Stanley_Mills

Stanley Mills

Stanley Mills

19th century woollen mill in England

The Stanley Mills woollen mill at Ryeford, near Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, England was built in the early 19th century. The main building is Grade I listed.[1]

For the English footballer, see Stanley Mills (footballer).
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History

There had been mills on the site for many years but the current mill was built in 1813 and expanded around 1825.[5] The mill was powered by water in the River Frome.[5] A lodge house was built for the owners in 1815,[3] at the same time as some ancillary buildings for storage and supply of the mill.[4] It was originally owned by Joseph Wathen who sold it to George Harris and Donald Maclean in 1813 during construction. From 1842, it was owned by the Marling family and their business became a public company known as Marling and Evans in 1920.[6][7] The mill was originally powered by five waterwheels. A steam engine was added in 1834.[8]

In 1854, a power loom shed was added.[2] In 1884, a fire broke out damaging the roof, but most of the structure survived with minimal damage.[1]

Production at the mill ceased in the 1980s.[9] The main building has been on Historic England's Heritage at Risk register since 2011.[10][11]

In 2017, plans were announced to turn the mill into flats and build new houses.[9][12]

Architecture

The cast iron framing within the L-shaped five-storey main building consists of columns and trusses which hold up red brick vaults proving space for the machinery in what was designed to be a fireproof building.[1] The ironwork came from the Dudley casting works of Bejamin Gibbon and the bricks from the London Brick Company. The materials were transported by water, finishing with the Stroudwater Canal.[8]

The lodge, which was built for the mill owners, has Flemish bond brickwork with limestone dressings.[3] Various ancillary buildings were built of similar materials.[4]

The stone power loom shed is of four storeys and is supported on limestone pillars spanning the river.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    Historic England. "Main building at Stanley Mills (Grade I) (1171285)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  2. [2]
    Historic England. "Power loom shed at Stanley Mills (Grade II) (1090761)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  3. [3]
    Historic England. "Stanley Lodge at Stanley Mills (Grade II) (1090762)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  4. [4]
    Historic England. "Ancillary buildings at Stanley Mills (Grade II) (1305674)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Stanley Mills, Stroud". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  6. [6]
    "King's Stanley: Economic history Pages 250–253 A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 10, Westbury and Whitstone Hundreds". British History Online. Victoria County History. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  7. [7]
    Moir, Esther (1971). "Marling & Evans, King's Stanley and Ebley Mills, Gloucestershire". Textile History. 2 (1): 28–56. doi:10.1179/004049671793692481.
  8. [8]
    Mills, Stephen; Riemer, Pierce (1989). The Mills of Gloucestershire. Barracuda. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-0860234173.
  9. [9]
    Evans, Sam. "Stanley Mills to undergo £34 million redevelopment creating more than 100 living units". Stroud News & Journal. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  10. [10]
    "Main building at Stanley Mills, Ryeford, King's Stanley – Stroud". Heritage at Risk register. Historic England. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  11. [11]
    "Stanley Mill in Stroud among 'at risk' heritage sites". BBC. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  12. [12]
    "Stanley Mills Stroud". Patel Taylor. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
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