Snuff Mills is a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

in the Stapleton area of north

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, also known as Whitwood Mill. There are pleasant walks along the steep wooded banks of the River Frome, for example to

Oldbury Court Oldbury Court Estate is a park in Fishponds, Bristol, about north-east of the city centre. It is a park of Bristol City Council, and is listed Grade II in English Heritage's Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. ...

. The park was purchased in 1926 by the Corporation of Bristol as "''a pleasure walk for citizens of Bristol''" and restored in the 1980s by the Fishponds Local History Society. The park's name originates from one of the millers. His nickname was 'Snuffy Jack' because his smock was always covered in snuff. The park includes an old quarry and a stone mill. The old mill within the park was used for cutting and crushing stone from the many quarries along the Frome Valley during the late 19th century. It contains a

waterwheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or buckets ...

egg-ended boiler There have been a vast number of designs of steam boiler, particularly towards the end of the 19th century when the technology was evolving rapidly. A great many of these took the names of their originators or primary manufacturers, rather than a m ...

in its setting and the remains of a vertical steam engine. Despite the name, tobacco snuff was never ground in this mill. Today, Snuff Mills is still a popular site for locals and visitors who come to enjoy the tranquility and natural surroundings. This stretch of the River Frome is also home to some of Bristol's

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

References

Gallery Image:Snuffmillsbuilding.JPG, Old mill building Image:Snuffmillsbridge.JPG, Bridge over the

River Frome, Bristol The Frome , historically the Froom, is a river that rises in Dodington Park, South Gloucestershire, and flows southwesterly through Bristol to join the river Avon. It is approximately long, and the mean flow at Frenchay is . The name ''Frome' ...

Parks and open spaces in Bristol {{Bristol-geo-stub