Cogglesford Mill
Encyclopedia
Cogglesford Mill is a Grade II listed working watermill
in Sleaford
, Lincolnshire. It is possibly the last working Sheriff's Mill in England. The mill sits to the north of Sleaford on banks of River Slea
. There is archaeological evidence of a Saxon mill on the site and records in the Domesday book
of later mills; the present redbrick structure dates to the late 18th century, with alterations from the 19th Century.
The ford from which the mill takes its name is where the Roman road
now called Mareham Lane
crossed the Slea. The original crossing, no longer extant, is a few hundred yards downstream of the mill, close to the current footbridge.
There were many other mills along the river at various times. During the construction of the Sleaford Navigation
, in the 1790s, locks were provided at each of the mills to maintain the necessary head. After the navigation closed and as the locks fell into repair they were replaced by weirs, and the weir at Cogglesford is particularly elaborate, having to maintin the head of this still working mill.
Cogglesford mill (including the mill race
and bridge) was assigned a listed status on 20 July 1973. The mill is open to the public 7 days a week during the summer and Organic stoneground flour is milled there and sold in shop.
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
in Sleaford
Sleaford
Sleaford is a town in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is located thirteen miles northeast of Grantham, seventeen miles west of Boston, and nineteen miles south of Lincoln, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time...
, Lincolnshire. It is possibly the last working Sheriff's Mill in England. The mill sits to the north of Sleaford on banks of River Slea
River Slea
The River Slea is an 18-mile long tributary of the River Witham, in Lincolnshire, England. In 1872 the river was described as "a never-ending source of pure water", and was a trout river renowned throughout the East coast of England...
. There is archaeological evidence of a Saxon mill on the site and records in the Domesday book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of later mills; the present redbrick structure dates to the late 18th century, with alterations from the 19th Century.
The ford from which the mill takes its name is where the Roman road
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
now called Mareham Lane
Mareham Lane
Mareham Lane is an unclassified road between Graby and Sleaford in Lincolnshire, England.-The Roman Road:For most of its length Mareham Lane follows the route of a minor Roman road, and the name is also used for that Roman road from Bourne to the original ford at Sleaford and perhaps on to Lincoln...
crossed the Slea. The original crossing, no longer extant, is a few hundred yards downstream of the mill, close to the current footbridge.
There were many other mills along the river at various times. During the construction of the Sleaford Navigation
Sleaford Navigation
The Sleaford Navigation was a canalisation of the River Slea in Lincolnshire, England, which opened in 1794. It ran from a junction with the River Witham, near Chapel Hill to the town of Sleaford through seven locks, most of which were adjacent to mills. Lack of finance meant that it stopped short...
, in the 1790s, locks were provided at each of the mills to maintain the necessary head. After the navigation closed and as the locks fell into repair they were replaced by weirs, and the weir at Cogglesford is particularly elaborate, having to maintin the head of this still working mill.
Cogglesford mill (including the mill race
Mill race
A mill race, raceway or mill lade is the current or channel of a stream, especially one for conducting water to or from a water wheel or other device for utilizing its energy...
and bridge) was assigned a listed status on 20 July 1973. The mill is open to the public 7 days a week during the summer and Organic stoneground flour is milled there and sold in shop.