Stainsby Mill

Stainsby Mill stands beside the Doe Lea in the parish of Ault Hucknall, Derbyshire. The present building is a 19th-century flour watermill of dressed stone, built between 1846 and 1850 for William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire. It replaced an earlier mill that had stood on the site since the early 13th century. Water once arrived from two ponds: Miller’s Pond fed by the Doe Lea and Stainsby Pond fed by the Stainsby Brook. The mill race ran beneath the road through sluice gates. The mill is worth the journey because it shows how Derbyshire’s water-powered industry worked for centuries. The restored breast-shot wheel has a 17 ft diameter and drove modern machinery until 1952. The millers came from two families: the Saunders, who worked there from 1689 to 1865, and the Hitch family who took over until the mill closed. After passing to the National Trust in 1950, a full restoration returned it to working order in 1992. Visitors find the mill house and its outbuildings arranged around the restored wheel and gearing. The interior still contains the original stones and millstones set in timber frames. Outside, the mill pond and race remain, and the surrounding Hardwick Estate offers walks along the Doe Lea. The building itself is Grade II listed, standing as part of a historic landscape that includes Hardwick Hall.