Information for record number MWA3138:
Wolston Mill

Summary Wolston Mill, a watermill that was built in the Medieval period. It continued to be used until the end of the Imperial period. The Mill buildings were later demolished. It was situated 600m south west of St. Margaret's Church, Wolston.
What Is It?  
Type: Watermill, Mill
Period: Medieval - Industrial (1066 AD - 1913 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Wolston
District: Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 40 75
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 This mill may have stood on the site of the mill at Brandon which is recorded in 1086. The head race to the mill leaves the river opposite the earthworks of Brandon Castle. It may also have been the mill known as 'Perimulne' which was given to Coombe Abbey in the early 13th century. Wolston mill is recorded by the end of the 13th century. Details of ownership exist from the mid 19th century onwards. milling is thought to have ceased by 1914. All that remains of the unusual mill building is one corner near the wheel pit. It was built of brick with a hipped roof, incorporating the mill house which had arched windows on the ground floor and oval ones above. The mill was demolished c1953 and the machinery sold for scrap. There was a single waterwheel fed by a short head race which is now dry.
2 There are some remains of the demolished mill still to be seen: the site of the wheel and race, also a brick tunnel (probably an overflow or bypass channel), and other miscellaneous brick and masonry.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Warwickshire Watermills
Author/originator: Booth D T N
Date: 1978
Page Number: 83-4
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR Card
Author/originator: GTD
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: PRN 3439
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
technique Earthwork Earthworks can take the form of banks, ditches and mounds. They are usually created for a specific purpose. A bank, for example, might be the remains of a boundary between two or more fields. Some earthworks may be all that remains of a collapsed building, for example, the grassed-over remains of building foundations.

In the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky than during the other seasons, earthworks have larger shadows. From the air, archaeologists are able to see the patterns of the earthworks more easily. Earthworks can sometimes be confusing when viewed at ground level, but from above, the general plan is much clearer.

Archaeologists often carry out an aerial survey or an earthwork survey to help them understand the lumps and bumps they can see on the ground.
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period Medieval 1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)

The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.

The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD.
This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex.
The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too.

The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages.
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period Imperial 1751 AD to 1914 AD (end of the 18th century AD to the beginning of the 20th century AD)

This period comes after the Post Medieval period and before the modern period and starts with beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. It includes the second part of the Hannoverian period (1714 – 1836) and the Victorian period (1837 – 1901). The Imperial period ends with the start of the First World War in 1914.
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monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument TUNNEL * An underground channel with a vaulted roof. Use specific type where known. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument MILL * A factory used for processing raw materials. Use more specific mill type where known. See also TEXTILE MILL, for more narrow terms. back
monument MACHINERY * Apparatus used for applying a mechanical force, or to perform a particular function. Use more specific type where known. back
monument CHURCH * A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known. back
monument MILL HOUSE * The residence of a miller, often attached to a mill. back
monument ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument CASTLE * A fortress and dwelling, usually medieval in origin, and often consisting of a keep, curtain wall and towers etc. back
monument WHEEL PIT * The rectangular pit in which the lower part of a waterwheel revolves. back
monument HEAD RACE * Water channel leading to water wheel. back
monument WATERMILL * A mill whose machinery is driven by water. back
monument EARTHWORK * A bank or mound of earth used as a rampart or fortification. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record