City Mill, Winchester, Hampshire
N 51° 03.668 W 001° 18.468
30U E 618581 N 5657985
The historic City Mill is a working watermill situated in the centre of the city of Winchester. The Mill is in Bridge Street and straddles the River Itchen
Waymark Code: WM53NP
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/06/2008
Views: 17
Winchester City Mill is located on a site used for milling flour since Saxon times. It spans the River Itchen in the heart of Winchester, once capital of late Anglo-Saxon England. King Alfred held court here in the 8th century. The name City Mill came into being after Queen Mary Tudor gifted it to the city in 1554 following her wedding in the nearby cathedral.
The mill fell into decline in the 15th century and was derelict by 1471. In this condition it languished for several centuries until
1744 when a new tenant, the tanner James Cooke, rebuilt the mill. This is the building you see today. The central section with its fine gable was completed first and the eastern section was added later. It seems materials from an earlier building were re-used, as some of the roof timbers date back to the 15th century.
In 1820 John Benham, who became the first private owner of the mill, bought the mill and adjoining land. It remained with the Benham family for more than 100 years and for much of the 19th century would probably have operated profitably as a corn mill.
By the 1880s, however, roller milling, introduced initially to meet the demand for low-cost white flour, had largely replaced stone grinding. Unfortunately the tenant miller in 1892 had to appeal against bankruptcy. It seems that milling ceased here in the early 1900s.
Following its use as a laundry during the First World War, the mill was offered for sale in 1928. It was saved from demolition by a group of local benefactors who bought it and presented it to the National Trust. In 1931 the trust leased the mill to the Youth Hostel Association who used for many years. After the YHA left the mill there began many years of restoration. In 2004 the mill successfully milled flour again after a gap of 90 years.
Information from NT.
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