The Demise of Fisher’s Mill

Historically there were two mills at Middleton. Both of these were located on the Langley Brook and have now been lost.

The first mill was a very ancient one that was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. This mill was lost in the late 16th century, at the same time that Middleton Pool was created.

The second mill was constructed by the de Marmion family in the early 13th century and it was located much closer to the river Tame. This mill has been known by various names. In very old documents it was known as Boyle’s Pit Mill, then it was known as Fish House Pool Mill and eventually the name became Fisher’s Mill. In February 1901, Egbert de Hamel gave a lecture to the Birmingham Archaeological Society at which he showed photographs of Fisher’s Mill and stated that it was one of the oldest surviving mills in the country. He also said that its internal arrangement was just as it always had been and “there was nothing modern about it”.

Fisher's Mill, c.1892. Photograph taken by J. H. Pickard. Courtesy of Alan Butters.

It is uncertain when the demise of Fisher’s Mill actually occurred, but it is known that it began around 1925. There are multiple newspaper reports from that time which state that the floodgates of the mill’s weir had been severely damaged to the extent that in their place were only iron rods covered with loose timber. These damaged gates were holding up the water and this was raising the level of the river Tame at Kingsbury and Bodymoor Heath by about four or five feet, which was causing significant and frequent flooding.

Various suggestions and demands were put forward at numerous Council meetings. On 13th June 1925, some of the comments reported expressed these opinions: that the Council had a duty to keep the course clear and should proceed to cut or dredge the course without haste; that the Council could proceed as long as it could be certain that it would not damage or touch the surrounding land whilst undertaking the remedial action; that John Averill, the very new owner and possessor of the water rights for that area, ought to be compelled to repair and clear out the weir; and, finally, another said that a “more satisfactory job would be the removal of the weir … would like to see the whole thing swept away, all the building and everything”.

In the end, it is known that the dredging did occur. Middleton Hall Trust were told that when the Council dredged the river, they got too close and further damaged the weir. As a result, it was removed and the mill was left to ruin. In the Tamworth Herald, on the 2nd September 1933, it was described as such: “the old ruins of Fisher’s Mill ... Here are crumbling stone walls, huge tumbled blocks of masonry, an ugly ironwork bridge, and rusty fragments of iron. The whole overgrown by grass and weeds. Trees have been blown over the mill dam; and the entire ruinous state of the once prosperous mill would cause a poet to break into verse at once”.

Further Reading: "Middleton", Tamworth Herald, 23 February 1901, p.8.

"Alleged Damage", Tamworth Herald, 30 May 1925.

"River Obstruction at Middleton Mill", Tamworth Herald, 13 June 1925.

"River Tame", Tamworth Herald, 7 November 1925.

Sigurd, "Rambles in the Tamworth District: No. 8 Wilnecote-Kingsbury-Cliff-Dosthill", Tamworth Herald, 2 September 1933.

Author - Debbie Jordan, Middleton Hall Volunteer.

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