Mill Road / The Mill

by Tony Godfrey

In Abingdon we are lucky because the countryside is so easy to reach on foot.  In a car you find contrasting scenery within a 30 minute drive -the Cotswolds with gentle rolling hills and honey coloured cottages, empty sweeping downland with its huge fields and big skies and, nearer home, the lush watery Thames valley.

Mill Road which separates Tithe Farm and Ladygrove is unusual in that it changes from a pleasant suburban street into a narrow country lane with an old mill house at the end.  The mill has now been changed into a country home but you can still hear the roar of water from the mill race as you stroll past reminding you of its original function.

Mills are interesting.  They are one of the earliest forms of technology, using the power of channelled water to activate the wheel which will turn the millstone to grind the grain into flour.  In all probability the mill was the property of Abingdon Abbey which dominated everything.  The corn which was taxed from the local farmers would be taken from the tithe barn and ground into flour for the monks to use and to sell. Individuals could bring grain too.  The millers themselves often had a bad reputation for dishonesty exploiting their customers’ ignorance of weights and measures.

There are lots of mills in this area because there is plenty of water around and there are still a few small working mills to show how the process works.  There is one by the Thames in Mapledurham near Reading which might be a pleasant outing in the summer.  However, if you want a bag of flour urgently it’s easier to nip into Tesco’s!