Pinsley Mill facts for kids

Pinsley Mill, also known as Etnam Street Mill, was an old watermill located in Leominster, Herefordshire, England. A watermill uses the power of flowing water to turn machinery, often for grinding grain.

The Early Days of Pinsley Mill

Pinsley Mill was one of the very first mills in Leominster. It was built near the Pinsley Brook, a small stream that flowed from the area around Leominster Priory, a historic church. Records from as far back as 1675 mention it as a "watercorne" mill, which means it was used to grind grain using water power.

A Cotton Mill and New Inventions

Between 1744 and 1748, something exciting happened at Pinsley Mill. A man named Daniel Bourn reopened it, but this time as a cotton mill. This was a big step forward for the time!

Pinsley Mill became one of the special Paul-Wyatt cotton mills. These mills were built to use amazing new machines invented by Lewis Paul and John Wyatt. Their invention was called "roller spinning." It was revolutionary because it could spin cotton threads into yarn "without the aid of human fingers." This meant machines could do the work that people used to do by hand, making textile production much faster.

Daniel Bourn's cotton mill worked successfully for several years. However, in 1754, a fire sadly destroyed the mill.

Back to Grinding Grain

After the fire, Pinsley Mill was rebuilt. It went back to its original job as a corn mill, grinding grain for the local area. It continued to operate in this way for many years, staying in use until the time of the Second World War (which ended in 1945).

The End of the Mill

Sadly, Pinsley Mill faced some tough times in its later years. Between 2010 and 2013, it was damaged by vandals and set on fire several times. Because of this damage, the historic mill was finally taken down in 2014.