Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A mill had been in exsistance in Bridge since the late 16th century. The mill on the corner of Union Road and Mill Lane had been in existance since at least 1830. It may have been constructed from an earlier mill demolished at Snide Hill although this is not certain. It was a smock mill with two pairs of grinding stones. In 1832 Thomas and Benjamin Johnson owned the mill, Thomas running the mill until his death in 1856. On the 1841 Tithe survey he is recorded as living at 45 Union Road - the Old Mill House now is number 41. By the end of the 19th century the then owner, William White, upgraded the mill by adding a steam-engine to assist the wind. In 1900 an oil engine was added in an outside store to operate two further stones with wind-power being finally abandoned in 1907. Afther this the sweeps were removed and the body of the mill used as a general store house. The mill was finally demolished in late October 1954 and the site is now used as a liquid fuel depot. One remaining relic of the mill is the millstone in the front garden of Mill House.

Monument Types

• WINDMILL (Demolished 1954, Post Medieval to Modern - 1830 AD? to 1954 AD)

Full description

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A mill had been in exsistance in Bridge since the late 16th century. The mill on the corner of Union Road and Mill Lane had been in existance since at least 1830. It may have been constructed from an earlier mill demolished at Snide Hill although this is not certain. It was a smock mill with two pairs of grinding stones. In 1832 Thomas and Benjamin Johnson owned the mill, Thomas running the mill until his death in 1856. On the 1841 Tithe survey he is recorded as living at 45 Union Road - the Old Mill House now is number 41. By the end of the 19th century the then owner, William White, upgraded the mill by adding a steam-engine to assist the wind. In 1900 an oil engine was added in an outside store to operate two further stones with wind-power being finally abandoned in 1907. After this the sweeps were removed and the body of the mill used as a general store house. The mill was finally demolished in late October 1954 and the site is now used as a liquid fuel depot. One remaining relic of the mill is the millstone in the front garden of Mill House.(1) additonal reference (2)

Historic England archive material: BF002475 SMOCK MILL, BRIDGE File of material relating to a site or building. This material has not yet been fully catalogued. Copyright, date, and quantity information for this record may be incomplete or inaccurate.

<1> Raraty, M. M., 2000, A Short History of Bridge Windmill: 1596 - 1954 (Unpublished document). SKE8166.

<2> Wikipedia, 2019, List of windmills in Kent (Website). SKE52140.

Sources and further reading