The River Medway powered a number of watermills. From source to mouth they were:
Fen Place (Bishes) Mill, Worth TQ 361 366 The
mill building survives in part, incorporated into a dwelling and retaining the
waterwheel. The site may have been a hammer mill, witnessed by
Ironmasters Cottage Wing mentioned in recent property sale particulars. The mill was known as Bishes Mill in 1598 John Awcock was the
miller in 1841 and John Stanbridge was the miller in 1851, still there in 1867. The mill was then a
corn mill.
Mill Place Foundry, East Grinstead Another gun foundry site.
Brambletye (Castle) Mill, Forest Row. TQ 4168 3527 A
Domesday site, the last mill building dated from 1866, replacing the previous building that had burnt down. It had a brick base with timber above. The wooden overshot waterwheel drove three pairs of
millstones. Although the mill was working in 1945 it had been demolished by 1968.
Tablehurst Mill, Forest Row TQ 450 352 This mill was a mainly sixteenth century building. It is most likely to be the "Tellhurst Mill" that
J. M. W. Turner sketched c.1795. It had two overshot waterwheels in tandem, with all wooden machinery. The mill ceased working in 1925 and had been demolished by 1936.
Parrock Forge, Hartfield TQ 458 357 This forge was active during the reign of
Henry VIII, when it was making "gunstones of iron". His Majesty was in arrears with payments for munitions supplied, leading to financial trouble for the ironmaster in 1530. Robert Scorer was the lessee in 1513, when it was owned by William Warner, the forge was sold to William Saunders in 1547. In 1574 the forge was owned by Lord Buckhurst and worked by George Bullen. In 1595, the Crown Gunfounder, Thomas Johnson was involved in a dispute here. At the time the forge was owned by William Garway, and is last recorded in the ownership of John Garway in 1600. The dam is recorded as long and up to high, although there is some evidence that it could have been as much as long.
Ashurst Mill TQ 506 389 This mill was a
corn mill. The last building was built c.1780. The mill was run for many years by the Everest & then the Caffyn families. John Everest was the Miller at the time of his death in 1790 when he was succeeded, in accordance with his will, by his eldest son Edward. The latter continued milling here until his death in 1831 when he left the mill, in his will, to his sons John & James. The Everests were still there at the time of the 1841 Census. Thomas Caffyn was the miller in 1851. New machinery was installed in 1887 at a cost of over £1,000. The mill was being run by Thomas Caffyn (son of 1851 Thomas), when it burnt down in September 1930. The waterwheel was diameter by wide.
Ashurst Furnace TQ 507 390 This furnace stood just downstream of Ashurst Mill. It was operating between 1574 and 1599. It was owned by someone by the name of Stace in 1574, Sir Walter Waller in 1588–90 (occupied by John Phillips) and in 1599 Thomas Browne sold cannon here.
Chafford Mills, Fordcombe This was a
paper mill. There were two mills here in the thirteenth century, separated by a
ford that passed through the tail race of the Upper Mill. The Upper Mill was removed c.1300 and as a result the ford became deep and impassable. In 1303,
Henry de Cobham built a bridge at his own cost to replace the ford. This was swept away by a storm in 1337 and Thomas de Cobham (his son), erected a footbridge in its place. The Sheriff proceeded against Thomas for not rebuilding the bridge in its original form, and the Court agreed with the Sheriff. The site was used at one time as a
fulling mill. A picture of the mill c.1850 can be seen here. Paper from Chafford Mills was used to print
postage stamps for
Jamaica, The
Transvaal and the
Falkland Islands. The mill closed in 1913 and was demolished in 1930. It was latterly driven by a
turbine.
Pound Mill, Penshurst This mill stood below Ford Place Farm. It was a corn mill powered by an overshot waterwheel. The mill was marked as Crenhurst Mill on a map of 1769. Ramshurst Mill was marked on the 1801 Ordnance Survey map, but not on Greenwoods map dated 1821. In 1851, Henry Morgan was a millwright living at Ramhurst Mills, Leigh.
Powder Mills, Leigh (Tunbridge Gunpowder Works) TQ 573 466 This was a
gunpowder mill, established in 1811 Three explosions were recorded in the years 1832-35, the last killing two people. and the waterwheels were breastshot. Another explosion occurred in 1845, without loss of life. William Burton died in 1859, and the mills were put up for sale. They were bought by Charles and Thomas Curtis for £10,000. An explosion on 6 July 1864 killed four people. The firm was called Curtis's and Harvey by 1874. In this year, the transport of gunpowder along the River Medway ceased owing to the inhabitants of
Maidstone fearing for their safety from the passage of the barges along the river. In 1878, there was an explosion that killed a man. Steam power having been added by this date. The mills were reworked in 1885 when another explosion killed a man.
Cordite was being produced by this time and the manufacture of gunpowder ceased by 1897. Curtis's and Harvey became a public company in 1898. Image:Tonbridge Mill House.JPG|The Mill House Image:Town Mill, Tonbridge (new).JPG|The new building on the old walls
Branbridges Mill, East Peckham TQ 673 485 This mill was known as "Brantbridge Mill" in 1538, being then valued at £2.6s.8d., owned by
Sir Thomas Wyatt. In later years it was run by the Arnold family, who were previously at
Bartley Mill,
Frant. They took the mill in 1890, and the mill was marked as an oil mill on that year's 25"
Ordnance Survey map. The waterwheel was replaced by a turbine, then that was replaced by a gas engine, in turn being replaced by an oil engine. Flour production ceased c.1917 and provender milling ceased c.1947. The mill was burnt down in the 1960s.
Hampstead Mill, Yalding TQ 688 501 approx One of two Domesday sites in Yalding, this was a paper mill in 1872. The site was first used as a chemical works just before the First World War, and eventually became part of
ICI.
Friars Mill, Aylesford This was a corn mill, serving
Aylesford Friary.
Chatham Tide Mill TQ 757 683 There was a tide mill marked on 1575/1610 maps of the Brook area of Chatham, where the
Old Bourne River entered the Medway. By 1765, the Mill is not on the map and the river had been canalised, running alongside the road known as the Brook, and soon after it had been culverted. ==Watermills on the tributaries==