Redbournbury Mill, is a Grade II* listed flour mill in Redbournbury, Hertfordshire, England, which is thought to have been first built in the early 11th Century. Having operated as a watermill on the River Ver, the mill is now powered by a diesel engine.

History

The date of inception of Redbournbury Mill is unknown, however, a mill on the same site was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, and it is possible that the existing mill was built on these foundations. Prior to that however, in 1030 the Manor of Redbourn was given to the Abbot of St Albans by Aegelwyne le Swarte and his wife Wynfreda, wealthy Saxon landowners, and possible lords. It is likely that the mill which once stood at the approximate site of Redbournbury would have been within the Manor of Redbourn, and was thus passed on to the Abbey. The nearby farmhouse was used by the Abbot's Chamberlain, and was referred to as Chamberlain's Mill. The lane that passes the mill crosses the River Ver by a deep ford.

thumb|The ford by Redbournbury Mill.Following the mention in the Domesday book, the next mention of a mill in the area was 1290 (during the Abbacy of John de Berkhamstede), during which time Chamberlain's Mill burnt down. to a series of private renters. The mill building now standing dates from c.1780.

In 1841, the tenant of the mill was one Edward Hawkins. This tenancy would be passed down through the Hawkins family for the next 144 years, Ivy would receive national attention three years later when The Times would run an article declaring her to be "Britain's only lady miller". There is little record of this however, as it was scrapped in 1915 during World War I. and was first opened to the public in July 2006. The bakery is open to the public on Saturday mornings and sells a range of breads and cakes all of which are made using flour ground within the mill. In addition, Redbournbury volunteers regularly man stalls at farmers markets in the surrounding area, including those at Harpenden, Kings Langley and St Albans. The bakery is currently overseen by baker Steven Mansbridge. The cereals used to produce the Redbournbury flour are grown locally at Hammonds End farm, Harpenden. This ensures that all Redbournbury products have very low food miles, as Hammonds End is less than 2 miles away from the mill. whilst his Great British Bake Off co-host Mary Berry also visited the mill in 2016 as part of her "Easter Feast" programme to learn more about the Alban bun, an alleged forerunner to the Hot cross bun.

References

Sources

  • Rebournbury Mill