Trafford Mill is a water mill ¾ mile (1.2 km) to the north of the village of Mickle Trafford

Mickle Trafford

Mickle Trafford is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It includes the area known as Plemstall. In 2004 the population of the civil parish was estimated to be 2,140, although the 2001 census recorded...

, Cheshire

Cheshire

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

, England . It has been designated by English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

 as a Grade II listed building.

History

The earliest documentary reference to the mill is in the Cheshire Chamberlains' Accounts of 1302–03. Further documentary records of the mill are in 1464 in the records of the Troutbeck family and in the Land Tax returns between 1784 and 1832. The building was offered for lease in an October 1767 edition of the Chester Chronicle. It was described in that advertisement in the form it is in now as 'this new built corn mill' thus dating the building at around 1760, nearly 100 years older than previously thought. It was sold at the Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...

 Sale of 1917 at which time it consisted of a three-floor corn mill, including two undershot water wheels (one of which was out of repair), a drying kiln, a barn, a stable and a shippon. In 1952 it ceased to be a working mill and was taken over by the North West Water Authority

North West Water

North West Water was a water supply company serving north west England. It was originally the North West Water Authority, one of ten regional authorities created by the Water Act 1973. In 1989 it became North West Water plc, and was privatised...

 (now United Utilities

United Utilities

United Utilities Group PLC is the UK's largest listed water business. The Group owns and manages the regulated water and waste water network in the north west England, through it subsidiary United Utilities Water PLC , which is responsible for the vast majority of the group's assets and...

). It was in a derelict condition and in the 1970s it was re-roofed and other repairs were made. Further repairs were made in 1998.

Structure

It is an 'L' shaped building constructed largely in brick with a Welsh slate roof and a brick chimney. There is evidence that at least part of the foundations are laid on an oak raft though the foundations at the northern end appear to be sandstone. It has a long L-shaped plan in two storeys with a 12-bay

Bay (architecture)

A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...

 west front.

The current mill was built in the 18th century. Two wheels and wheelpits are present. The north wheelpit has a cast iron

Cast iron

Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...

 single-spoke wheel connected to flour sifting machinery that is dated 1883. It is thought that this end of the building was built on mediaeval foundations. This would explain the installation of a single spoke wheel as this form is the only one narrow enough to fit in either of the two channels separated by a sandstone pier. The south wheelpit has a restored low breast wheel and a complete train of machinery driving three pairs of French burr stones. The ground floor has a quarry tile

Quarry tile

Quarry tile is a building construction material, usually 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick, made by the extrusion process from natural clay or shales. - Sizes and shapes :...

d floor and a cast iron fireplace.

Future plans

In 2001, a company limited by guarantee

Company limited by guarantee

In British and Irish company law, a private company limited by guarantee is an alternative type of corporation used primarily for non-profit organisations that require legal personality. A guarantee company does not usually have a share capital or shareholders, but instead has members who act as...

 was set up. Its intention is to seek charitable status

Charitable organization

A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...

 and to raise money to convert the mill into a museum and visitor centre. In 2007, a kitchen garden was set up on the site of the former smallholding. This is maintained by a number of volunteers. BTCV

BTCV

BTCV is a British charitable organisation that works to facilitate environmental conservation through practical tasks undertaken by volunteers...

who are tenants of the mill also regularly hold sessions to maintain and develop the kitchen garden.