The King's Mill - High Street, Canterbury, UK
N 51° 16.799 E 001° 04.712
31U E 365989 N 5682713
This marker is to be found on the front of a building on the north east side of the High Street in Canterbury. This building is to the south east of, and next to the River Stour, from which it used to draw its power by waterwheel.
Waymark Code: WMK1E1
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/29/2014
Views: 3
The plaque reads:
Here stood the
King's Mill
Granted by King Stephen to
St Augustine's Abbey 1144,
recovered by the Crown and
granted to Rohesia, sister
of St Thomas Becket 1174
The Canterbury Historical and Archaeological Society website tells us:
The mill was granted to St Augustine's Abbey by King Stephen in 1144. It was repossessed by Henry II who is said to have granted to Rohesia, the sister of Thomas Becket in 1174. It came back into public ownership during the reign of Henry III. All Saints' Church stood next to the mill, but its original porch and bell tower, which stood on the road itself, were lopped off to enable the widening of King's bridge by 10 feet in 1769. In 1799 the mill was leased to Alderman James Simmons, and the council agreed for him to demolish it on the basis that it impeded the flow to the downstream Abbot's Mill which he already owned. He built his own house on the site of the mill, now part of the ASK restaurant, in which he lived from 1802-1807. The church was rebuilt in neo Gothic style in 1828 but made redundant in 1902 and demolished in 1938. The footprint of the east end can be seen outlined in red paving stones at the entrance to Best Lane. (Update 30 October 2012: this pavement has been relaid as part of the Beaney development and the outline of All Saints has sadly disappeared.) The very heavily restored group of early 16th century timber framed buildings on the west end of the bridge with five bays extending along the river is known as the Weavers. This refers to their use as the workshops of the Walloon and Huguenot weavers from the mid 16th century.
Type of Historic Marker: Plaque
Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Unspecified
Age/Event Date: 01/01/1144
Related Website: [Web Link]
Give your Rating:
|
Visit Instructions: Please submit your visiting log with a picture of the object and include some interesting information about your visit.
|