THE OLD MILL
THE HISTORY OF THE OLD MILL
The history of our mill is a little bit incomplete and we’re still trying to find out more about it, but thus far this is what we know. It has been known by several names in its time, but we believe it was first called West Walton Highway tower mill and was originally built in around 1780. It was thought to be three storeys high when initially constructed with a pronounced batter (the amount of ‘lean’ of the walls), but in 1815 two further storeys were added by John Dobbs, who dramatically altered the angle and levelled the batter out (this made the sails turn far more efficiently). He also tarred the red brick mill and incorporated a datestone into the brickwork on the east side of the mill, inscribed J.D. 1815 (still legible now) and thereafter the mill was consequently most often referred to as Dobbs' Mill. The mill had an ogee cap with a finial and petticoat that was set on a dead curb. There were wall anchors above the top windows (installed as the numbers 18 on the east side and 15 on the west side to indicate the year of conversion). The mill was peculiar in that the sails powered 3 pairs of stones whereas it is more common to find 2 or 4 pairs.
In the late 1800s the miller Daniel Sutterby installed a steam engine to supplement wind power and the mill remained running until a significant storm on 22nd February 1908 damaged it beyond economical repair. After this its history is somewhat sketchy up until the mid 1970s although it is known that it was sometimes used for storage for the apple and pear orchards that, by then, surrounded it, but it became largely derelict in the process . There are very few images of the mill in existence (or that we have traced) and none have the sails sadly. The one below is the earliest taken in 1935 and shows the ogee, but the sails are long gone as a result of the storm (in fact nothing is known of the sail configuration as so far we have been able to find no images or paintings of the mill with the sails on). At some point in this period the mill started to be referred to as Fen End mill and also became Grade II listed
In the mid 1970s the mill was purchased, and planning permission acquired to convert it to a private residence with the addition of a bungalow on the side. How on earth this got planning permission with the mill being listed is beyond us and frankly the result was a largely incongruous mash up of an 18th century windmill and a 1970s modern bungalow. To add insult to injury when the roof was capped castellations were added to the top of the mill tower as per the image below. Having said all that we should probably be thankful as without this all happening the mill may have perished further through neglect and ultimately it was this conversion that, partly enabled us to be where we are today.
By 2000 the mill had again started to fall into some disrepair with a lot of leaks and timber issues, but happily it acquired new owners (Peter and Catherine Harvey) who embarked upon extensive renovations. The castellations were removed, the roof was made watertight, floors and stairs were reinstated properly, and an oil heating system was installed. They also cleverly disguised the 1970s bungalow by planting a huge number of plants and climbers around it.
It was Peter and Catherine that we bought the property from in 2018 and by the time we saw it they had made it into a lovely liveable home and also done extensive further work on the acreage. Without their hard work we would not have had the foundations to do what we are doing now and like us they view owning a property like this as being custodians of it rather than owners… after all it will be here long after we’re all gone.
Below is a timeline (as far as we can ascertain at present) for the mill from its construction to the present day.
1780: William More of West Walton was the first miller.
1802: John Dobbs Snr first mentioned in connection with the mill.
1815: Additional two floors added to the tower by John Dobbs Snr.
1864: Daniel Sutterby, miller renting the mill.
1886: Mill advertised for auction by trustees of the will of Charles Hubbard who had been the owner, Daniel Sutterby remains as the miller.
1898: Daniel Sutterby died.
1898: William Sutterby (Daniel's son) took over as the miller.
1908: Mill damaged beyond repair by severe storm.
1912: Mill advertised for sale by auction
1926: Mill recorded as derelict
1933: Karl Wood painting depicting mill tower with ogee cap still in situ.
1949: Mill used as a store
1972: Mill sold to a M. Bottom
1978: Mill advertised for sale for £11,000.
1978: Bungalow built and castellations added to tower
2000: Mill bought by Peter and Catherine Harvey and extensively renovated including the removal of the castellations, making the mill watertight, replacement floors and staircases, installation of the heating system etc.
2018: Mill sold to us
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Chris, Feb 2023