Cricklepit Mill

Cricklepit Mill is a part of the old Exeter Quay area that existed in the 15C and that is now the bustling alternative city centre. There were many mills here through the ages - fulling mills (for the wool trade) and grist mills for grinding corn - and they were mostly driven by water power coming from the River Exe. It is thought that the Cricklepit Mill is one of the earliest and certainly the only extant representative of such mills. Here there are two water wheels still surviving and an almost complete mill structure.

Between the historic Custom House and the new developments is this survival of Exeter's industrial past. When the Trust undertook the restoration at the suggestion and with the financial help of the City Council the fabric of the mill had deteriorated badly since its last occupation in the 1950's. Before restoration could begin vandals caused a fire that destroyed some of the original timbers. It was a daunting task. The conservation architect Fergusson Mann (now Acanthus) were appointed by the Trust and the process of selecting restoration points and creating a restoration plan could begin.

The result is a sparking building with timbers retained from the fire and a water wheel that shortly will work the mill machinery again. A feature of the mill is the slate roof by Delabole in diminuishing courses. The project won the Michelmore-Western Morning News Architectural Award in 2004 for the best restoration in the South West region.

The Mill will live again as the office of the Devon Wild Life Trust.