Monument record 1338/1 - Bate Mill

<1> Unknown, 1965, Lancashire & Cheshire Archaeological Society Summer Meeting (Book). SCH1876.

Bate Mill or Withington Mill. A corn mill built in 1472 and said to have been in continuous use since. The water wheel was restored in 1962 and the original driving machinery has been adapted

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SJ87SW11/1969 (Index). SCH2487.

Bate Mill is a red brick building with a tiled roof. Prior to its restoration in 1962, it was out of use for 30 years. The water wheel is now assisted by an electric motor, which drives the grind-stones through a series of applewood cogs

<3> Bott O J P, 1983, Cornmill sites in Cheshire 1066-1850 Part 2, p.56 (Article in Journal). SCH6105.

800 724 Withington Mill taken to be the watermill known as Bate Mill, lower withington. A mill field adjoins the site (TA field no. 10)
1281, 1300, 1447 EPNS (MSS in Bromley Davenport Collection in John Rylands Library; Eyre); 1775 Burdett; 1819 Greenwood; 1930 S & H; 1831 Bryant; 1848 Tithe Award TA Lower Withington EDT 251; Norris

<4> Historic England, 2011, The National Heritage List for England, 1139310 (Web Site). SCH6528.

V II Water mill. C18 with C19 and C20 additions and alterations. English garden wall bond brick with stone slate roof. Two storeys.

Road front: two pilaster buttresses dividing the front into three bays, the two bays to left and the buttresses being of late C19 or C20 brick with three stretcher courses between header course, that to right of late C18 or early C19 brick with four, five and six stretcher courses between header courses. Openings to mill leat in (from left) bays 1 and 2 with timber and stone lintels and vertical iron bars to right-hand opening. One segmental-arched three-light casement window at ground floor in bay 2, with flat-headed similar windows at first floor in bays 1 and 2.

Right hand gable end: segmental-arched double door to ground floor with loft above (blocked window adjacent to timber door) and pulley to gable apex. Left hand gable end: staircase abutting with stone treads leading to first floor doorway with stone lintel, hinge and latch dressings and C20 half-glazed door. Ground floor doorway to left of stair with stone lintel. Projecting verges with bargeboards to both gables Rear: central outshot under catslide roof, with stone base and ground floor window. First floor three-light window to left above corrugated-iron lean-to in angle. To the right, three stone leat channels with segmental-arched heads, and short stone walls to tail race.

Interior: not inspected but iron-framed waterwheel visible through leat openings.

<5> Norris J.H., 1968, The Water-Powered Corn Mills of Cheshire (Article in Journal). SCH6001.

BATE (801 724) A two storey brick building with slate roof and inscribed date of 1472. Single undershot wheel restored and put back into use in 1962. Iron and wooden wheel.