Nether Alderley Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nether Alderley Mill |
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Nether Alderley Mill
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| Location | Nether Alderley, Cheshire, England |
| OS grid reference | SJ 843 763 |
| Built | 16th century |
| Restored | 1967–70 |
| Restored by | National Trust |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Designated | 25 May 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1139592 |
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Nether Alderley Mill is a very old watermill found in Nether Alderley, Cheshire, England. It was built way back in the 1500s! Today, it is looked after by the National Trust, a group that protects important places. This mill is special because it has a unique system with three large waterwheels, and two of them still work! It is one of only four old corn mills in Cheshire that are almost completely preserved.
Contents
A Look Back in Time: The Mill's History
The first time anyone wrote about a mill at this spot was in 1391. That's a very long time ago! The mill you see today replaced that older one between 1595 and 1597. Around this time, a powerful family called the Stanley family took over the mill. You can still see some of the stone parts from the 1500s in the mill's basement.
Growing Bigger and Stronger
In the middle of the 1700s, the mill got much bigger. To make it even more powerful, workers built a new pond to hold water. They also built new tunnels, and you can even see the date "1746" carved inside them! It seems they reused many of the old stones and wooden beams from the 1500s mill when they rebuilt it.
The mill kept getting better in the 1800s. Early in the century, a new upper waterwheel and its cast-iron parts were added. Then, in the 1840s, a new lower waterwheel and its water channels were installed. More improvements came in the 1870s, including new cast-iron gears to connect to the upper waterwheel.
From Water to Steam and Back
From the 1880s until 1914, the mill could also be run by a portable 10-horsepower steam engine. This meant it could work even when there wasn't enough water. The mill finally stopped working around 1939, and the building became old and broken.
In 1950, the National Trust took ownership of the mill. They worked hard to fix it up between 1967 and 1970, bringing it back to working order.
How the Mill is Built and Works
The mill is made from buff-pink sandstone blocks. It has a long, sloping roof made of special stone-slates from Kerridge. The building is shaped like a rectangle. The roof is very heavy, weighing about 200 tons, and it is held up by a strong oak frame from the Elizabethan era.
Water Power in Action
The back wall of the mill acts as a dam for the lake that supplies water to the mill. This lake also works like a moat for the nearby Alderley Old Hall. The water from the lake powers two large waterwheels. These are called "overshot" wheels because the water flows over the top of them to make them turn.
One wheel is 12 feet (3.7 m) across, and the other is 13 feet (4.0 m) across. Each wheel works on its own, like two separate mills. The water first turns the upper wheel, and then it flows down to turn the lower wheel. This clever system allowed the mill to grind a lot of corn!
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire East
- Listed buildings in Nether Alderley
