Stratford Mill, Blaise Castle - 1952 and 2014 - In the early 1950s it was decided to create a large reservoir for the growing City of Bristol by damming the River Chew and flooding the Chew Valley. The subsequent lake covered 1,200 acres of rich farmland including the village of Moreton and several mills. It was decided to preserve Stratford Mill, an C18 corn mill, by demolishing it and re-erecting it in the grounds of Blaise Castle. The 1952 photo shows it being rebuilt in the Blaise estate, close to the bridge where the carriageway crosses the Hazel Brook, the stream flowing through the valley behind the house. The original steel undershot wheel, gears and sluice mechanism were used, as shown in the “Then” photo, which also shows the Red Pennant rubble walls of the two storey mill being rebuilt. The “Now” photo from the same viewpoint is partly obscured by the trees and shrubs which have grown on the banks of the brook over the past 60 years. Unfortunately the mill now looks derelict - it is boarded up and its pantile roof has been replaced by corrugated iron. The water wheel certainly looks as if it hasn’t turned for a long time and the Hazel Brook today was just a trickle, its flow hardly enough for a game of “Pooh Sticks”, let alone with enough power to turn a large water wheel. However with the adjacent bridge and surrounded by greenery, Stratford Mill still provides a picturesque addition to the landscape “designed” by Humphry Repton.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 16:00:59 +0000
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