Bell's Mills
Bell's mills to the south of Belford Bridge was wrecked by an explosion in 1972. It latterly made wood flour for the linoleum industry and generated its own electricity. Only the two storey rubble walled granary survives, with its central pediment dated 1807 now part of the hotel. Note the wheatsheaf above door. The wheatsheaf emblem was placed on mill buildings at least till the beginning of the 19th century.
Granery at Bell's Mills
The lade starts at the weir below the Gallery of Modern Art and runs beside Belford Place from the Coach house (which is the house you see at the end of the weir). The lade runs through private land and emerges to form a water feature in front of Hotel re-entering river just before weir by Belford Bridge.
Bell's Mills House
To the west is Bell's Mills House, a nicely
proportioned villa built c.1780.
The last owner (of mill and house) Lawrence Walker lived here until
a couple of years ago. The site is owned by the hotel and is shortly
to be developed for flats. So visit it while you can!
A few millstones survived at Bell's Mills. One is incorporated into the fountain at the granary (not working) and others lay close to the gateway of the mill house until recently.
The small ruin upstream is the remains of a small mill disused since
about 1807 when the height of lade was raised to increase power.
