Site of possibly early 19th century watermill and headrace, Heybridge Mill, Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation (EHER 40232)

Partially destroyed. A mill driven by waterwheel and thought to have been built shortly after the construction of the Navigation (EHER 15085) in the early 19th century. The mill was demolished in 1954-1955, though the south range appears to remain extant.

October 1951. Grade II listed. The mill leat and enclosing walls are included in the listing for the (still extant) mill house, see EHER 38245. The leat has brick enclosing walls and a brick arch over the former mill race, with a cast-iron penstock behind. <1> 1998-2001. Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation survey. The Navigation (EHER 15085) and the mill headrace (the River Blackwater) divide. The headrace flows to the east to the mill, which was demolished in 1954, and was sited to the south of mill house (EHER 38245). <2> Heybridge mill was originally driven by waterwheel and is thought to have dated from around the early 1800s, possibly being rebuilt after the Navigation (EHER 15085) was constructed. The mill was fed from the Blackwater and discharged into the tidal creek, so that when it was canalised it gained an almost limitless supply of water while the tide was out but like all the bottom river mills had to shut down at high water. It was an enormous Dutch-style building, weatherboarded and three stories high. It was later converted to steam (in around 1900). It is thought to have had five pairs of stones from around 1833. It continued in operation until 1942 and was demolished in 1955. The Navigation and mill headrace (River Blackwater) divide, and the headrace flows east to the Mill. The mill leat has brick enclosing walls and a brick arch over the former mill race, with cast-iron penstock behind. <3> The south extent of the mill, as shown on the 2nd edition OS map, appears to remain extant as it is mapped on MasterMap, but it cannot be seen from Google Earth aerial imagery. <4> <5> <6> Note: The mill may have been built on the site of an earlier mill, see EHER 7790.