The first records of a watermill on this site, date back to 1262. The current mill building was built in 1808 and is constructed of stone rubble with a hipped slate roof. The existing machinery was installed in the late 19th century, replacing much smaller workings, some of which can be seen incorporated into the current building structure. To accommodate the larger mill machinery the roof was raised and the internal layout changed through 90 degrees. The position of the original entrance doorway can be seen on the front elevation. The right hand section of the mill contains the machinery, which was powered by an overshoot water wheel on the rear of the building. The left hand side of the building was partly rebuilt in the late 20th century and was originally a covered area for wagons and delivering grain and collecting flour.
The bottom two millstones are still in their original locations. One is a ‘Peak’ stone probably from Derbyshire, the other bottom stone is of French origin from near Paris. This stone produced finer flour, typically used for making bread, whereas the other stones would have been used for producing animal feed. Millstones from France were brought over to England as ballast on boats and reassembled on arrival. The top stones of each set can be found in the garden of the Miller’s House.
Two mill stones from the earlier mill machinery can be seen, one is used as a threshold to the stable building and the other was used in the wall of the mill building during the conversion process, these mill stones are made of granite. A number of the miller’s tools and equipment can be seen inside the mill building.
The mill was originally called Northcott Mill, as it is on the Devon side of the Tamar river in the parish of Northcott, but was renamed Boyton Mill in the 20th century.
Boyton Mill ceased production in 1946.
The bottom two millstones are still in their original locations. One is a ‘Peak’ stone probably from Derbyshire, the other bottom stone is of French origin from near Paris. This stone produced finer flour, typically used for making bread, whereas the other stones would have been used for producing animal feed. Millstones from France were brought over to England as ballast on boats and reassembled on arrival. The top stones of each set can be found in the garden of the Miller’s House.
Two mill stones from the earlier mill machinery can be seen, one is used as a threshold to the stable building and the other was used in the wall of the mill building during the conversion process, these mill stones are made of granite. A number of the miller’s tools and equipment can be seen inside the mill building.
The mill was originally called Northcott Mill, as it is on the Devon side of the Tamar river in the parish of Northcott, but was renamed Boyton Mill in the 20th century.
Boyton Mill ceased production in 1946.