Building record TR 14 SW 153 - Mill House, Stowting

In 2008 AOC Archaeology carried out a desk based assessment of Mill House, Stowting. A mill is recorded at Stowting in the Domesday Book. It is possible that it occupied this location, given the proximity to the castle. A water mill is recorded in indentures of 1766 and 1794 but the current building is probably of early 19th century date. The building is a single storey structure with a cellar that would have housed the drive gears. The upper part is brick-built whilst the lower parts are built with squared ragstone. There is a blocked opening possibly for a second or earlier wheel. The present waterwheel is probably of Victorian date. The mill pond is to the east and the tail-race passed under Mill House. (1)

The building is not visible on the Ordnance Surveyors drawing of 1797 though this could be due to damage to the map in this area.

A number of surveys were carried out on the structure prior to renovation works. These recorded the surviving historic fabric and elements of the mill machinery found during preliminary groundworks within the structure. (2)

An evaluation in 2008 found a cobbled surface, most likely an external yard relating to the mill, and remains of a former extension to the mill building. The bricks in this wall were possibly of 16th or 17th century date and the mortar suggests a date prior to 1850 but the bricks could have been reused in the 19th century. (3)

Recorded by NRIM, photographed. (4)

<1> AOC Archaeology Group, 2008, Mill House, Stowting, Kent: Archaeological Assessment (Unpublished document). SKE17858.

<2> ctmarchitects LLP, 2008, Mill Building Details. Mill House, Stowting, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE17904.

<3> AOC Archaeology Group, 2009, Mill House, Stowting Court Road, Stowting, Kent An Archaeological Evaluation And Watching Brief Report (Unpublished document). SKE17958.

<4> Simon Langton Boys' School, Canterbury, 1963, National Record of Industrial Monuments (Index). SKE59103.