Although documented evidence of a Mill at West Burton can be traced back to 1421 it is most likely that there was a mill much before that date as West Burton is mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086 and a settlement by a river with cultivated land would suggest a mill would be present. 

There is not much known about The Mill until a sketch dated 11 May 1822 that shows a building much lower than the one that is found today. The sketch suggests an external water wheel and only a wooden footbridge over Walden Beck. The height of The Mill was increased after this and the date 1825 can be found cut into the window lintel on the west attic window. The stone packhorse bridge was erected in the 1860's to cope with the additional transport carrying ore from the lead mines then found on the hills opposite The Mill. 

At the end of the 1800's the building had been taken over by the Wensleydale Cheese Co-operative to increase local cheese production. A stone weight can now be found in the patio garden from this era.

The milling of flour finally came to an end in the 1920's.

The next major change came between the two World Wars when a coal fired boiler and banks of batteries were installed to provide electricity to West Burton. This continued until the 1950's.

From then until 1971 the farmer who owned The Mill used it for general storage and kept chickens in the upper floors. In 1971 the building was sold in a dilapidated state and was converted for habitation for the first time.

During the conversion a staircase had to be installed as ladders had previously only connected the floors. The lower ground floor was initially too dark but this was remedied by taking away half of the floor exposing the 16 foot "barn" door and installing a spiral staircase that had to be brought from London.

The "goit" (Yorkshire for mill race) came from the weir, and this is still seen at the foot of the Waterfall, to The Mill but has for some time been filled in. The remains of the sluice gate can still be found in the footpath to the waterfall.
 

Click here to go back to The Mill