History of Clyston Mill
There has been a mill named Clyston at Broadclyst for many hundreds of years. The first mention of the mill was made in The Domesday Book in 1086, where it was referred to as Clistone/tona mill. Its location was a mystery at this time, but it was thought to be on a stretch of a river north of where the mill is today. Back in the day, the mill would have been a busy and noisy place, with grain arriving by the wagon load and prices being argued with local farmers.
1800s
In 1806, Samuel Flood had the mill and a windmill on the other side of the village. Proof of it in this location was given in 1859. The tenant miller Richard Burton was unable to mill flour on many occasions due to the lack of water, so he bought a steam engine from London to power the mill.
In 1862, a disasterous fire started in the mill stable and ruined the dwelling house, but luckily the mill and its machinery were saved. The waterwheel used to drive the millstones was a low-breast shot wheel made mainly of cast iron and wooden cogs. Taylor & Bodley, engineers and millwrights of Exeter, installed it in 1880, and it's a fine example of Victorian engineering that you can gaze at on your visit.
