Information for record number MWA607:
Site of Grange Mills, Bidford on Avon.

Summary The site of Grange Mills. Various Mills dating between the Medieval and Imperial periods are known from documentary evidence to have existed here. They included a watermill, windmill, fulling mill and paper mill. The site was 1km northeast of Barton.
What Is It?  
Type: Watermill, Fulling Mill, Paper Mill, Corn Mill
Period: Imperial - Industrial (1751 AD - 1913 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Bidford on Avon
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 11 51
(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 Bidford was leased to John Penn in 1535. In 1545 Penn occupied three mills called Grange mills. Further references exist in the 16th century. In 1610 one is recorded as a fulling mill. Grange mill was broken down in the Avon flood in 1588. There was a paper mill at Bidford Grange during the last century, but all the mills here have now disappeared.
2 There may well have been a mill here in 1086 as 4 were recorded in Bidford. Information on ownership exists for the 17th century and 18th century when the mill was used as a paper mill. Information also exists for ownership in the 19th century. On the OS 1886 1:10560 map it is shown as a corn mill only, and by 1900 it was described as being in ruins. The buildings were demolished many years ago and only the overgrown foundations remain. The mill house still stands, though it has not been occupied for many years. This house may be part of the paper mill which drew its water from what later became the approach channel to Grange Lock on the Upper Avon Navigation.
3 An extensive historical and archaeological survey of the remains of the two watermills at Bidford Grange was commissioned in 1991 by Warwickshire County Council. This is illustrated and includes copies of original documents, plans and maps, the latest documentary evidence being a photograph postcard of 1905. The survey team believe that there are Anglo-Saxon foundations beneath later remains. Some millstones survive on the site; some Medieval remains are obscured by soil, vegetation and subsequent rebuilding. Cut and dressed stone, obscured by mortar wash, can be seen on the north-facing elevation of the wheelpit.
4 A photographic survey of the watermill remains at Bidford Grange.
 
Sources
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 3, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1945
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 3
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Warwickshire Watermills
Author/originator: Booth D T N
Date: 1978
Page Number: 83-4
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Survey of Watermill Remains
Author/originator: Collins P
Date: 1991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Photograph
Title: Photographic Survey of Watermill Remains
Author/originator: Collins P
Date: l991
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
The remains of the watermill, Bidford on Avon
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1991
Click here for larger image  
 
The remains of the watermill, Bidford on Avon
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 1991
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
technique Documentary Evidence Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts. When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial 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 GRANGE * An outlying farm or estate, usually belonging to a religious order or feudal lord. Specifically related to core buildings and structures associated with monastic land holding. Use specific term where known. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument WINDMILL * A tower-like structure of wood or brick with a wooden cap and sails which are driven around by the wind producing power to work the internal machinery. Use with product type where known. 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 LOCK * A section of the water channel on a canal or river shut off above and below by lock gates provided with sluices to let the water out and in, and thus raise or lower boats from one level to another. Use more specific type where known. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. 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 MILL HOUSE * The residence of a miller, often attached to a mill. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument PAPER MILL * A factory where paper is made. Use with power type where known. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. 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
monument MILLSTONE * One of a pair of large circular stones used for grinding corn in a mill. back
monument FULLING MILL * A mill for beating and cleaning cloth, using soap or fullers earth. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record