Derbyshire 4 - Stainsby Mill and the Millers Tale

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After our visit to Hardwick Hall we headed down under the M1 a couple of times to Stainsby Mill. Still Suzy-less we parked up on the small car parking area which mainly meant we left the car on the grass. It was very quiet as most visitors were driving past heading up to the Hall.

The building is built in the same mellow stone as the hall and was built by the Chatsworth Estate and served the estate with flour and products for the animals. The best of the white flour produced by the miller was for the estate and the rest the brown stuff for the lesser mortals who had no need for refined flour.

The mill is small and intimate and on the ground floor a water mill. The building was built in antiquity but as there are no records available apart from those at Chatsworth very little is known of its orgin. It was rebuilt many times over the centuries. The water wheel is iron rather than the usual wooden overshot or undershot wheels and has buckets which fill with water. Unusually the water mill is not on a stream but is served by man made lakes on the Hardwick Estate. It is possible to walk around the main lake but the others are on private land. There are a number of really enthusiastic guides and volunteers who explained about the three lakes which serve the mill, two are used when the water levels are high and a third brought into use during drought seasons. Sion wanted to try out the water wheel but as he hates water he resisted the temptation. The thought of wet paws and fur did not appeal.

Up the narrow wooden stairs we climbed to the upper floors. The second floor was used for the grinding process. There were two grinding stones. The first a coarse but soft Derbyshire grit stone which we were told did not last long and had to be replaced often. It was so soft it wore away after a few uses. It produced the coarser flour. The other stone was more of a marble type brought in from France I think. This was much smoother and hardwearing lasting right up to the 21st century. In fact it had never been replaced since it had been fitted into the mill. Such was the quality. The flour produced was much better quality and more finely grained. The stuff for the lord of the manors bread.

We were given a demonstration of the method used to lift up the sacks of grain from the ground floor to the upper levels using the water wheel as a source of power. The intricate complicated machinery clanking and creaking. The topmost floor was not accessible but through gaps in the roof it was possible to see the working of the machinery and see how the grain was brought into the gritstone grinders.

We were the only ones inside and just a few out who were sitting enjoying the sun. This was good for us as there was plenty of room to look around however it is sad such an interesting building is largely ignored by passing traffic. It was possible to buy flour if you were interested in baking bread. The property is a National Trust one and we got in for free. Non-members paid £2 parking.

Stainsby is a little gem little known by anyone but delightful if you fancy a quiet trip out and you like the machinery of the agricultural and industrial revolution.

Tea was spent with family and the night in a Premier Inn. You know what you get. Good value at £39 a night for a room. A comfortable large bed with extra pillows. Some hard and some softer to cater for all tastes. TV, kettle and drinks with extra available at reception. The toilet and bathroom clean and tidy with loads of new towels. The reception friendly as was management and the parking good. And if you wanted a meal a Beefeater is next door with an extensive steak menu.

We slept well and ate breakfast in the pub. A full English for Glenn and a continental for me which comprised of porridge if you wanted it , fruit salad and yoghurts, toast and croissants. All for £8 25 for the full English and £5.35 for the continental.

A good night but boy did we miss Suzy and were we glad to get home. You miss your home comforts when you are not in a motorhome.

Only one more weekend and we are on the road again. Our Via Verde box (the box which allows us to go through the tolls and credit the charges against our credit cards - an electronic transponder ) has arrived . Again good service from Tolltickets in Germany. Money ordered - enough euros for a few lunches. And we have made a change to our plans. Instead of setting out Friday morning and driving all the way down to the Channel Tunnel having to negotiate Birmingham at rush hour we plan to set out later on Thursday afternoon. Travelling round Birmingham we will stay overnight at a campsite which will mean a lie in Friday morning.

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Photos

Stainsby Mill
The big iron watermill

Stainsby Mill
The workings

Stainsby Mill
The grindstone (the posh one for the gentry)

Comments

[Home and Away]

We loved Beefeater restaurants....
until they changed to steak houses...and not all were the quaint pub style. And we always stay at Premier Inns, formerly Travel Inns, formerly just rooms above a Beefeater, as the value can't be beat...and even exceeded the child age limit for the family rooms.