Whitchurch Silk Mill

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Whitchurch Silk Mill is a watermill on the River Test in the town of Whitchurch, Hampshire, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.

History in brief
- Built in 1800 by Henry Hayter on Frog Island. It is likely on the site of an even older mill mentioned in the Domesday Book. It started as a fulling mill, part of finishing cloth.
- In 1817, William Madick bought it and switched the work to silk throwing.
- In 1844, Alexander Bannerman and John Spencer bought the mill. William Chappell, the manager, bought it in 1846. At that time 108 people worked there, including 39 children under 13.
- Ownership passed to the Hide family in 1866 and stayed with them until James Hide’s death in 1955. The mill wove silk for Burberry of nearby Basingstoke, using it as coloured linings for raincoats.
- It later passed to Ede and Ravenscroft, who ran it until 1985 to make gowns for legal and academic offices.
- The Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust bought the mill, restored it, and opened it to the public in 1990. Silk production resumed in December 2012.

Choices of ownership and purpose
- The building is owned by the Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust and leased to the Whitchurch Silk Mill Trust, a charity.
- The Trust weaves silk on Victorian machinery inside the Georgian watermill, welcomes visitors from around the world, and works to educate people about silk and to preserve the machinery.

How it works today
- The mill is powered by a low breastshot water wheel, 5 feet 6 inches in diameter, which drives the machinery through a line shaft system.
- There are 15 looms: 10 Tappet looms from 1890–1932, 3 Dobby looms from the 1950s, and 2 Hattersley looms from 1972. Today the looms are driven by electric motors.
- There is also a warping mill and winding frames dating from the 1890s. Visitors can see the weaving and learn about the history of silk.