River Street in Westbourne has been home to two waterwheel powered establishments, one a corn mill and the other a water pumping station.
The corn mill is a solid brick building facing directly onto River Street. It dates back to the Industrial Revolution (1760s – 1830s) and the smaller section can be accurately dated to 1888 by an inscription on the chimneybreast in the loft. The mill has two sections, the larger of red and grey bricks, the smaller of red brick.
Did you know?
It is likely that this site would have been one of the four mills listed in the ‘Borne’ entry in the 11th century Domesday Book , which states in Latin ‘iiii molini de xl folio’ which means ‘four mills yielding 40 shillings’. It is even possible that there may have been a mill on the same site in Roman times!
Frank Gregory includes a brief note about the River Street corn mill in his splendid booklet ‘Sussex Watermills’ (sadly out of print), together with a drawing of the waterwheel that powered the mill, reproduced below with thanks. Drawings of the corn mill’s internal machinery also still exist and show it had three sets of corn grinding stones. For more information about how mill wheels were powered and designed see Lumley Mill Southbourne.
Around 1800 imported wheat became cheaper than homegrown wheat and therefore more appropriate to be used to make highly popular white bread. Huge roller mills were built at many local ports and so Westbourne Mill, like many local mills, was unable to compete and had to contend with using its mill grinding stones for crushing animal feed.
Did you know?
It is reported that General Oldfield, living in Norman House built on North Street around 1900, paid for a generator to be installed at the corn mill, making it one of the first buildings in Westbourne to have electric lights!
The Mill ceased operation on 24 October 1933 when the cast iron frame of the millwheel broke. The place where the millwheel was can be seen on the right below.
Both the corn mill and water pumping station used the River Ems that runs through Westbourne, a very important and rare chalk stream. See more about the Ems here.
The water pumping station is a little to the north of the corn mill on the opposite side of River Street. The clue to the building’s past role as a water pumping engine house is the large chimney to the rear, even more obvious from the rear garden.
The first attempt at building a water pump system may have been as early as 1686, when Lord Lumley built Stansted House. It is believed this first design failed. The current mill structure may date from the late 1700s when Richard Barwell spent his fortune (literally) on Stansted improvements. A brick found on site indicates this.
The original water pump used a waterwheel to power it and the chimney was added later when the steam engine replaced the waterwheel. When it was originally built, the engine house was believed to have contained a waterwheel driving a three-throw (3 cylinder) beam pump, as David Rudkin shows in his River Ems booklet.
Did you know?
The reason the River Street water pumping station was built was for a bulk water supply to a reservoir at Stansted House for fresh water and to power ornate fountains!
Water from the River Ems flows in two culverts under the house. They still both exist and flow into Westbourne Millpond, hence the name of the house ‘Watersmeet’. The larger culvert was the flow from the waterwheel and is now blocked.
Rev Dr Mee, in his book ‘Bourne in the Past’ says the original Waterwheel was removed in 1855 and replaced by a steam engine. Around 1900 the engine house was used as a backup to pumps installed in Westbourne Mill, once again powered by a waterwheel.
Did you know?
Mains drinking water only came to Westbourne in 1921 and many residents resisted the installation, mainly because they then had to pay for their water!
Both the corn mill and water pumping station are now private dwellings and, sadly, all of the internal equipment and potentially interesting industrial heritage has been removed.
- For much on watermills of Westbourne, contact Westbourne History Group
- They also have a digital copy of ‘Bourne in the Past’ by Rev Dr J H Mee
- To see more about the Coultershaw beam pump – click here