Ruskin Mill, Stroud
of Nailsworth
Ruskin Mill was built in the early 16th century, on the foundations of the Great Mill which is listed in the Doomsday Book, originally as a corn mill for the Horsley Estate. With the growth of the textile industry in Nailsworth in the 16th and 17th centuries, the mill was converted into a fulling mill and a dye house.
1800s the textile industry was booming and local textiles were exported all over the world. The owner of Millbottom Mill, as Ruskin Mill was then known, decided to rebuild the mill on a larger scale. He had grand designs for the building but because of financial problems and a reduction in trade, the full design was never completed; the internal structure indicates that another storey and a pediment were intended. The building bears the strong Regency symmetry of four windows on each wing and three in the central section.
20th Century: The industrial depression caused many businesses to fail and the mill went through a succession of owners and tenants. During this time the mill was used for corn milling, brass finishing, leather stiffening, as a sawmill, a grocery, a cider press using the local apples from the valley, and making aniline dyes and inks.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Ruskin Mill Trust