History of the Building

We've rummaged in the archives, asked around and have been taught a thing or two by the building itself

Historic pictures of Flitwick Mill from all four sides. You can see the chimney and a very young sequoia tree.

What the bricks tell us

The brick areas on the south face break up into 4 main areas: the medieval watermill, the old mill house (single storey), the floor added above the mill house and the infill between the two old buildings. The section of infill between the two straight joints is of precise English bond up to the ground floor window heads, but then it changes to irregular Flemish bond. This indicates that there may have been a bridge and a road between the two buildings such that you might drive a horse and cart through.

A separate brick area with different coloured bricks and a different bond.
Brick area in the older part of the mill.
The infill between the other brick areas.
The upper floor of a separate building, possibly a grain store.
You can also see the join between the separate building and the infill in the north wall of the mill.
The area below the infill also has supports that might indicate there was previously a bridge.

The medieval watermill

The picture below reveals the old timber frame structure that has been absorbed into the current building. You can see where the former outbuilding was and the gap between the two. Compare this timber frame structure with that of Ford End mill.

The medieval structure still exists within the building
You can still see the original roof joint
The back wall of the medieval structure

Stories

Browse our ever-growing collection of information about Flitwick Mill and the people and events connected to it throughout history.

Story of a Grist Mill
The Mill
Restoration
Stories & Histories
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