Bridge Great Bardfield Watermill

Heritage listing

Details MATERIALS: remains of a mill built in brick with wrought and cast-iron machinery. The associated bridge is of brick with one flint parapet. PLAN: a rectangular plan orientated north to south spanning the mill race and divided internally by a water wheel pit in the centre with pit wheel chamber to south and a pair of spillways to the north. A bridge over the tail race projects from the mill and forms its eastern wall. DESCRIPTION: the external brick plinth walls and internal sleeper walls of a former timber-framed watermill standing to approximately full height. The undershot waterwheel is in the centre with the pit wheel chamber to its south. The waterwheel chamber walls have been largely removed, but the southern one stands to part of its original height. A spillway runs bedside the water wheel on its north side. The waterwheel is of wrought iron with cast iron shrouds and metal buckets. The wheel is damaged and part of the shrouds and most of the buckets have been lost. The cast iron pit wheel is in situ with some supporting timber beams. To the north of the spillway is a second one, with evidence of its southern side having been adapted to house a turbine. Brickwork has been removed from the upstream entrance to the turbine chamber along with the sluice gate, probably following the fire. The spur wheel is in situ, mounted on a wrought iron shaft with a supporting timber beam. A plate with holding-down bolts, possibly part of the turbine mounting, is situated in the bottom of the chamber. The northern wall of the mill is built into the side of the bridge. It returns to form the eastern wall of the mill. This eastern plinth wall has been raised to form a brick parapet for the bridge in the late C20. A late C20 timber footbridge crosses the mill race on the line

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.