Muncaster Mill
Please Note
The Mill is Now Closed and Not Open To The Public.
(See also Muncaster Castle and Ravenglass)
 Muncaster Water Mill is a
working water-powered mill dating from 1455. Its current machinery belongs to the early
19th century. It once served as the village mill, and today it mills organic wheat,
producing wholemeal flour.
It is possible that the Romans used this site. The River Mite is tidal, which
allowed ships to deliver grain to the mill. The mill was located between two Roman forts and a
Roman kiln was discovered in the river bank. Until 1970 the mill belonged to the Muncaster Castle
estate, a property of the Pennington family. It was sold and restored within a few years. The
leat, or water supply, is ¾ mile long.
The mill contains a 13 foot in diameter overshot water wheel. It is allowed to
use 2 million gallons of water from the river each day, all being returned. The mill is a
layshaft mill designed to enable its operation by one person. On the ground floor a large pit
wheel, on the same axis as the water wheel, provides power to drive the mill machinery.
Farmers brought carts to the mill yard and backed them onto a platform by the
stone floor door. The sacks of grain were dried on the kiln floor by heat its tiles. A fire hole
underneath provided an opening to build a fire to heat the tiles. The miller turned the grain
several times a day with a shovel. The whole drying process took 3-4 days. The dried grain was
then moved to the stone floor through one of the wall openings.
The grain was put through a chute to a stone floor, where the outer husks were
cracked. Then it went into a wire machine that removed the husks. A winnower separated the husks
from the grain. Derbyshire millstone grit stones ground the grain.
Today, French Burr stones are used for grinding wheat. Wheat is fed through the
hopper on the top to the "shoe" allowing the grain to slowly find its way into the hole in the
centre and between the stones. Flour passes through a series of fine and course meshes and
produces unbleached white flour, fine brown flour, semolina and natural bran.
Muncaster Water Mill is located near Muncaster Castle on the A595 north of
Ravenglass.
Photo courtesy of Barbara Ballard
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