Lower Quemerford Mill, Calne

"Quemerford was almost certainly a part of the King's estate that was granted to other people from the late 12th century. It was a largely agricultural area with no early nucleated settlement. There was a fulling mill here, on the River Marden, by 1550 and there were two by 1646 when the Chivers family were prominent here. Later a third mill was built. Around 1800 Lower Mill was rebuilt as a water powered cloth factory and a steam engine was added in 1815. By 1841 it had been converted to a grist mill when the cloth industry failed here. It continued producing animal foodstuffs, though not by water power until about 1980. Between the 1850s and 1870s paper was made at Quemerford. Quemerford House was rebuilt in the late 18th or early 19th century. A church, as a chapel of ease to St. Mary's was built here in 1852-3 and in the 20th century urban development has joined Quemerford to the town of Calne." - Wiltshire Community History, Wiltshire Council

"Immediately east of Quemerford Bridge, Quemerford Lower Mill is a five-storey building that was rebuilt as a cloth factory in the 1790s. The wool trade in Calne declined in the early 19th century, and in 1841 Quemerford Lower Mill was converted into a grist or corn mill. In the period 1903-1918, the mill was owned by Messrs Proud, Taylor and Collen, later Proud Brothers. It was recently converted into apartments. The Mill House is a villa built beside the factory about 1850 and restored more recently. Quemerford Upper Mill was enlarged around 1860. It was operated by Rawlings and Phillips Ltd, which opened a new building in December 1935, built by Blackford & Son. The business later passed to Rank Hovis McDougall Ltd and then to Dalgety Ltd, which used the mill as a distribution centre. The modern mill was demolished in 1986, leaving only the original stone buildings, which were recently converted into apartments." - Patrick Comerford,  "Quemerford and Comerford family origins" (2009)

L.
27.10.2012

Blip #821
Consecutive Blip #034
Day #942

Lens: Pentax 17-70mm

Calne series
River Marden series

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Ann Cole - I´ve Got Nothing Working Now (1957)
This choice seemed appropriate for this former mill. It was the follow-up to Ann Cole's original recording of I've Got My Mo-Jo Working (better known by Muddy Waters' cover) for Baton Records, when it seemed her black cat bones had failed to do the trick.

One year ago: Caen Hill Marina