Information for record number MWA5023:
Ragley Needle Mill

Summary Ragley Needle Mill, a watermill which was in use from the Medieval period as a corn mill and converted to a Needle Mill during the Imperial period. It is situated east of Birmingham Road, Alcester.
What Is It?  
Type: Watermill, Building, Corn Mill, Needle Mill
Period: Imperial - Industrial (1751 AD - 1913 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Alcester
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 08 57
(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
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 A mill at Alcester is recorded in 1241, when it was granted to the monks of Alcester, and in 1545. Details of ownership exist from 1872. It was used for needle manufacture until the 1920s, and the buildings have since been converted for use as cattle sheds and a dwelling. The mill buildings are of brick, dating from the C18 and C19. The oldest part, now used as a cottage, was probably the original needle mill. A dry tail race leads from the front of this building. Most of the buildings appear to have been added in the mid C19, when the site of the waterwheel was probably changed. The wheel remains in situ; it is a breast-shot wheel, 4.1m by 1.7m, with two driving gears, but the machinery that these operated has long since been removed. The head race is partly blocked but the tail race is clear.
2 This former corn mill was converted to needle making soon after 1805. The mill and its associated buildings survive in adapted form as three cottages, the one named 'The Old Watermill' comprising the former mill.
3 Photos.
4 Plans.
5 Descriptive account.
 
Sources
Source No: 5
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: Alcester Abbey, Archaeological Field Survey, 1992
Author/originator: RCHME
Date: 1992
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Archaeological Report
Title: Survey of Arrow Valley Needle Industry
Author/originator: Collins P
Date: 1994
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Warwickshire Watermills
Author/originator: Booth D T N
Date: 1978
Page Number: 83-4
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
A view of Ragley Needle Mill, Alcester
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1983
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Field Survey The term ‘field survey’ is used to describe all work that does not disturb archaeological deposits below the ground through an excavation. Field survey techniques involve recording measurements that help archaeologists draw plans or diagrams of archaeological features. There are a variety of different field survey techniques, including geophysical survey, building recording survey, field walking survey, landscape survey and earthwork survey. back
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 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 DWELLING * Places of residence. back
monument MACHINERY * Apparatus used for applying a mechanical force, or to perform a particular function. Use more specific type where known. back
monument TAIL RACE * A water channel leading from a water wheel. back
monument ABBEY * A religious house governed by an abbot or abbess. Use with narrow terms of DOUBLE HOUSE, MONASTERY or NUNNERY. back
monument ROAD * A way between different places, used by horses, travellers on foot and vehicles. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument NEEDLE MILL * A mill or works where needles were manufactured. back
monument SHED * A slight structure built for shelter or storage, or for use as a workshop, either attached as a lean-to to a permanent building or separate. Use more specific type where known. back
monument HEAD RACE * Water channel leading to water wheel. back
monument CORN MILL * A mill for grinding corn. Use with power type where known. back
monument WATERMILL * A mill whose machinery is driven by water. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record