MDE21886 - New Mill, north of West Anstey Common (Monument)

A square enclosure is shown on the Tithe Map for West Anstey at SS 8586 3016, with no features depicted within. It is labelled 655, which the accompanying Apportionment describes as "New Mill: Ruins of House", owned by John Partridge and occupied by William Hill. The route of a leat is also shown. It begins at c. SS 8569 3001, running northeast and under the road adjacent to a ford at c. SS 8575 3009. It runs past the mill site and then apparently rejoins the river at c. SS 8575 3009, although the copy of the map held by the Exmoor HER is damaged at this location. [1] The enclosure is not shown on the 25 inch 1st Edition map, but two buildings are shown here labelled "New Mill". The route of the leat is mostly depicted, beginning at a weir (which is shown and labelled, and recorded as MDE21887). [2] Also marked on 1904-6 25 inch 2nd Edition map. [3] Site visible, although no buildings apparent, on 1946-9 aerial photograph. [4] All that remains is evidence of walls at ground level. The leat is about 6 feet wide, which runs from a, now vanished, weir upstream from Slade Bridge (MDE21887), is still visible. It was severed by the remodelling of the Bridge in the mid 20th Century, possibly to eliminate a hump caused by the leat culvert under the road surface. New Mill is in a remote location and Bodman suggests that it may have been a fulling mill rather than a corn mill, although it has also been suggested that the site was connected with mining. [5] Draft. [6] The buildings, weir and leat are not shown on the 2021 MasterMap data. [7]