Whitchurch Silk 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 ...

on the

River Test The River Test is a chalk stream in Hampshire in the south of England. It rises at Ashe near Basingstoke and flows southwards for to Southampton Water. Settlements on the Test include the towns of Stockbridge and Romsey. Below the village o ...

, located in the town of Whitchurch,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

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 b ...

. It is 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

The mill was constructed in 1800 by Henry Hayter on a plot of land called Frog Island. The mill is probably on the same site as one of the four mills recorded 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 ...

. Originally it was a

fulling mill Fulling, also known as felting, tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelled waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven or knitted cloth (particularly wool) to elimin ...

(part of the finishing process of cloth weaving). Some years later, in 1817, it was bought by William Madick who changed its operation to

throw Throwing is an action which consists in accelerating a projectile and then releasing it so that it follows a ballistic trajectory, usually with the aim of impacting a remote target. This action is best characterized for animals with prehensile l ...

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

. In 1844 it was acquired by Alexander Bannerman and John Spencer, merchants of Manchester. William Chappell, the manager of the mill, purchased it from them in 1846. At this time the mill employed 108 staff, including 39 children under the age of 13. By 1866 the mill had passed into the ownership of the Hide family with whom it remained until the death of James Hide in 1955. During this time, the mill wove silk for

Burberry Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessories, ...

, then based in nearby

Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located north-east of Southa ...

, who used it as coloured linings for their raincoats. It ultimately passed to

Ede and Ravenscroft Ede & Ravenscroft are the oldest tailors in London, established in 1689. They have two London premises, in Chancery Lane and Burlington Gardens, very close to the famous Savile Row. They make, sell and hire out legal gowns and wigs, clerical dr ...

who operated it up to 1985, producing legal and academic gowns. It was then acquired by the Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust who, after renovation works, opened it to the public in 1990. In December 2012, the Trustees recommenced silk production.

Ownership and Management

The building is owned by the Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust and leased to a dedicated

trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...

, the Whitchurch Silk Mill Trust, to ensure preservation. The Trust operates as a registered charity and two registered companies. The Whitchurch Silk Mill states on the UK Charity Commission website: Local organisations, including the Town Council, and the public offered support to the Silk Mill so that weaving activity was restored to the Mill.

Machinery

The mill was powered by a low

breastshot 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 bucket ...

water wheel, in diameter driving the machinery through

line shafting A line shaft is a power-driven rotating shaft for power transmission that was used extensively from the Industrial Revolution until the early 20th century. Prior to the widespread use of electric motors small enough to be connected directly to e ...

. There are currently 15 looms in total, 10 Tappet looms dating to 1890–1932, 3 Dobby looms dating to the 1950s and 2 1960s Hattersley looms acquired in 1972. These days the looms are powered by individual electric motors. In addition there is a warping mill and winding frames also dating from the 1890s.

Public Access

The mill is open for commissions and visitors, there is a gift shop and tea room on site.

Notes

Watermills in Hampshire Museums in Hampshire Grade II* listed buildings in Hampshire Textile museums in the United Kingdom Silk mills Textile mills in England Whitchurch, Hampshire {{UK-museum-stub

History

Ownership and Management

Machinery

Public Access

See also

Notes