Listed Building record MDO15977 - Alderholt Mill, Alderholt

An eighteenth century water mill, with nineteenth-century extensions. The building is of brick with a slate roof. No archaeological features were observed during building works at Alderholt Mill in 1996.

The waterwheel is breast shot, 12 feet diameter and 7 feet 11 inches wide. Cast iron shaft, spokes rims with curved buckets of sheet iron. Made by W Munden of Ringwood, probably prior to 1875. Cast iron pit wheel to cast iron wallower on a vertical wooden shaft. Wooden spur wheel and wooden crown wheel with cast iron spokes. Horizontal auxiliary drive shaft with wooden pulleys. There are two pairs of stones. They are put out of gear by a lever raising off a taper. Tentering by wooden brayer hung on a screw at one end for adjustment. The mill was last used circa 1938. The mill house has a different owner and occupier. <1>

Watermill, on the Ashford Water. Central range, late 18th century, extended left and right, 19th century. Flemish bond brickwork, central range having flared headers and brick chainage to ends. Slate roof with brick stack left and brick gable coping right. 2 storeys, irregular fenestration. Most openings under segmental brick heads. 19th century two-light casements with glazing bars. Upper floor left has later casements under timber lintels. Ground floor has 2 plank doors. Upper floor has part glazed door reached by 20th century steel stairway. Iron breast shot water wheel by W Munden of Ringwood, circa 1862-72. Internally much of the mill machinery including hurst, gearing and hoists is intact and can still be partly rotated by the waterwheel. <3>

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, National Record of Industrial Monuments (NRIM), Ref No: 138303 (Index). SDO17399.

Recorded by RG King, 05-Nov-1968.

<2> Wessex Archaeology, 1996, Alderholt Mill, Alderholt, Dorset: Archaeological Observations and Recording (Unpublished document). SDO12826.

<3> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1514107 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 8 2022 4:51PM