The former Buxton Water Mill

Image: © Evelyn Simak Taken: 2 Jun 2008

Viewed from the west, from the other end of the bridge carrying Mill Road over the mill race. The existence of a watermill at Buxton was recorded in the Domesday book of 1085; the mill was last rebuilt (as a working mill) in 1754 by William Pepper, a merchant living in Buxton, the building being constructed of white painted brick and weatherboard, with a pantile roof. The millstones, used for grinding animal food stuffs and flour, were driven by water power. 98% of the milled wheat was grown locally, and in its heyday Buxton mill produced 1 ton of flour per hour. A silo was added in 1930, followed by a dryer in 1947 and in 1970 the mill was closed; first used as tea rooms then as an art gallery and craft centre, and later as a restaurant, the building was destroyed by a fire in 1991. Reconstructed by architect Keith Reay from 19th century North American pitched pine, salvaged from throughout Great Britain, this was the to-date largest timber-framed reconstruction to take place in the UK. After conversion into a hotel in 1998 the building has since been converted again, this time into flats. http://www.norfolkmills.co.uk/Watermills/buxton.html

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