Saxon origins
A Mill has existed on this site since at least Saxon times; the foundation of the building suggests that the Saxon mill was established on the site of an earlier Roman mill. Early records from 932AD and 989AD refer to a watermill, owned by the Benedictine nunnery of Wherwell Abbey.
In the Domesday survey of 1086 the Mill is recorded as returning a rent of 48 shillings, making it one of the most profitable in the country. However, a series of bad harvests in the early 14th century, coupled with Winchester losing its capital status, reduced its value. The Black Death accelerated the decline and the Mill was recorded as derelict by 1471.
Following dissolution the Mill fell into Crown ownership. Henry VIII’s daughter, Mary Tudor, gifted it to the city in 1554 after her wedding in the nearby cathedral.
The present mill
In 1743, a new tenant, James Cooke, began rebuilding and extending the medieval mill. This is the building you see today. The central section with its fine gable was completed first, the eastern section added later. Many structural timbers date back to the 14th and 15th century suggesting much of the structure of the earlier building was retained.