Barton Mill

Barton mill is a four-storey timber framed and timber clad building on a brick base which is believed to date from 1852 (the date on the surviving waterwheel), it ceased working in 1928. The mill had state of the art machinery which survived largely intact, this included a flour pressing machine which could produce three grades of flour. A new mill house was built with an auxiliary post mill, which was subsequently moved to Barton Hills, where is stayed until 1865 when it was destroyed by a fire. There was a mill attached to Barton manor at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086 was worth 2s. 

The beginning of the 20th century saw a decline and changes in the stream that powered the watermill impaired the conditions. Abstraction of ground water and highway works resulted in a decrease in the quantity of water reaching the mill. During the construction of the bypass the millstream was lowered. The bypass now separates the mill from the village, and it has been redeveloped into a shopping village and garden centre with tea room, café and antique centre.

List of sources at Bedfordshire Archives

• Z402/11/4 – (5) Papers on Barton Mill
• Z1130/7/6 – View of water mill in Barton, 1910-1930
• X881/6/B4 – Photographs of Barton Mill, 1990-1998