MOSTY LEA MILL
Part of Staffordshire's Industrial Heritage
LOCATION
Kibblestone International Scout Camp
Kibblestone Road
Oulton
Stone
Staffordshire
ST15 8UJ
ABOUT THE MILL
Mosty Lea Mill was built in the early 1700s, alongside the Scotch Brook in the Moddershall valley, and was first recorded as a corn mill in 1716.
The use of flint in the production of pottery to produce fine white and cream ware led to the development of the process of wet grinding flint. Mosty Lea Mill was converted to flint milling in 1756, becoming one of eleven such mills in the valley.
The process of grinding flint remained largely unchanged until the mid-20th century. Shortages of parts and labour caused by the Second World War, and the development of electric motors to drive cylinder mills meant that most water mills became obsolete or redundant.
Mosty Lea Mill ceased production in 1962 and fell into disrepair. It was partially restored in the 1980s and ownership transferred to the Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle Divisional Scout Council in 1996.
The mill is the only mill remaining in the Moddershall Valley where all the processes involved in grinding can still be seen, together with its water wheel, gears, pit wheel and grinding pan.
The mill is cared for by volunteers and open to the public by appointment and on specified dates during the year.
