History of Mill End Boutique Accommodation
Mill End Mitcheldean dates back to the 140o’s. There are locks on the cupboard at the bottom of the stairs and the hinges on the cupboard in the woodland room which date back 1640 according to an art historian who visited - and they still work! The beams in the loft are chamfered and shaped which means that the medieval long hall would have been built by someone of financial standing to be able to afford to have decorative beams used in the construction. Variously a village pub (The Jovial Colliers) a bakery (there are 3 bread ovens in the house, 2 of which had been bricked in) and a village shop we bought the property in 2004 when it had 3 bedrooms!
Mill End is part of Mitcheldean, a village in Gloucestershire with a long history rooted in iron mining and later industrial development, including brewing and pin and clock making. The area around Mill End has historically been medieval, with a significant medieval house that has been a pub, shop, and bakery over the centuries.
Historical highlights
Medieval origins: The name Mitcheldean itself comes from the Old English for "big valley". The area was also part of the ancient royal hunting forest of the Forest of Dean.
Industrial growth: Mitcheldean grew significantly due to its proximity to iron ore deposits. This was followed by a period of industrial activity in brewing, pin making, and clock making. Wintles' Forest Brewery was a particularly large employer in the 19th century.
Medieval house at Mill End: The medieval house at Mill End has been through many transformations, serving as a pub, village shop, and bakery. It is also a listed building with features like chamfered oak beams.
Rank Xerox: In more recent history, Rank Xerox became a major employer in the area.
Modern day: The village now maintains its historic charm with timbered buildings and narrow streets, while also serving as a gateway to the Forest of Dean.
Historic Medieval Daisy Wheel - or Historic Building Geoemetry.
The daisy wheel sometimes called a hexafoil is a design with six-fold dihedral symmetry composed from six petals arranged radially around a central point. We were lucky enough to have Laurie Smith, geometer and early-building design researcher, (https://historicbuildinggeometry.uk/downloads/) visit Mill End at the invitation of Rupert Newman, who constructed our green oak and glass timber frame garden room and who discovered our very own daisy wheel carved into the 600 year old oak beams of our loft.
Jane Griswold Architect also explains daisy wheels thus - The master carpenter chose his circle diameter - often a hand's breath, about 8", or from thumb to first finger, about 6".
He drew his circle on a board and stepped the radius around the circle 6 times, swinging an arc each time. The pattern is a daisy wheel.
Always, in every circle, the tips of the petals mark the diameter of that circle. The other carpenters could measure the diameter with a compass whenever they needed.
