Stoke Mill
Having been constructed in 1879 Stoke Mill doesn’t have the long history associated with most mills along the Wey, although somewhere near here was the first mill built by Weston in 1635. A single storey mill building alongside dates from 1863. Milling primarily corn and paper, the miller here was one of many that found himself in regular dispute with the owners of the waterway and the barges that plied their trade along it. All mills need a constant supply of water, and a mill of this size had especially urgent requirements. The continual lock operations along the busy Navigation would create merry havoc with water levels in the eyes of the miller, and the canal operators would see the huge consumption of water taken by the mill as a continual threat of grounding vessels. Court actions were frequent and in 1832 the millers at Stoke, Newark and Woking agreed to a ‘Millers Indenture’ which formalised working practices for all parties with a need to use water along the Wey. The millers at Weybridge followed suit in 1849. Mills that predated the building of the Navigation had different rights awarded them and they could expect to receive payment from the bargees for the use of the water in compensation for any disruption.
Stoke Mill has been converted to modern use and is today occupied by the Surrey Advertiser group of newspapers. There is a house with parts dating back to 1650 close by, which may have been a mill house associated with Weston’s Mill although major refurbishments in Victorian times have hidden much of the features.