Otterton Water Mill is at the village of
Otterton
Otterton is a village and civil parish in East Devon, England. The parish lies on the English Channel and is surrounded clockwise from the south by the parishes of East Budleigh, Bicton, Colaton Raleigh, Newton Poppleford and Harpford and Sidmou ...
, near
Budleigh Salterton
Budleigh Salterton is a seaside town on the coast in East Devon, England, south-east of Exeter. It lies within the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and forms much of the electoral ward of Budleigh, whose ward population at t ...
in
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
.
Otterton Water Mill is set beside the
River Otter in Devon. A watermill was recorded in this locality in
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
in 1086. The mill possessed three pairs of
stones. The manor and its mill were given by
King Henry V
Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hu ...
to the nuns of
Syon Abbey
Syon Abbey , also called simply Syon, was a dual monastery of men and women of the Bridgettine Order, although it only ever had abbesses during its existence. It was founded in 1415 and stood, until its demolition in the 16th century, on the l ...
. At the
Dissolution the manor was sold to Richard Duke, in whose family's possession the mill remained for 200 years. Sold again in 1785 to Denys Rolle, the estate and the mill subsequently passed through marriage to the Clinton family, who still own the mill as part of the Clinton Devon Estates.
Milling stopped in 1959 and the buildings were subsequently used for grain storage. The watermill was restored in 1977 by Desna Greenhow, and has been operated again since, remaining functional today. Beside the mill is a bakery, a shop, a restaurant and a gallery of art and crafts.
The mill hosts a yearly event with a "Portable Antiquities team" to examine archaeological finds made in the area.
See also
*
List of oldest companies
This list of the oldest companies in the world includes brands and companies, excluding associations and educational, government, or religious organizations. To be listed, a brand or company name must remain operating, either in whole or in part ...
References
External links
*
Watermills in Devon
Watermills mentioned in the Domesday Book
Museums in Devon
Mill museums in England
Industrial archaeological sites in Devon
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