Shirburn Mill (EHER 34614)

Former 18th or 19th century water mill, now empty. The mill is timber framed and weatherboarded, with a red brick ground floor and red plain tile roof. The structure has an outshot lean-to to the South which faces the mill pond and the exterior overshot wheel, removed in the 1930's, which was on the East face. There are three storeys and loft, and two pairs of stones remain in the mill.

November 1966. Grade II listed. Former 18th or 19th century water mill, now empty. The mill is timber framed and weatherboarded, with a red brick ground floor and red plain tile roof. The structure has an outshot lean-to to the South which faces the mill pond and the exterior overshot wheel, removed in the 1930's, which was on the East face. There are three storeys and loft with a lucam window in the North face. Two pairs of stones remain in the mill, one by H & C Collins, Milton, and the other by Tinsby, Ipswich. The dam wall curves to enclose the mill pond to the South and is of concrete faced brick. The mill stream passed under a bridge to the West of the Mill (not now visible) to drive the waterwheel. The structure was once a partner to a long demolished upper mill formerly situated across the mill pond. <1> <2> 2003. Field survey. Sherbourne Mill / grade II/ no wheel some gear. <3> 2008. Field survey. Current Use: Disused. Condition: Fair but needs attention. This building is unusual for Essex both in its location and form. Originally there were two mills very near to each other, both run as part of the same venture and working the same stream - a brook of little significance, claimed to provide what was called a reservoir ‘bountifully supplied by abundant springs’ with a fall to both mills of nearly 35 ft. The upper of the two is reported to have been demolished in 1921. The lower (Shirburn) mill built around 1800 is of three storeys with a hoist loft, weatherboarded, on a brick base and with a tiled roof. The overshot exterior wheel (rare to Essex) was removed in 1937. No machinery except for two pairs of stones, one by H and C Collins, Melton and the other by Tinsley, Ipswich (Alderton and Booker, 1980). It was probably built in the later 18th century as a deed of conveyance mentions Sherborn Mill in 1796 and 1816. Shirburn or Sherbourne Mill appears to have changed little, externally at least, since it was first listed in the mid 1960s. It remains in a ‘disused’ state and as such is one of a declining number of watermills in Essex that have not been converted to residential use. The present mill was built across an engineered watercourse that runs parallel to the Shir Burn and widens out immediately south of the mill to form a mill pond. This mill pond was needed to create a sufficient head and fall to the overshot wheel and was achieved by banking up the channel on its West and North sides, immediately to the South of the mill and widening it out to form a mill pond. Another mill pond built in line and associated with the demolished Upper Mill survives at a short distance up stream to the South. Further to the South is a sluice connected via a short cross channel to the Shir Burn which regulated the water flow to both mill ponds. The mill tail is culverted to the North of the mill, and emerges for a short length before disappearing below Mill Hill Road and the adjacent former GER Colchester line. Shirburn is a 3½ storey part brick and part timber framed and weatherboarded mill with a clay tiled gable ended roof aligned E-W and a two storey full length slate covered lean-to to the rear (South). A smaller single storey lean to built on the site of the former external waterwheel butts up against the Western end elevation. The ground floor, built in red brick, has a central arch headed entrance flanked either side by similarly arched window openings. It supports a timber frame of two storeys, clad in feather-edge weatherboard. The arrangement of the fenestration is symmetrical across the façade with openings flanking either a taking-in door at first floor or a window and lucam at second floor. Vertical opening, four by three, sash windows are used across the front elevation while simpler four pane sashes are used in the not so visible end elevations. The central gable ended and weatherboarded lucam projects North from the facade and straddles the eaves line. It is supported on simple timber knees and is positioned to enable sacks to be hoisted onto an internal gantry floor set above/onto the wall plate. Modern rain water goods have been added and although the building appears to be maintained and in a fair, watertight condition, the exterior would benefit from some remedial attention. A red brick two storey mill house with a hipped and slated roof lies immediately East of the mill. It has a three window range to the front with a central entrance and top hung sashes. A smaller hipped roofed extension with rounded angles projects to the North. A 16th century timber framed Mill Cottage is also situated nearby. <4> September 2021. Heritage assessment. Shirburn Mill was constructed at the beginning of the 19th century (c.1800) and ceased to operate in the early 1930s. Thereafter the building has been used for purposes ancillary to the adjacent mill house which was itself constructed in about 1840. The former watermill was subsequently listed in 1966 and the mill house in 1987. It was entered on the ‘Essex Heritage at Risk Register’ in 2010 and was recorded as being in a ‘poor condition’ and ‘in need of repair’. The building (at the time of the survey – September 2021) was structurally sound and weather/watertight. Some floorboards are in poor condition from general wear & tear. The historic maps indicate that the mill was originally used for corn, and later used for flax. The mill originally had an external overshot wheel (to the North elevation), which is understood to have been removed in the 1930s/40s. Since becoming redundant the building has continued with an auxiliary use to the Mill House, serving as storage/studio space and as an additional dining area (when the main house offered B&B). However, these uses have resulted in minimal alterations to the structure. The Mill is constructed over three floors with hoist loft. The ground floor is of brick construction, with the upper floors being timber frame clad externally in painted weatherboarding, and internally clad (in small sections) with timber weatherboarding and square edge boarding. The main mill building is a rectangular building, with a small lean-to addition, which covers the full width of the South elevation and extends over two floors (lower ground and ground floor). The weatherboarding is mainly painted white with small sections of unfinished timber following patch repairs. The roof is a plain, tile roof. The windows are a single glazed, timber window, in a mix of good quality sash, a Heath Robinson sash to main mill and casement/fixed windows to the lean-to. <5> Photographed <6> Additional reference <7> <8> <9>