The Medway and its tributaries and sub-tributaries have been used for over 1,150 years as a source of power. There are over two hundred sites where the use of water power is known. These uses included corn milling, fulling, paper making, iron smelting, pumping water, making gunpowder, vegetable oil extraction, and electricity generation. Today, there is just one watermill working for trade. Those that remain have mostly been converted. Such conversions include a garage, dwellings, restaurants, museums and a wedding venue. Some watermills are mere derelict shells, lower walls or lesser remains. Of the majority, there is nothing to be seen. A large number of tributaries feed into the River Medway. The tributaries that powered watermills will be described in the order that they feed in. The mills are described in order from source to mouth. Left bank and right bank are referred to as though the reader is facing downstream. This article covers the watermills on the tributaries that feed in below Penshurst and above Yalding.

The Southborough Bourne A stream rises in Colebrook Park, Pembury, and enters the Medway from the left below Town Mills, Tonbridge. Anciently known as the Calverley Stream, it powered three watermills.

Vauxhall (Bourne Mill) Furnace, Southborough

The location of this furnace is near Mote Farm, Southborough. Iron smelted here was worked at the forge downstream. The forge was in operation from 1552, when it was owned by the Duke of Northumberland and Robert True was the ironfounder. Late in 1552, the Duke leased the furnace for 40 years to Sir George Harper and Thomas Culpeper, with permission to build another furnace and forge. Culpeper quit the lease in 1571 and in 1573 David Willard was working for Sir Thomas Fane. In 1588, Edmund and Abraham Willard were ironfounders at Bourne Mill Furnace, most likely to have been Vauxhall. The ironworks were mentioned in leases of 1622 and 1678, but appear to have been idle in 1653 and 1664. A powder mill was erected here in 1771. A few remains of the waterwheel were on site in 1933. The dam has been measured at long and high.Wealden Iron Research Group enter name of forge in search box

Brook (Broakes, Old Forge) Mill, Southborough

David Willard built this forge for Sir Thomas Fane in 1553. It was a forge in 1574 and worked in conjunction with Vauxhall Furnace from 1623 to 1679. It was a Pestle mill in 1763. It was a gunpowder mill from 1771 to at least 1801, possibly until 1812. A corn mill was built in 1845 and was working until 1942.(PDF)

Bourne Mill, Southborough

This mill is marked by Bournemill Farm. It is thought to have been a furnace.

Priory Mill, Tonbridge

This mill belonged to Tonbridge Priory. In 1865, the miller was Thomas Seabrook Jr. The mill was disused in the 1930s but nothing remains now to show where the mill stood. It had an overshot waterwheel.Mills Archive

Tudeley Brook A stream rises at Colts Hill, Brenchley and enters the Medway from the right bank downstream of the Southborough Bourne. It powered two watermills.

Keyes Mill, Pembury

This watermill had a wooden overshot waterwheel. It was standing c. 1796, when it was painted by J. M. W. Turner and was working until at least 1885.

Badsell Mill, Paddock Wood This mill site is to the north-west of the crossroads between the B2017 and A228.

Tributary of the Tudeley Brook

Spring Grove Mill, Pembury

This mill stood in Redwings Lane. In the thirteenth century it was given by Simon de Wahull to Bayham Abbey.

Pen Stream The Pen Stream rises to the west of Dene Park in Tonbridge, entering the Medway from the left at Hadlow Stair. It powered a watermill.

Mill at Hadlow Stair This watermill may have been in existence in 1460, when a survey of Hadlow was carried out. The Mill House was in existence then, in the occupation of Richard Bishop, and the Mill Ditch was mentioned.

River Bourne The River Bourne enters the Medway from the left at East Peckham. The River Bourne was used to power a number of watermills in its length. In order from source these were: Old Mill, Borough Green (corn?); Basted Mill (Platt parish) (paper); Lower Basted Mill, Plaxtol (corn?); Winfield Mill, (corn); Longmill (corn); Roughway Paper Mill; Hamptons Paper Mill (West Peckham parish); Oxonhoath Mill (corn); Bourne Mill (corn), Hadlow; Goldhill Mill (corn), Golden Green; Pierce Mill (corn); and finally Little Mill (corn), East Peckham.

Old Mill, Borough Green

Little is known of it except that the millpond was about long and wide at the mill, giving an area of up to . The head was about .

Basted Paper Mill, Platt

This paper mill was marked on Hasted's map and known to be in operation in 1716. It may be the paper mill at Wrotham which William Quelch was working in the period 1723–31.Mills Archive The mill pond was long and wide at the mill, giving an area of . George How Green was the occupier of the mill in 1835 when he leased Hamptons Paper Mill. The mill burnt down in 1917 and was rebuilt and worked by steam power until 1960. It finally closed after damage suffered in the floods of September 1968. The mill supplied paper used for postage stamps. Although often referred to as being in Borough Green, the mill site actually stands within the parish of Platt., easily.co.uk Stamps4u in New Zealand accessed 21 November 2007

Lower Basted (Johns) Mill, Plaxtol

This mill was about downstream of the Basted Paper Mill. This mill was marked as John's Mill on an 1825 map. The only other evidence for the mill was two fields on the Wrotham tithe map, 1840 named "Mill meadow and orchard" and "Mill meadow and old road" in the ownership of H A Wildes and the occupation of John Benge.Hadlow Parish site accessed 21 November 2007 /maps at Kent Archaeology accessed 22 November 2007

Winfield Mill, Plaxtol

Winfield mill was a corn mill built of ragstone in 1836 by Eliza Carter. Millers include James Full, who died 18 March 1871 aged 66, and was buried in Plaxtol churchyard. The mill was still standing in 1930, but by 1940 it was a ruin. The Upright Shaft was of wood and the Great Spur Wheel was of compass arm construction, as shown on a photograph of 1955. The overshot waterwheel was in diameter and wide, housed internally in the mill, and was constructed in 1874 by Messrs. Weeks of Maidstone. Some stones still remain at the site. An earlier mill on this site was known as "Windfield Mille" in 1699 and was then in the occupation of John Dutnell; it was previously in the occupation of Thomas Farrett.,Kent ArchaeologyKent LibraryMill Archive

Longmill, Plaxtol

A long-lost corn mill site, commemorated today by Longmill Lane.

