Baythorne Mill (EHER 29452)

An 18th century brick built water mill of two storeys and hoist loft, with a tiled roof. It has been converted into a dwelling.

January 1976. Grade II listed. Baythorn Mill is an 18th century brick built water mill of two storeys and hoist loft, with a tiled roof. Adapted to a dwelling house. <1> See photos <2> <3>. Baythorne Mill. <4> Baythorne Mill (NAT). <5> 2008. Field survey. Baythorne Mill lies at a short distance from the county boundary on the southern side of the River Stour and to the north of the small hamlet of Baythorne End. Baythorne Mill is a large multi period mill site comprising an 18th century mill depicted in an early 18th century painting of Baythorne Hall, an attached weatherboarded mill house (S) and a 19th century in-line engine house (N) with an original chimney stack to the rear. The mill was converted to residential use by the later 1930s. The mill is an approximately five-bay building, built over 3½ storeys (the attic accommodating 1½ storeys) and is timber framed but with a 19th century brick refronting. The roof over the mill is gable ended (N-S) and is covered in plain tiles. Two catslide dormers sit either side of a central weatherboarded and gabled lucam built ‘over purlin’ and supported on curved timber brackets. The majority of windows in the façade have brick segmental arched heads and are a mixture of 19th/20th century iron framed and timber casements. Central to the northern bays is a pair of double boarded doors, which allow access to the wheel-race and to the culverted mill tail which emerges via a brick arch to the front (E). The presence of tie bar braces on the northern bay suggests localised strengthening associated with the location of the mill gearing within these bays. Internally some ironmongery was kept for decorative effect, but overall few features survive. The cast-iron pitch-back water wheel, probably inserted during a 19th century renovation of the mill, remains in situ (northern bays) but no longer turns. The timber frame is not completely softwood but is built of new and re-used timber, including some rather ornately carved pieces, used alongside the Baltic pine. Built in-line to the south is a two storey part weatherboarded, part brick ?mill house (or granary) and to the north a substantial two storey steam engine and boiler house. The latter is brick built and in common with the mill has a dentil course at the eaves. It is 4-5 bays in length with a slate covered gable ended roof and a weatherboarded lean-to to front. To the rear stands an impressive and regionally rare example of an 19th century intact industrial brick chimney stack. SITE SIGNIFICANCE: Baythorne Mill is not a particularly significant in the terms of its design or levels of survival and could be classed as a relatively uninteresting (technologically) given the levels of reuse and survival of internal features and spaces. However it does have some merits, preserving its waterwheel (as a feature), the steam engine house and more unusually its tall industrial chimney stack. <6> Original HER entry merged with NRHE data transfer.