Dunster Working Water Mill

The West Country's finest working water mill, built in 1680 and on the River Avill, the mill is set in magnificent surroundings alongside the River Avill overlooking Exmoor National Park, only minutes from Dunster Castle and High Street. The Doomsday Book rcorded two mills on the Mohun Estate at Dunster in 1086, but the upper one has long disappeared. Although there are records of the Lower Mill from medieval times, it began to assume its present appearance in 1779-82 when it was almost completely rebuilt. The Mill survived various periods of disuse between the wars and continued to produce flour and grind feed for the home farm until 1962.

In 1979 the Mill was again repaired and put into working order. The bridge adjacent to the Mill was built in the eighteenth century by Henry Fownes-Luttrell to replace the medieval Mill-bridge. The romantic charm of the Mill made it a favourite haunt of artists in the nineteenth century when its rough rendered walls were covered in ivy. In June 1990, renovation of the Old Mill Stables was completed to provide an attractive tea room and riverside garden.

Dunster Water Mill - dating from 1680, beside the River Avill

See how flour is produced as the wheat grain is fed down to the grinding stones before being bagged up for local shops. bserve the fascinating collection of ancient agricultural machinery in the integral museum. Visit the Mill Shop, where the stone ground wholemeal flour, home-made muesli and other products are available. Morning coffee, home-made cakes and scones, cream teas, light lunches may be enjoyed in our delightful tea room or riverside garden. The Doomsday Book mentions Dunster as having two working watermills. Dunster Watermill with its two working wheels is regarded as the finest example of its kind in the West Country.

Dunster Water Mill - the corn grinding machinery

Work to restore Dunster's 17th Century working water mill was completed in 2007 thanks to funding from the Exmoor Sustainable Development Fund, provided by Defra and the South West Rural Development Agency, and administered by the Exmoor National Park Authority. Extensive use and exposure to the elements had left the two water wheels, launder and viewing platform in a poor condition. The restoration work to the main water wheel has now been completed and will help to ensure the survival of one of Dunster's key attractions and tourism businesses.

The mill, which is owned by the National Trust, still operates as a working water mill producing between 6-8 tonnes of organic flour per annum. The mill, tea rooms and gardens are open to the public and some 10,000 people visit every year. The present mill was thought to have been built on the site of a previous one in 1680. Indeed, the Doomesday Book mentions Dunster as having two working mills, so quite possibly milling has taken place on the site for some 900 years. With its two wheels, the mill is regarded as the finest example of its kind in the West Country, and one of only three or four left in the country.

  www.dunsterwatermill.co.uk

Contributed by: Melanie Tomkins