Little Braxted Mill and Mill House including attached Mill Bridge (EHER 38918)

Former water mill and mill house, now two dwellings. 18th century, with a probable medieval core and 19th/20th century extensions.

December 1959. Grade II listed. Little Braxted Mill and Mill House including attached mill Bridge. Former watermill and mill house now two dwellings on the site of former watermills. 18th century with medieval core and 19th/20th century alterations. Grade II (see list for details). <1> See photos <2>. Little Braxted mill. Grade II. House conversion. No gear. <3> 2008. Field survey. The manor of Little Braxted formed part of the lands of the Bishops of London and was held by Hugolin for the Bishops (Morris, 1983). A mill is recorded in the Domesday book (1086) and given the proximity of the mill to the Church of St Nicholas (EHER 38924) and the Hall (EHER 8178), which both lie at a short distance to the east, it continued through the medieval period as a manorial mill to Little Braxted Hall. The last miller to work Little Braxted mill was Samuel Martin Soundy who came to Little Braxted after completing his apprenticeship at Temple Mill in High Wycombe and by 1884 was the President of the Association of British and Irish Millers. By 1886 he moved onto the Abbey Mills in Reading and the mill closed. At this early date the watermill and mill house were subsequently divided up and converted into two separate residences. The wheel race and wheel shaft were retained as features during its conversion and the shut mechanism maintained to help clear detritus from the adjacent mill pond. The wheel shaft formerly held a small wheel of only eight feet in diameter, although this appears to be one of a pair as another race ran under the mill at a short distance to the NW. The tail of the second wheel is still visible but the front culvert was blocked up when the road, originally running around behind the mill and crossing the river at a ford below the mill tail pool, was re-directed to pass across the front of the mill and a new bridge over the leat was built. Following the re-routing of Little Braxted Lane the mill was extended out over the line of the earlier road with the addition of the timber framed and weatherboarded bays to the SE. When viewed from the rear this structural development is much clearer. The earlier watermill comprises an 18th century five- bay 3½ storey red brick mill with a plain tile Mansard roof. Its Mansard extends the entire five bays but survives only on rear roof plane, as the front roof was reworked to form a continuous slate covered pitched roof running the length of the entire range, including the later extension. The roof to the rear of the Mill house is also at odds with that viewed from front (roadside) as it is also covered in plain tiles and is a cat-slide built over a weatherboarded rear extension. The division between the mill and the mill house is noticeable along the frontage, primarily by the weatherboarding which extends along the upper storey of the mill and by a distinct change in the colour and style of brickwork between to two builds. The fenestration across the mill façade is relatively symmetrical (despite it being at least two periods) but less so on the rear elevation. It comprises a mixture of 18th, 19th century and later multi-pane sash windows and casements of various sizes and styles. The main windows of the mill house are larger late Georgian sashes with marginal lights (at ground and first floor) with much smaller sashes on the top storey. A weatherboarded lucam supported on slightly curved brackets projects out from the later SE gable end of the mill. Unusually the lucam roof is pitched above the apex of the adjoining range and does not over-sail as is the style common to Essex. Apart from some alterations/re-newel of its fenestration the present mill is still recognisable from the list description. However, as access was not possible the suggested survival of a medieval timber framed core, a wooden wheel shaft and various fixtures and fittings, plus the extent of the damage following the fire in 1990 remains unclear. <4> The Mill [NAT]. <5> Watermill. 18th century. A three-storey weatherboarded and tiled mill presenting combined frontage with brick-faced mill house. Wooden wheel-shaft and minor machinery skilfully retained in conversion to house. <6> Recorded by NRIM. Photographed. <7> <8> Original HER entry merged with NRHE data transfer.