MILLS by Peter Stanier

Dorset’s rivers and streams have powered over 400 mills. Today, only a handful of mill wheels still turn, and only one commercial watermill remains open. Many have vanished, some have been converted, others stand derelict – their leats overgrown, millstones abandoned. Yet for 1,000 years Dorset’s mills were vital to its economy, providing flour for its bakers and the power for a whole range of inustries: brewing, cloth fulling, saw milling, textile and paper-making, water pumping and work on farms. There were also windmills, even mills worked by the tide or horses. In recent years, some watermills have been restored, providing a fascinating insight into a unique way of life.

Paperback
138 x 204mm
Black and white illustrations throughout
ISBN 1 874336 72 5