Path Head Water Mill

Path Head Water Mill offers a great day out for all the family. Schools can benefit from cheap entry to the mill and the wealth of information and experiences which provide a key link-in with the current National Curriculum. Visitors can see the changes and amazing progress made to date in restoring this once derelict site in Blaydon, Tyne & Wear into a local educational and community resource.

There is record of a mill (called the Stella Freehold Mill) in 1633 in the area of Path Head Water Mill. The current mill, which dates from 1728, was derelict when workers at the Vale Mill Trust started restoring it. It stands on the original grounds of Stella Hall Estate, which was owned by The Cowen family who resided there. They also owned Cowen Brickworks which was run within the local industrial area.

Path Head Hamlet was an industrial area at the turn of the century. Cowen Brick works, a world renowned brick manufacturer were also based in the local area, as well as many other heavy industries.

In more recent years the area has been used for sand and gravel extraction in the form of a quarry. Until recently the site was used as a successful farm, when the Mill and Corn Store were used purely as general storage houses, which lead to further decay and dilapidation.

As well as the Water Mill and Corn Store, visitors can view a Pole Barn housing two rack sawbenches under restoration, a 20ft high Flywheel and Crankshaft display, a Victorian Patent Derrick crane, a Stand-on Sun Dial and a restoed c1930 Wind Pump, which are linked into a new Renenewable Energy Circuit, powering a Water Turbine Generator.

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