Bunbury Mill is a
watermill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...
located to the east of the village of
Bunbury,
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, England. After being at risk of demolition, it has been restored as a working museum. The structure is designated by
Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...
as a Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
History
There is evidence that a corn mill has been on the site since 1290. The present building dates from about 1844, when an earlier mill was destroyed by fire.
During the 20th century the mill was used mainly to produce animal feed, although some flour was still made. In 1960 the building was damaged by flood and, because of the cost of reconstruction and because of falling demand for its products, the mill closed. The land was bought by Nantwich Rural District Council as a site for a
water treatment
Water treatment is any process that improves the Water quality, quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking water, drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recrea ...
works. In 1966 there were plans to demolish the building, but local residents campaigned for the mill to be repaired as a
job creation scheme.
This was successful, and the mill was restored to working order by 1977.
[ It passed into the ownership of the North West Water Authority (later part of ]United Utilities
United Utilities Group plc (UU), the United Kingdom's largest listed water company, was founded in 1995 as a result of the merger of North West Water and NORWEB. The group manages the regulated water and waste water network in North West Englan ...
) who reopened the mill as a working museum. In 1999 United Utilities added a classroom and toilet facilities, and the building was used for school and heritage visitors.[ The mill was closed by United Utilities in 2010 for financial reasons, and the grounds and machinery were looked after by volunteers.][ The Bunbury Watermill Trust was established, and in April 2012 the mill was given to the Trust, reopening it to visitors. The group Friends of Bunbury Mill has been established to support the work of the trustees.][
]
Description
The mill stands on a sloping site with a single storey facing the road to the south, and two storeys behind. It is constructed in red brick with a slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
roof. On the south face is an elevated taking-in door under a small gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
. The west and east sides are gabled, with three windows in the west side. The north side contains an entrance door and other openings. The mill pool lies to the south and the mill stream runs to the east.[
]
Access and facilities
Bunbury Mill is open to visitors at advertised times. Tours of the working mill are available. The site includes the mill pond, a wildlife pool and 2 acres of grounds. Facilities include a picnic area and a visitor centre with a café and public toilets.[Bunbury Mill: Things to do at Bunbury Mill]
(accessed 28 November 2013)
See also
*Listed buildings in Bunbury, Cheshire
Bunbury, Cheshire, Bunbury is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cheshire East, England. It contains 31 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, one is listed ...
*List of museums in Cheshire
In this list of museums in Cheshire, England, museums are defined as institutions (including non-profit organisations, government entities and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific or historical in ...
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
Bunbury Mill
- official site
Tourist attractions in Cheshire
Museums in Cheshire
Watermills in Cheshire
Mill museums in England
Grade II listed buildings in Cheshire