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Redbournbury Mill, is a
Grade II* listed 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 I ...
flour mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separated ...
in Redbournbury,
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For gov ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, which is thought to have been first built in the early 11th Century. Having operated as 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 ...
on the
River Ver The Ver is a long chalk stream in Hertfordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Colne. Course The source is in the grounds of Lynch Lodge, Kensworth Lynch on the west side of the A5 trunk road and stays on the west side for so ...
, the mill is now powered by a diesel engine.


History

The date of inception of Redbournbury Mill is unknown, however, a mill on the same site was mentioned in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
of 1086, and it is possible that the existing mill was built on these foundations. Prior to that however, in {{circa1030 the Manor of Redbourn was given to the
Abbot of St Albans {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 This is a list of abbots of St Albans Abbey up to its Dissolution in 1539. # Willegod (793–796) # Eadric # Wulsig # Wulnoth (Walworth) (c. 930) # Eadfrith # Wulsin (d. c. 968) # Aelfric # Ealdred # Eadmer # Leo ...
by Aegelwyne le Swarte and his wife Wynfreda, wealthy Saxon landowners, and possible lords. It is likely that the mill which once stood at the approximate site of Redbournbury would have been within the Manor of Redbourn, and was thus passed on to the
Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The c ...
. The nearby farmhouse was used by the Abbot's
Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...
, and was referred to as Chamberlain's Mill.{{cite web, url=http://www.redbournburymill.co.uk/The-Mill/History , title= Redbournbury Mill - history , access-date=November 25, 2017 , language=en The lane that passes the mill crosses the River Ver by a deep
ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
.{{sfn, Reid, 1987, p=86 Following the mention in the Domesday book, the next mention of a mill in the area was {{circa1290 (during the Abbacy of John de Berkhamstede), during which time Chamberlain's Mill burnt down. The fire threatened all of the Manor of Redbourn, but area was protected by the local woodland. There are an increasing amount of records regarding the mill from the mid
Tudor period The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England that began wit ...
onward; following the dissolution of the monasteries by
King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, the lands of the Abbey of St Albans, of which the mill was a part, were seized by the King. Upon his death, these lands were bequeathed to his daughter Princess Elizabeth. Upon Elizabeth's passing, the land was passed on to her successor on the throne,
James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
. James I would, via the
Treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...
, lease the mill (now called "Redbourne Greate Mill"){{cite web, url=http://www.redbournburymill.co.uk/The-Mill/History/Timeline , title= Redbournbury Mill - Timeline , access-date=December 5, 2017 , language=en to a series of private renters. Several decades after James' death, the mill was purchased in 1652 by
Sir Harbottle Grimston ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
a lawyer and politician for £200. Grimston had also purchased
Old Gorhambury House Old Gorhambury House located near St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, is a ruined Elizabethan mansion, a leading and early example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. It was built in 1563–68 by Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper, and was visite ...
and as a result the mill became part of the Gorhambury Estate. The Grimston family would go on to make an indelible mark in the surround area, due to the
Earl of Verulam Earl of Verulam is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for James Grimston, 4th Viscount Grimston. He was made Viscount Grimston (in the peerage of the United Kingdom) at the same time. Verulam had previously ...
peerage bestowed upon them. Little of record is known over the next 200 years or so, aside from a series of improvements and upgrades. Notable amongst these improvements was the installation of three 'in line'
millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a wikt:convex, convex stationary base known as the ''be ...
s. Typically millstones are laid around a central gearing mechanism as opposed to in a single straight line - as is the case here. The layout found in Redbournbury is the only known example in the county, and is rare in United Kingdom as a whole. The mill building now standing dates from c.1780.{{sfn, Reid, 1989, p=47 In 1841, the tenant of the mill was one Edward Hawkins. This tenancy would be passed down through the Hawkins family for the next 144 years, aside from a 35-year gap beginning in 1855. Edward's great-granddaughter would be the last of the Hawkins family to mill at Redbournbury. Ivy began milling in 1916 at the age of 19, and would continue to live on site until 1985. Ivy's father Henry died in 1932, leaving the mill to his wife (Julia) and Ivy. Four years later, much of the Gorhambury Estate was sold by the 4th Earl of Verulam and as a result reverted to the
Crown Estate The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole, making it "the sovereign's public estate", which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's priv ...
; despite this change in ownership Ivy and Julia would continue the tenancy. Following her mother's death in 1944, Ivy would go on to have an eventful career. In 1956 Ivy was trapped in the waterwheel for over an hour, having climbed inside to undertake repairs. Despite being trapped between an inner spoke and the outer wheel, whilst taking the weight of the water, Ivy was rescued, and, after a brief hospital stay returned home unscathed.{{cite web, url=https://millsarchive.org/explore/features-and-articles/entry/111617/women-in-milling/5861 , title= Women in Milling - The Mills Archive, access-date=December 5, 2017 , language=en Ivy would receive national attention three years later when
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
would run an article declaring her to be "Britain's only lady miller". It is unknown when the River Ver alone was no longer enough to power the milling process, however, by the beginning of the early 20th Century the mill had been fitted with an engine (either steam or gas).{{cite web, url=http://www.redbournburymill.co.uk/The-Mill/Engine/ , title= Redbournbury Mill - Engine, access-date=December 1, 2017 , language=en There is little record of this however, as it was scrapped in 1915 during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. Whilst the River was no longer strong enough to operate the mill, the water wheel itself was still able to turn; this was how Ivy Hawkins is recorded to have powered her circular saw up until the 1970s.


