Whickham Mill is an interesting one. It sits in Chase Park, originally a King George’s Field, and much of it may date all the way back to 1720. 1567 is inscribed above the doorway, implying the stone may come from an earlier windmill or was extracted from that iteration.

It produced corn, and was once surrounded by a complex of buildings including a cottage, drying kiln and possibly a stable though all of these had disappeared by the 1850s. There’s still a couple of signs of its operating days including bolt holes and sockets for the old beams which held up the floors and platforms.

The Ordnance Survey maps of the 19th century indicate this was in ruins by the 1890s, with only an indiscriminate shell shown. Steam engines likely rendered this old industry time consuming and costly.

There’s clearly been plenty of renovation, and now sits on a bed of colliery waste which provides a nice vista from the bottom of the park. The mound is around 5ft from the original ground level.

The local records also state that when the Scots invaded the area in 1640, they destroyed the millstones and were broken and buried to prevent local food production. This would’ve been the mill which made use of the inscribed stone above the doorway if it’s true.