Crockleford Mill, former fulling mill, Cockleford Heath (EHER 2638)

Site of Crockleford Mill, a fulling mill, shown on the C and A map, in 1777. A Later brick mill was built in 1837 after the fulling mill burnt down in 1823. It was a water powered oil mill and flour mill.

Site of fulling mill, on C and A map, 1777. <1> <2> House Conversion retaining no gear <3> One of three fulling mills built along the Salary Brook. Crockleford mill was first recorded in 1588. It seems to have been part of Shaws Farm, being held by Edmund Church before 1647 and by John Roberts in 1810 and 1811. It may have been built by William Beriff, the Colchester clothmaker who acquired the farm in 1545, although it was not listed with the farm at his death in 1595. In 1657 it was rebuilt as a small bay-thickening or fulling mill and was a fulling mill in 1777 and a bay mill in 1797. In 1818 John Oakley sold the mill to his son also John Oakley and by 1819 was leased to Thomas Stammers who converted it to grind corn. Stammers was quickly bankrupt and the mill converted to an oil mill, but it was destroyed by fire in 1823. The present brick mill was built, retaining some oil mill plant and was placed on the market in 1837 as a chemical plant and water corn mill, with three pairs of edge stones. With this plant the London Chemical Works manufactured ‘Mother Liquor’. This proved to be unsuccessful and Crockleford was converted back to a corn mill with two pairs of stones driven by an overshot wheel. It was worked by the last miller W.W. Payne up until about 1955, after which it stood derelict for 15 years before being converted to residential use. The penstock and wheel where removed at this point. Crockleford was a small rural mill built along the Salary Brook to the east of Colchester. Its rural location has over the past around 50 years been impacted by the encroachment of modern housing estates, including Parsons Heath and Welshwood Park now adjacent to the west. The mill lies in open countryside and within an island formed by the course of the Salary Brook to the east and the by-pass channel which circumvents the mill to the west. A sluice is sited north of the mill and at the juncture of the brook and channel, while a small brick built single span accommodation bridge provides vehicular access from the west. The mill leat is now dry. The present mill dates to the first half of the 19th century (around 1837) and is a small three bay red brick 3½ storey mill with gable ends to the SE and NW. An oversailing weather-boarded lucam on straight brackets projects out from the NW gable end and over a taking-in door (now window) at first floor and the main entrance at ground floor. The latter has a replica halved door and a plain flat canopy/porch. The walls are laid in Flemish bond and have segmental headed apertures with rough brick heads. All of the window joinery is modern and replicates multi-pane sash/casement windows typical of the 19th century. The grape vine mentioned by Booker remains although it is being displaced by a large Wisteria, but the two pairs of stones, have now gone and no internal fixtures, fittings or technology survives (pers. comm). A single storey former workshop/forge abuts the mill to its NE, while former 19th century and later farm buildings extend to the N and a small 19th century mill cottage lies adjacent to the NW. The mill cottage was latterly used by W.W. Payne although the previous millers occupied a much larger house fronting Bromley Road (now 115 Bromley Road). The mill was converted to residential in 1971 and in appearance has changed very little since Benham visited in the early 1970s. The present owner is Mr. T. Parker. Present Use: Residential Condition: Fair SITE SIGNIFICANCE A 19th century corn, fulling and oil mill unusual in its use of an overshot wheel. Although Crockleford no longer retains its overshot wheel or any original technology, fixtures or fittings, its visual appearance has not extensively changed since it stopped milling in the mid 1950s and it still retains elements of its historic character <4>. Additional reference <5>-<8>