Revival and present day

Following Ivy Hawkins leaving the mill in 1985, the Crown Estate placed Redbournbury up for sale, and in 1987 sold it to its current owners, the James family. The James family were the only interested party who intended to restore the mill to full working order, it having been unused for milling since the 1950s. Subsequently,
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...
offered the new owners a significant grant to help cover the costs of the renovation, and also reclassified the site to Grade II* listed status, meaning that both the mill and the house are historically protected buildings. On 22 August 1987, just days after renovations had started, a fire broke out in the roof of the mill. The fire quickly spread and gutted most of the mill's interior, as well as the upstairs of the house. The gearing of the mill itself was saved however, which ensured that the mill could be fully restored. The ensuing restoration project took ten years to complete, and also saw the full repair and installation of a diesel engine which had not been used in approximately 30 years. The
Crossley Crossley, based in Manchester, United Kingdom, was a pioneering company in the production of internal combustion engines. Since 1988 it has been part of the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering group. More than 100,000 Crossley oil and gas engines ...
engine, which had been kept in an enthusiast's garden, had previously been used at a water pumping station in
Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...
before being scrapped. A diesel engine was needed because the modern day River Ver suffers from a reduced flow, and as such lacks the power to sufficiently drive the water wheel. In 2005 a
bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who w ...
was built in one of the disused barns at the front of the mill{{cite web, url=http://www.redbournburymill.co.uk/The-Bakery , title= Redbournbury Mill - The Bakery, access-date=25 November 2017 , language=en and was first opened to the public in July 2006.{{cite web, url=http://www.redbournburymill.co.uk/The-Bakery/History , title= Redbournbury Mill - The Bakery History, access-date=25 November 2017 , language=en The bakery is open to the public on Saturday mornings and sells a range of breads and cakes all of which are made using flour ground within the mill. In addition, Redbournbury volunteers regularly man stalls at
farmers markets A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...
in the surrounding area, including those at
Harpenden Harpenden () is a town and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The population of the built-up area was 30,240 in the 2011 census, whilst the population of the civil parish was 29,448. Ha ...
,
Kings Langley Kings Langley is a village, former manor and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, north-west of Westminster in the historic centre of London and to the south of the Chiltern Hills. It now forms part of the London commuter belt. The villa ...
and
St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman ...
. The bakery is currently overseen by baker Steven Mansbridge.{{cite web, url=http://www.hertfordshirelife.co.uk/food-drink/herts-artisan-bakers-rising-to-the-challenge-1-4534194 , title=Hertfordshire Life: Herts artisan bakers rising to the challenge, access-date=November 25, 2017 , language=en The cereals used to produce the Redbournbury flour are grown locally at Hammonds End farm, Harpenden. This ensures that all Redbournbury products have very low
food miles Food miles is the distance food is transported from the time of its making until it reaches the consumer. Food miles are one factor used when testing the environmental impact of food, such as the carbon footprint of the food. The concept of ...
, as Hammonds End is less than 2 miles away from the mill.


Media appearances

Since 2013 Redbournbury Mill has appeared on a variety of television shows. Celebrity baker
Paul Hollywood Paul John Hollywood (born 1 March 1966) is an English celebrity chef and television presenter, widely known as a judge on ''The Great British Bake Off'' since 2010. Hollywood began his career at his father's bakery as a teenager and went on to ...
visited the mill in 2013 as part of his
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...
series ''Paul Hollywood's Bread'', whilst his ''
Great British Bake Off ''The Great British Bake Off'' (often abbreviated to ''Bake Off'' or ''GBBO'') is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, atte ...
'' co-host
Mary Berry Dame Mary Rosa Alleyne Hunnings (; born 24 March 1935), known professionally as Mary Berry, is an English food writer, chef, baker and television presenter. After being encouraged in domestic science classes at school, she studied catering at ...
also visited the mill in 2016 as part of her "Easter Feast" programme to learn more about the Alban bun, an alleged forerunner to the Hot cross bun. Chef
Jay Rayner Jason Matthew Rayner (born 14 September 1966) is an English journalist and food critic. Early life Jason Matthew Rayner was born on 14 September 1966. He is the younger son of Desmond Rayner and journalist Claire Rayner. His family is Jewish. ...
had previously visited the mill in 2013 to learn more about the Alban bun for a segment on BBC One's ''
The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan ...
''.{{cite web, url=http://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/bbc-one-show-s-jay-rayner-samples-st-albans-hot-cross-buns-1-1987118 , title=BBC One Show’s Jay Rayner samples St Albans hot cross buns, access-date=November 26, 2017 , language=en


References

{{reflist, 2


Sources

*{{cite book , first=Kenneth , last=Reid , title=Watermills of the London Countryside, their place in Englishlandscape & life , volume=I , publisher=Charles Skilton , location=London , year=1987 , isbn=0284 39165 4 *{{cite book , first=Kenneth , last=Reid , title=Watermills of the London Countryside, their place in Englishlandscape & life , volume=II , publisher=Charles Skilton , location=London , year=1989 , isbn=0284 98806 5


External links

{{commons category, Redbournbury Watermill
Rebournbury Mill
{{Listed buildings in Hertfordshire, G2* Buildings and structures in Hertfordshire Watermills in Hertfordshire Museums in Hertfordshire Mill museums in England River Ver Grade II* listed buildings in Hertfordshire