Roughway Paper Mill, Plaxtol

This mill was built c. 1807 and was powered by steam and water. The mills were worked by Messrs, Turner & Co from at least 1862 to post 1882 and produced paper which Messrs. De La Rue used for printing colonial postage stamps. Latterly a diameter by wide breastshot waterwheel was used to drive bellows for the steam engine. There was a tall chimney which was a local landmark but this was demolished in 1997 after a fire.rpal.org.uk

Hamptons Paper Mill, West Peckham

This paper mill was built in 1740 by Thomas West, carpenter, of West Peckham for William Burtenshaw, papermaker, of Wrotham for £175 and was active until the 1880s. When built it was long and wide. In 1759 the mill was leased by Isabella and William Dalyson to Mrs Elizabeth Buttonshaw for 21 years at £45 per annum. Previous occupiers of the mill were William Steddolph and Thomas Dalison. John Buttonshaw died on 12 February 1827 and the lease then passed to Elizabeth Buttonshaw. In 1835 John Buttanshaw surrendered his lease on the mill to Maximilian Dudley Digges Dalison. George How Green leasing the mill from 1833 at £100 per annum, and insuring the mill and building for a total of £1,500. Only traces of the foundations remain. It probably had an overshot waterwheel, housed internally. A paper-making machine was sold from this mill in 1872. The mill straddled the parish boundary of Shipbourne and West Peckham. It was demolished c. 1890. The mill cottages survive on the opposite side of the road to the mill site.GHatfield

Oxonhoath Mill, West Peckham

The site has been occupied since 1259. It may be the site of "Toyesmede mill" lying in the Hadlow boundary of the Lowy of Tonbridge in c. 1258. The mill has at various times been a fulling mill and a corn mill. The mill was at one time owned by the Geary family and worked by William Young and his son Edward in the period 1847–75. Robert Blunden was the miller in 1882. The mill building was standing in 1930 although the machinery had been removed by then. It had a single storey brick base and three storeys built of timber on top. Only a part of the lower walls remain today.

Bourne (Hope, Lambert's) Mill, Hadlow

This may be a Domesday site, Haslow (Hadlow) being assessed as having 2 mills. The mill still stands, and had a large external high breast shot waterwheel. The millpond was about by , or in area. Apart from the cast iron wheel axle and wooden upright shaft, The cast iron pit wheel survives. The crown wheel was of compass arm construction. The mill was working until 1947, millers in the latter days being John Thirsk (there in 1931) and Thomas Lambert before him. A Mr. Carr took over the mill in 1947 and established a small clothing factory, still trading today as Carr & Westley Ltd. The mill was also known as Hope Mill, being part of Hope Farm.

Goldhill (Bourneside, Victoria) Mill, Golden Green

Golden Green is a hamlet within Hadlow parish. A mill may have been on this site since Domesday. This Grade II listed mill is the only mill on the Bourne to retain most of its milling machinery. The internal waterwheel is of iron, and is breast shot. It is diameter and wide. on a cast iron axle. The pit wheel is diameter and has 120 cogs, driving a diameter wallower with 35 teeth on a diameter wooden upright shaft. The Great Spur Wheel is diameter and has 92 cogs. The date 1848 is on a plinth at the bottom of the Upright shaft, and may indicate the date of the existing waterwheel and machinery. The crown wheel was used latterly to drive the electricity generator, with one of the stone nuts being adapted as the driven gear. The mill had two pairs of millstones and last ground corn c. 1920. The sack hoist does not survive. In the early-mid 20th century, the mill was used to generate electricity, but the apparatus has now been removed. The mill was also known as Bourneside Mill and Victoria Mill (Victoria Road is downstream of the mill). The outbuildings around the mill have been converted into holiday cottages.

Pierce Mill, Golden Green

approx

Little is known of this mill, but it is commemorated today by Pierce Mill Lane. The mill was named after the millers, the Pierce family.

Little Mill, East Peckham

This mill still stands, part of the building being converted to a private dwelling, part demolished. The waterwheel was breastshot.

Tributaries of the Bourne A tributary of the Bourne rises in the Hildenborough parish and flows through Shipbourne where it powered a watermill, Uridge's Mill, Shipbourne (corn) and a pump at Claygate before flowing into the Bourne downstream of Hamptons Paper Mill. A tributary of this tributary drove a water powered sawmill at Fairlawne Home Farm, Shipbourne. A tributary enters the Bourne at Basted Paper Mills. It may have powered a watermill in Crouch (Platt parish).

Uridge's Mill, Shipbourne

This mill was named after the miller, Robert Uridge, who worked the mill for sixteen years during the 1870s and 1880s. The exact location is not known. The mill may have gone by the name Puttenden Mill, but this could also have been Hamptons Paper Mill.Kent & Sussex Courier, 20 February 1981, p. 2.

Claygate pump, Shipbourne

approx

This was a breast shot wheel driving a pump again the exact location is not known.MillArchive.com

Fairlawne Saw Mill, Plaxtol