The Mills of Sutton Coldfield |
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Many mills have been recorded as existing in the Sutton Coldfield
area, the earliest being a corn (wheat) mill belonging to the lord of the manor in 1126. Most of these early mills were water powered, Maney and Langley being the only two windmills in the area. The remains of a horse mill have also been discovered in the northern part of Sutton Coldfield. Several of the water mills were built in Sutton Park, using the small streams for power. To maintain a water supply to these mills, millponds were created and these still survive as the pools of Sutton Park. Besides corn milling, many other industries relied on the local water power, including spade forging, steel rolling, boring gun barrels, leather dressing, button polishing, cloth fulling and wood sawing. Some of the mills changed their trade during their lifetime, two mills each having three trades before becoming derelict. Even the area now occupied by the Sutton Coldfield Gracechurch Centre was once a millpond. This provided water for Town Mill, a corn mill, with the Parade, previously called The Dam, built along the line of the millpond dam. Sutton Park is now an important National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and is also widely used for recreation. New Hall Mill, downstream of Sutton Park and Sutton Coldfield, originally abstracted water from the Ebrook, water that had been used many times by upstream mills. This can be seen from the map, based on one produced by Ken Williams as part of his extensive research into the lost mills of the area. Additional information on these mills may be obtained on Open Days or by enquiring at the Reference section of the Sutton Coldfield Library. |