| 1800 |
The present mill building was built c1800.
A mill has probably been on this site since 1086 when one was recorded
in the Domesday Book. Fulling took place in the current building |
| 1815 |
The clock was installed to commemorate
the victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo |
| 1816 |
The mill's owner, William Hayter of Whitchurch,
goes bankrupt. The mill is bought by William Maddick, a silk manufacturer
from Aldermanbury, London for £1,500 |
| 1840 |
By this date the mill was being run by
James Chappell |
| 1845 |
The mill was purchased by William Chappell
for £900. His son, also William Chappell, was a silk broker
in Coventry |
| 1851 |
The census returns for this year show that
90% of the mill workers were women, mostly aged 25 or under. The youngest
was 10 years old. The mill employed over 100 people |
| 1875 |
The mill was owned by Henry Chappell |
| 1887 |
The mill was purchased by John Hide, linen
draper and upholsterer of Whitchurch for £1,500 |
| 1890s |
The mill was converted from hand powered
looms to looms powered by the newly installed waterwheel |
| 1905 |
James Hide took over the business from
his father |
| 1930s |
Power was no longer supplied directly from
the waterwheel. It powered a small generator which produced electricity
for the looms |
| 1938 |
16 people were employed at the Mill weaving
and warping |
| 1939-1945 |
Work at the Mill was suspended during the
Second World War due to problems with supplies of silk |
| 1950s |
3 new looms were installed with a dobby
mechanism which allowed a more complicated pattern of weaving |
| 1955 |
James Hide died aged 92. He had managed
the mill for 50 years |
| 1956 |
The mill was purchased by Stephen Walters
and Co, silk weavers of Suffolk |
| 1971 |
The mill was purchased by Ede and Ravenscroft
of Chancery Lane, London. They made and sold legal gowns |
| 1972 |
2 Hattersley looms were purchased |
| 1985 |
The mill closed and was purchased for restoration
by the Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust |
| 1990 |
Building work was completed and the mill
opened to the public under the management of the Whitchurch Silk Mill
Trust |
