The New Mill

From the 1860s the mill is listed as being run by J. N. Miller – Joseph Norton Miller. This is because of a marriage between the Norton and Miller families. The firm also had premises at Trescott.

In 1874 Robert N. Hazeldine started work at Millers, and eventually rose to the position of Company Chairman. He was Joseph Miller’s nephew, and became a joint partner when Joseph died in 1893. He became chairman in 1908 and remained at the company for over 75 years. The firm became a private limited company in 1907 trading under the name J. N. Miller Limited.


Miller's letterhead.

This view from 1973 shows the canal basin that served the mill. On the left is the sack warehouse with a hoist above two opening doors, one just above the water, and the other on the middle floor.

The basin is part of the original canal before it was diverted. It ran under Corn Hill into the basement of the mill itself.

The tow path was originally on the right-hand side of the canal. When this section became the basin for the mill, the tow path was turned into a small alleyway that ran from the canal towpath up to Corn Hill. Part of the retaining wall can be seen on the extreme right.


A view of the mill and Corn Hill in 1973.

From 1895 there was always an annual mill outing in the summer. The first outing was to Bridgnorth in a four horse brake. The following year they went to Plymouth.

The original millstones were replaced by roller mills in 1884, and in 1925 the steam engines were replaced by electric motors made by the Electric Construction Company.

It is likely that the original horizontal boilers were replaced at this time by two small vertical boilers, because from then on steam would only be needed for heating. The electrification of the mill was carried out by Christie Brothers of Chelmsford using E.C.C. equipment.

In 1910 two rows of silos were built at the eastern end of the mill. They were designed by Henry Lovatt and reached up to the third floor of the mill.

In 1916 an 80 ft. chimney was built in the former mill house garden to serve the original boilers. This may have been removed in 1925 when the mill was electrified.


Miller's logo on their paper bags.


An advert from 1936.

The mill used a wide range of British and foreign grain, dealing with hundreds of tons of wheat a week. Products included white flour, national flour, self-raising flour, biscuit flour, wholemeal flour, bran, and animal and poultry feed.

The mill's products were delivered to most of the country. Grain arrived by bulk grain vehicles, and mainly came via the Liverpool Docks or the Manchester Ship Canal. A high proportion of the wheat came from Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, Russia, and the Danube Basin. The remainder came from British farms, together with barley, oats, rye, and other course seed grains for animal feed.

The incoming wheat was weighed on a 30 ton Avery weighbridge and taken to the storage silos that had a capacity of 2,000 tons. Separators removed the course roughage, and the wheat was washed, scoured, screened, and prepared for milling in the mixing bins. All dust and loose matter was withdrawn from the wheat, which was conditioned and dried before milling. Each product was carefully monitored during the milling process to maintain a high standard, and consistency.


An advert from 1948.
   
Return to
A Fireproof Mill		   Return to
the beginning		   Proceed to
The 1950s