Stoke Mill, Guildford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stoke Mill |
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| Type | Watermill |
| Location | Guildford, Surrey |
| OS grid reference | SU 998 510 |
| Built | 1879 |
| Owner | Surrey Advertiser Group |
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Stoke Mill is an old building near Guildford, England. It used to be a mill, which is a place where grain like corn was ground into flour. Now, it's a modern office building! It sits right by the River Wey and is part of a small group of historic buildings. One of these is the Stoke Mill House, which is a Grade II listed building, meaning it's important and protected.
History of Stoke Mill
Way back in history, around 1086, a famous book called the Domesday Book mentioned a mill in this area, then called 'Stochae'. It was on land belonging to the King!
Much later, around 1635, a man named Sir Richard Weston built something new here: Surrey's very first paper mill. By 1740, the mill was also used for grinding corn.
In 1863, a fire sadly destroyed the original mill. A new, single-story mill was built in its place. This new mill had three pairs of grinding stones. Papermaking stopped completely at the mill in 1869.
Then, in 1879, a much bigger and more modern five-story brick mill was built right next to the older one. The older mill then became a storage building. By 1894, the new mill started using metal rollers to grind corn instead of stones. A water turbine, which is a more modern way to use water power, replaced the old waterwheel by 1915.
The mill stopped working in 1957. For a while, it was used as a storage place and even a boatyard. In 1989, the building was changed into offices. The Crown Prosecution Service used it first, and now the Surrey Advertiser Group works there.
People Who Ran the Mill
Many different people worked as millers at Stoke Mill over the years. Here are some of the known millers:
- The first person we know who rented the mill was John Russel in 1740.
- Jasper Franks was the tenant in 1842.
- John Holden worked as the miller until 1847.
- H Saunders rented the mill from 1850 to 1855.
- After that, Frederick and Henry Bowyer took over. Their family ran the mill for a long time, until 1938.
