing and shafts driven by the wheel still survive. In situ and are functional. This is an unusual example of a purpose built wheelwright's shop still performing its original function and with its original source of power still operative.

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

Map object based on this source.

Watts, M., 2013, Walkham Mill, Walkhampton, Devon. Historic Building Appraisal (Report - Survey). SDV352674.

The wheelwright's shop at Walkhampton represents a unique survival of a water-powered rural workshop. The ground floor of the main, stone-built building was the machine whop with some machines belt-driven from overhead shafting by the waterwheel. Immediately east of the machine shop was a forge and there was also a large shed, clad with corrugated iron on the west side which enclosed the waterwheel and was used for sawing large timbers, assembly and storage. The first floor of the main building was also used for storage. The large shed was removed and the area to the north and west developed for housing in 1986. The first floor of the workshop was converted to domestic use in 1998-9. The ground floor was also partially modernised but still contains some of the original specialist wheelwrighting machines and overhead shafts and pulleys. The waterwheel is said to date from the establishment of the wheelwright’s shop by Philip Veale in 1845. It has not been run for some time but appears relatively stable. The launder, which carried water from the stream alongside the buildings to the top of the waterwheel, is unusually long, about 37 metres in length. Much of its upstream end, however, has been removed recently as a result of decay and flood damage. Parts of the stream walling and the launder supports have also suffered decay, exacerbated by silt and debris build up along the stream.
Despite surrounding housing development and the partial conversion of the wheelwright’s shop enough remains, including machinery within the ground floor workshop and the waterwheel with a potentially live water supply, to make its continued survival and retention important.

Historic England, 2021-2022, NRHE to HER website, Accessed 07/09/2021 [1305498] (Website). SDV364039.

South West Textile Mills Project Number: 409 (The South West Textile Mills Project was started in the 1990s by the Swindon office of the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. Following a period of 3-4 years when the project was put on hold, English Heritage restarted the project in early 2003. To date (20/12/2004) the project is still ongoing and will continue for at least another year when it will conclude with a publication on the project, expected in about 12-18 months.)
Summary description ?
The recorded site is listed as a former blacksmith's workshop, but may retain parts of an earlier woollen mill. The main surviving building is of 2 storeys and 6 bays, in rubble stone with a gabled roof. There is a taking-in door to east end. The building was is of 2 phases, the ground floor windows have stone lintels and the first floor windows have red brick heads. There is also a change in character of the rubble to the upper storey. Probably built in the early 19th and mid- to late 19th century. There is an external late 19th century overshot water wheel to the north-west of the building, with a spur wheel taking a belt drive through a slot in the north wall. An intact wooden launder carries the headrace from the village centre to the south of the mill. The position of the wheel chamber suggests it may be located at the east end of a former mill, the site of which is now occupied by a late 20th century house. This building may therefore have been an ancillary building, originally single-storeyed, of the former mill. The association with textiles is not certain.
Full description(s) ?
None recorded
Sources ?
Ref Title (& comments) Year SoR Pages Volume Notes
1 Externally held archive reference
Default value used to record large numbers of archive items which are not separately catalogued. See Monument Recording Guidelines for details of use. Royal Cornwall Gazette, 16.07.1808.
2 List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest
Default value used to record large numbers of archive items which are not separately catalogued. See Monument Recording Guidelines for details of use. District of West Devon, 28/10/87

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV5190 - Historic Building Survey of the Wheelwrights Workshop, Walkhampton
• EDV6296 - Historic Building Appraisal of Walkham Mill, Walkhamton
• EDV8699 - RCHME South West Textile Mills Project (Ref: RCH01/063)

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