As Stotfold continues to grow it occurred to us that there might well be quite a few new residents out there who know little or nothing about the town’s historic Mill, and who might be wondering just what it is, what it’s history is, where it is, when it’s open and for that matter, why it’s been saved, restored and opened to the public! It would be impossible to answer all these questions fully here of course, but hopefully the following will give you a bit of a taster and of course if you’d like to know more we’d love to see you down at the Mill!

Stotfold Mill is a water powered corn mill that for something like a thousand years, and perhaps longer, has provided the people of Stotfold with flour to bake their daily bread. It is in fact referred to in the Domesday Book when it was one of four such mills in Stotfold. Of course the present Mill is very different from the one that stood on the same spot all those centuries ago having been constantly modernised, rebuilt and expanded over the years. Not to mention the fact it has been largely destroyed by fire twice in it’s history!

Stotfold Mill is special for a number of reasons. It’s long and interesting history and a number of rare features that set it aside from many other Mills, mean that it is an important part of Britain’s agricultural and industrial history, not to mention Stotfold’s own history! But as well as being historically important, the Mill and the nearby Meadows have a significant educational and recreational value for both the young and old alike, and this has been a key consideration in our work.

So what are these rare and special features I mention? When in 1897 the Randall family decided to refit the Mill they called upon the firm of Whitmore & Binyon to build and install the new waterwheel and machinery. Whitmore & Binyon had a reputation second to none and their work at Stotfold Mill is considered to be an exceptional example of their work, indeed the original plans of the refit can be found in the Science Museum in London. It is reputed that Whitmore & Binyon only ever embossed their name on two of the many jobs they undertook and so proud were they of the plant they installed at Stotfold Mill that it is one of them! The waterwheel is of great historical interest as it is of the rare and highly efficient "overshot" type where-by the water shoots over it, filling buckets on the front and turning the wheel forward. It is also believed to be the widest waterwheel fitted in any corn mill in Britain being 14ft across. The hursting, which is a great cast iron frame that supports the millstones, is itself a particularly fine example.

The Mill has had many owners over the years including some well know names from Stotfold’s past, such as Charles Vaughan whose name can be seen beautifully carved in one of the Mill’s walls and after whom Vaughan Road is named. More recently the last commercial owners were the Randall’s, another old Stotfold family. Sam Randall, the last commercial Miller, sadly passed away last year. Today, the Stotfold Mill Preservation Trust, which is a registered charity, owns the Mill.

The Mill’s long history could so easily have come to an end in December 1992 when a mysterious fire erupted in the dead of night. The Watermill building was severely damaged, a great deal of it being of wooden construction. In the morning all that was left of the building itself were it’s tall fire walls at each end, much of the engine house walls, the great chimney and the brick built ground floor which now contained some 60 tonnes of ash and rubble. However, sitting amongst this scene of devastation was the milling machinery itself, still largely intact. So fine and historically important is this machinery that it was quickly declared to be of National importance and so despite the damage to the building the Mill retained it’s listed status and thus its lifeline.

Immediately after the fire a group, which was soon to become the Stotfold Mill Preservation Trust, was formed to try to save the Mill. Eventually the Trust secured ownership of the Watermill section and began the long and complex task of rebuilding and restoring the great Mill to it’s former glory.

The first post fire rebuild would have been a simple matter of business sense and necessity, the locals being reliant upon the mill. The second post fire rebuild is however a somewhat different story.

Some of the work required professional tools, knowledge and experience but a huge amount has been done on a totally voluntary basis, and literally thousands of man-hours have been given to save this wonderful piece of history for future generations. The first task was to clear the fire debris from the building. This we could do for nothing, but to rebuild such a large wooden building and restore such historic and rare equipment to working order would require many thousands of pounds. This money was to come from a wide variety of sources – everything from car boot sales to large grants and private donations. Fundraising continues to be a major priority as we continue the restoration project and work towards creating an exciting and informative "visitor experience" both in the Mill and in the Mill Meadows where the Teasel Group are busy creating a varied nature reserve, including wetlands and wooded areas made up of native species. But fundraising also remains vital because we need several thousand pounds a year just to cover various running costs and to carry out necessary maintenance work. Central to our fundraising efforts is our main annual event held each May. This has grown from a few hundred people visiting the burnt out ground floor of the Mill into a Steam Fair and Country Show that attracts thousands of visitors. Another fundraising initiative is Randall’s Tea Room, which is open on a regular basis and is a really lovely place to enjoy a cup of tea and unbelievably nice cakes! (See Randall’s Tea Room advert for opening times.)

Along the way we have been lucky enough to receive huge amounts of help and advice, donations of rare and historic relics from days gone by, and more important than all we have had a huge amount of support from the townsfolk. To our amazement the Mill has won a number of highly prestigious conservation awards and in November 2006 we were thrilled to receive a visit by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, something we could never have imagined happening as we stood in the rain on the very first work day wondering where we should begin!

(Stotfold Mill stands in Mill Lane. You will see the chimney from Chequers Corner at the junction of Queen Street and Rook Tree Lane. Queen Street runs from near the mini roundabout at the A1 end of the High Street).

Friends of the Mill is a great way to lend your support to the Trust, to get involved with the work at the Mill if you choose and allows you to enjoy our special Friends of the Mill events. So, why not be a part of it and join the team today? We’d be delighted to welcome you to the Friends of The Mill group!

Mills can be very dangerous places, so please, for your own safety, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER THE SITE OR THE MILL WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION!