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Although a mill at Towcester was recorded in the Domesday Book (1086), the oldest existing building is just over two hundred years old. The mill, which was powered by water, was used to grind corn into flour, and to mix animal feed.

The water that powered the machinery was drawn from the River Tove via a leat which runs from the north end of Towcester adjacent to the premises of Towcester Tyres (Loughran's Garage), giving a head of 9 feet at the water wheel. The mill leat runs along the South West side of the water meadows which form part of the Easton Neston Estate, and the mill is shielded from the estate by mature trees.

The Mill was derelict for many years, but the buildings were renovated in 1996 and a year later the mill machinery was made to rotate once again under water power by some mill enthusiasts, with help from the Hampshire Mill Group. The buildings are now used as offices by local High Tech companies.

The left hand photograph shows the mill from the North West. The stone building on the left is dated 1794. The brick building to the right with a pitched roof is a rectangular extension built in the early twentieth century, and the taller building to the right of that with a flat roof is an semi-octagonal extension probably built in the 1930s.

The centre photograph shows the mill from the South East. This time the oldest building is on the right, and the water is in front.

The right hand photograph is of the building adjacent to the mill where the mill owner once lived. It is now used by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust. In the background can be seen the tower of St. Lawrence's Church, Towcester.

The three photographs were taken in winter so that the outlines of the buildings were not obscured by foliage.

The other pages of this web site about Towcester Mill cover the chronology, the machinery, the fire of 1911 and a newspaper article about the restoration of the turbine. more >>