Chronological History of the Mill

The first watermills in Britain date from the Roman period. In the Domesday Book of 1086, there were 18 mills recorded in Cheshire. The first record of Stretton Watermill occurs when the owners of the mill, Hugh de Malpas and John de Weston, granted the manor of Stretton to Griffin and Elena de Warrenne in 1351. The mill passed to the Leche family in the 16th century.

Parts of today’s mill date from 1630 and the original oak frame can still be seen inside. At this time there was only one water wheel, a breast-shot wheel, on the east side (on the left as you look at the front of the building). In 1770, there were major changes to the building. The roof was raised and the thatch was replaced by slates. The timber frame was covered with weather boarding, clad in local sandstone and a second overshot wheel added on the west side. The mill has changed little since.

There were various additions and improvements to the buildings during the 19th century. These would have solved some of the practical problems by allowing grain to be brought in on the top floor and the flour to be taken out from either the ground floor or lowered into carts from above. The reasons behind the expansion of the mill are complex, but likely to be linked to the Napoleonic Wars (1799–1814). The wars reduced corn supplies from Europe and the higher prices meant that more corn was grown locally.

In 1852, the original waterwheel was replaced by a cast iron wheel, leaving the mill with one iron and one wooden wheel. This reflects contemporary innovations of the day. From the late 19th century onwards, competition from steam mills, overseas grain and mills in the ports led to Stretton Mill producing mostly animal feed for the local area. Even this eventually proved uneconomical as manufactured feed could be produced more cheaply. The mill continued in use until 1959 when the last miller retired.

The mill is now owned by Cheshire County Council and operated by Cheshire Museums Service.

Text by Terry Walker